BOSTON: Mothers trust brands' websites more than their Facebook pages, according to research conducted by 360 Public Relations and shopping site Cool Mom Picks.
The study, which surveyed 962 women online with children up to 18 years old, found that while moms are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, 32% view a brand's website as a more trusted resource for brand communications than a Facebook page. Only 10% of participants ranked the social network as the most reliable online source of brand information. Twitter was rated even lower as a trusted brand information source, earning only 4.4% of participants' votes.
“There's so much heat on Facebook right now, and certainly brands need to play there in a big way, but they also need to understand not to abandon the website,” said Laura Tomasetti, CEO and founder of 360 Public Relations. Tomasetti is also head of the agency's “MomSquad,” a network of online and offline mom influencers that helped with the survey.
“Websites work in concert with social channels,” she added.
Caroline Pierce, leader of the parenting practice at 360 PR, said mothers visit brands' websites to get an in-depth look at a company and its products because they have an editorial feel and denser text than a Facebook or Twitter page.
Out of the moms surveyed, 92% were between the ages of 26 and 45, and 72% reported having full-time or part-time jobs.
The survey also found that mothers trust offline recommendations from friends and families more than interactions on blogs or social media channels.
“Those in-person opportunities are still really important,” said Tomasetti, “I think brands need a certain amount of in-person interaction with moms, and sometimes a way to achieve that is for brands to partner with retailers.”
The study also showed that 92.9% of moms said a brand's values are important to them, and 69.8% said they “liked” a brand on Facebook to support a specific cause. 
