It’s no secret that there’s not one way to market to every generation. There are many reasons behind this fact, but the biggest is that different generations grew up in different technological ages. Each generation has grown accustomed to the ways they buy products and receive information. Some members of older generations have adapted to the modern age of technology, but it’s good to know how to generally market to the individual generations so that you can cover your bases as a digital marketing agency.
Every generation has different things that influence them in making a purchase, whether it’s the marketing channel or the message. As a digital marketing agency, you have the responsibility to know how to market to each generation, especially if you have a specific target audience. Here are some fun facts about the different generations and their marketing styles:
Centennials (under the age of 21)
This generation is very media minded. Studies have shown that 80 percent of Centennials consider social media a strong influencer when making purchasing decisions. Centennials are focused on the quality and authenticity of your product, rather than pricing. Email advertising is less effective on this generation than others.
Millennials (ages 22 to 37)
Millennials are considered brand loyalists. They tend to find a brand they like, follow it on several media outlets, then they will remain loyal to this brand. Email advertising is important to this generation. They like personalized content and product recommendations over multiple channels. The most influential social media outlet for Millennials is Facebook.
Generation X (ages 38 to 52)
This generation is commonly known as the bargain hunting generation. They care less about brand names and are more frequently influenced by good prices or special deals. Like Millennials, Generation X is most heavily influenced by email advertisements. Social media also influences some purchases made by this generation, however, the convenience of shopping through online networks greatly influences whether or not these people make purchases on the internet.
Baby Boomers (ages 53 to 71)
This generation is much like Generation X, in that they also like to look for good deals and prices. However, they like to see good prices, but also a wide range of products. They like to be able to get their products from a few locations as possible. The Baby Boomers are rarely influenced by social media outlets, but Facebook and emails are the most influential if you still want to use digital media advertising. As far as digital marketing goes with this generation, it can be less effective than traditional marketing methods.
Now that we know that all the generations are extremely different when it comes to digital marketing, let’s talk about some ways you can capture all audiences. First, you should look at who your target audience is. If you are primarily trying to market to Millennials, you will want to put a large focus on creating brand loyalty and using their preferred channels. A good rule for any digital marketing agency is to make sure to change up what you’re doing regularly. Run deals and promotions to target generations of people where price is important, then advertise why your product is high quality to market to other generations.
Whatever you do, it’s always wise to be constantly trying new marketing methods to see what works best; but don’t forget about other methods that also work well. As a digital marketing agency, we cater to several different brands, so it’s important for us to get to know the brand, the target audience, and the product appeal in order to correctly market to the different generation.
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Sources:
https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2016/09/28/generational-marketing-tactics
https://www.cms-connected.com/News-Archive/July-2017/How-Each-Generation-Responds-To-Marketing-Channels-and-Messaging
