Despite what marketers may think, the way into a millennial's wallet goes beyond employing such strategies as the use of trendy colors and Instagram-worthy photos. Specifically, millennials are growing up. And they're having kids. So, within this group is a growing subset of women with children, a.k.a." millennial moms," and there may be more of them than you think.

To put it simply, if you want to talk to a new mom, she’s very likely a millennial. While this group is sought after by marketers, many of these women say they don't feel understood by those marketers, and that could be a big miss for brands, given these mothers' connectivity, spending power and influence. What's also important here: 55 percent of millennial moms are included in all purchase decisions, compared to 39 percent for all U.S. mothers. So, for businesses, missing an opportunity to connect with millennial moms could mean missing out on a valuable share of the market.

There are other factors that set Millennial Moms apart from other niche mom groups.

While older Millennials grew up in the shift to digital lives, for some younger Millennials, digital life is all they know. In either case, Millennial Moms are very comfortable with digital behavior. They tend to work across multiple devices (sometimes simultaneously), and if they’re kids are old enough, they will monitor multiple devices.

The sense of community and connection Millennial Moms feel stems from comfort with digital channels. However, it is also because they spend so much time on social networks and other digital forums. With a presence on an average of 3.4 social networks, Millennial Moms spend 17.4 hours on social media per week, which, on average, is four hours more than any other mom niche.

Millennial Moms are brand loyal when it comes to the products and services they use. Brand should sit up and take notice because loyalty programs and convenience are two key factors when building brand loyalty in this group of consumers.

No two moms are alike, and the biggest mistake brands make is lumping them all together. Focusing solely on the "millennial mom," for example, isn't a surefire way to authentically connect with all millennial moms, because each mother behaves differently. Sure, millennial mothers might enjoy staying active—but are you more likely to find them at boutique fitness studios or mass-market gyms?

Sometimes age alone truly is just a number. Because a cohort such as mothers involves all sorts of different life situations, finding other commonalities such as life stage or lifestyle offers segmentation opportunities based on attributes that can better influence purchase behavior than demographics alone.

Behavioral data can also uncover some surprising insights that can revitalize marketing initiatives—and even catch you off guard. For instance, data shows that new moms are actually 11 percent more likely than the average female U.S. consumer to visit beer bars, but 7 percent less likely to visit wine bars and 5 percent less likely to visit cocktail bars. A cultural stereotype might have pegged the opposite or suggested new moms simply don't drink at all.

The more contextual your outreach with consumers, the better the engagement rate. Consider working with a partner that can tune up your personalization efforts by leveraging rich insights to help you better segment audiences, proximity target, win audiences away from competitors, and even optimize moment-based messaging. Leveraging data sets such as location intelligence can help brands better understand and connect with consumers, transforming personalization into true brand differentiation.

Approximately one in five moms is a Millennial Mom, accounting for nearly nine million people in the U.S. The statistics speak volumes, so marketers have a lot to lose by not reaching this emerging consumer demographic powerhouse.

Mobile advertising no doubt comes to mind where millennials are involved. Millennial Moms represent a new, tech-savvy and consumer-aware generation, who has a great deal of influence and concern over what products they buy for themselves and their families. If Millennial Moms are part of your targeted audience, make sure your message goes where she does with an effective and engaging marketing campaign, online or offline.