Parents make up a huge portion of the population with 43% of UK families living in households having dependent children. (1)
Many parents are willing to spend money, especially when it benefits their kids. And while parents are often managing tight budgets, they’ll still invest in services and products that solve problems or improve their children’s lives.
Whether this is finding affordable childcare, investing in learning tools, or purchasing high quality children’s activities, parents are always looking for ways to make their lives easier or better.
Marketing to parents, however, can be tricky. They are busy, distracted, and more careful with their spending. So how can you grab their attention and convince them to choose your product or service?
In this article, we’ll explore key strategies for effectively marketing to parents. These tips will help you create better marketing campaigns and connect with this important demographic.
1. Learn about your parent customers
Before you start marketing to parents, you need to understand who your target market of parents really is. Parents in your market will have unique needs, habits, and challenges, and it’s important to take the time to research them.
- Look at demographics. In the UK, many parents are between 25-45 years old. However, don’t assume all parents are the same. Understand the specific needs of parents in your market – they may have children of a certain age, live in a specific area or have certain goals or problems to solve that your marketing can speak to.
- What are their needs? Parents are usually looking for ways to simplify their busy lives. Whether it’s affordable childcare, educational experiences, or family activities, your product or service needs to address a specific need.
- Research online forums and local communities. Parent forums, social media groups, and focus groups can provide valuable insights into what parents want and need. Pay attention to what they talk about, what frustrates them, and what they value.
2. Connect with parents’ daily challenges
Parents face daily challenges including financial pressure, finding time for themselves, or balancing work and family life.
Good marketing to parents begins by acknowledging these struggles and connecting over them. When you speak to parents’ pain points, they’ll feel seen and understood and in turn will be more likely to remember your marketing. Here are some ways you can do this:
- Show empathy in your messaging. Be transparent and offer real solutions. If your product can help reduce the stress or save time for parents, make sure you communicate that.
- Position your product as a solution. Once you’ve connected on an emotional level, you can better position your product as the answer to their problems. For example, if you offer educational tools, focus on how they help children learn while keeping homework time simple for busy parents.
3. Build parent trust
Trust is an important factor when marketing to parents. They are more likely to spend money on a brand they feel is reliable and honest. Here are some ways to build trust:
- Be genuine. Parents are good at spotting fake marketing, so make sure your messaging feels real. Don’t exaggerate the benefits of your product or make promises you can’t keep.
- Use social proof. Positive reviews, testimonials, and word-of-mouth recommendations are powerful tools. Share real stories about how you’ve helped other families. Parents trust other parents’ experiences more than ads.
4. Set the right price
Price is one of the biggest concerns for parents. Families often have to stick to a budget, so you want to convey that your product or service is good value. Here are some ways you can do this:
- Show value for the price. Parents want to feel that they are getting their money’s worth. Make sure your marketing explains how your product will benefit them or their children clearly.
- Offer flexible pricing. Consider advertising discounts, monthly payment plans, or bundle deals to make your product more appealing and accessible. If you offer childcare services, for example, make sure to highlight if your service qualifies for tax-free childcare or vouchers.
5. Tell stories parents relate to
Storytelling is a great way to engage parents on an emotional level. Instead of focusing solely on features, tell a story that shows how your product helps parents. Here’s are some ways you can use storytelling to reach parents:
- Position parents as the hero. In your story, the parent should be the central figure overcoming challenges. Your product or service is the tool that helps them succeed. Showing this journey can make your brand feel more personal and relatable to their life.
- Be relatable. Use real-life situations that parents can easily identify with. Whether it’s a child overcoming a challenge, learning a new skill or helping parents with work life balance, make your story resonate.
6. Choose the right marketing channels: reach parents where they are
Once you understand your audience, you need to find the best ways to reach them. This is usually a platform or forum where parents hang out, ask questions and generally spend their time.
Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool for reaching parents, but you need to choose the right social media platform. If you try to market to parents on all social media channels at the same time you may burn out in the longer term. Instead choose 1 or 2 platforms and focus on those first.
- Find the right platforms. Facebook remains the most popular platform among parents, especially Facebook groups where local recommendations are exchanged and parenting questions posted and answered. YouTube is also used a lot, particularly for parenting advice and tips. Instagram is popular for scrolling through visual content, especially among younger parents.
- Use visuals. Short-form videos (like Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts) and images have the best return on investment on social media. Parents are more likely to engage with content that they can relate to, so use images that show real-life situations they experience.
- Engage in Facebook Groups. Parent groups on Facebook are a valuable space to build connections and engage with your target audience. These groups are full of discussions about common challenges parents face, and requests for local recommendations. They offer a chance for you to offer solutions directly in the comments or through a fresh post.
Social media ads
Before we go into how to market to parents with social media ads, it’s important to understand the value of each customer you’re acquiring. If you’re going to spend money on ads, make sure you are confident in the return on investment by knowing your Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). That way, you can be sure the money is well spent.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) is how much money you can expect to make from a customer over time.
This is important when calculating how much to spend on ads because it shows you how much you can afford to pay to get a new customer.
If you’re focusing on Cost Per Lead (CPL), understanding your CLV helps you figure out how much you can spend on each lead and still make a profit.
How to market to parents using social media ads
When creating ad campaigns on social media, make sure they speak directly to parents. You should:
- Create clear, direct messaging. Make sure your ad communicates how your product or service will make parents’ lives easier. Avoid vague or overly complex messaging or language.
- Target your audience. Use Facebook’s Audience Insights tool to target parents based on age, location, and interests. You can even test different ads to see which one performs best.
Google ads
Google Ads are another way to reach parents, especially when they are actively searching for the solution you provide. You can target parents with ads based on specific keywords they may be searching for like “‘related to parenting, like “baby classes near me”, “affordable childcare” or “learning tools for kids.”
Email marketing
Email marketing is still one of the most cost-effective ways to reach parents. Here’s how to make your emails work well:
- Keep emails helpful. Share useful tips and special deals that make parents’ lives easier. For example, if you sell kids’ clothes, you might share a guide about choosing sizes or tips for making clothes last longer.
- Mix helpful content with sales messages. Instead of only sending ads, share content parents want to read. If you run a play center, you could share rainy day activity ideas or quick crafts to try at home. When parents find your emails useful, they’re more likely to open them and trust your business.
Local marketing: get known in your local area
If you’re a local business, don’t forget about offline marketing. Parents often prefer supporting local businesses, especially those that help them. Here are some ways to reach local parents:
- Partner with local schools and community centres. Put up flyers or posters in places where parents spend time, like schools, libraries, or paediatrician’s offices.
- Word-of-mouth. Let happy customers spread the word. Parents trust other parents’ advice. When a parent likes your service, ask if they’ll tell their friends. You could offer a thank-you discount when they bring in new customers. For example, give both the new customer and the parent who recommended you 10% off their next purchase.
Help parents and they’ll remember you
Parents want two main things: ways to make daily life easier and ways to help their children do well. When you offer something that truly helps with these needs, parents will pay attention.
In summary, to market well to parents:
- Learn what makes their lives hard
- Show how you can help solve their problems
- Be honest about what your product or service does
- Keep your messages clear and simple
- Connect with parents where they already spend time, like social media, email, or local groups
Most importantly, focus on being helpful. When parents see that you understand their challenges and offer real solutions, they’re more likely to choose your business and tell other parents about you.
References
1. Families and households in the UK: 2023, Office for National Statistics
2. Building a story brand, Donald Miller
3. The 2025 State of Marketing Report, HubSpot
4. You Should Know These Email Marketing Stats in 2025, Shopify
5. Industry Insights: The State of Children’s Activity Providers in the UK, Jenni Bradford, ICAP