Generation Divides and Your Marketing
Centennials to Boomers – What’s Your Poison? – It is important to understand how different generations adopt and adapt to technology. Knowing this from a marketing point of view will assist you targeting your demographic and psychographic with the right strategies. So, do you have a typical customer avatar?
Traditionalists (born prior to 1945)
Traditionalists tend to have a ‘save then buy’ attitude. They will do online research and a small percentage will be active on one or two social media platforms such as Facebook but when dealing with a business they will prefer face to face or telephone communication. They are more formal and appreciate hand written notes.
When marketing to traditionalists ensure you convey nostalgia and emotion in your ad copy and images. The use of direct mail will often appeal to traditionalists.
Baby Boomers (born 1945 – 1959)
Baby Boomers generally accept but don’t like change and are comfortable with a ‘buy now, pay later’ arrangement. They too favour one to one personal communication and will be curious about your business and its history.
When marketing to boomers they will be receptive to websites, email and general online communications which may include Facebook ads but will place a higher value on postal content. They tend to be brand loyal and favour a ‘shop local’ mind-set.
Generation X (born 1960 – 1979)
They think globally. Generally, from a tech standpoint, they understand what they can hold in their hand. They will be present on some social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and use a smartphone.
Hitting Generation X with online and offline marketing is a sensible approach. Offline ads that lead the consumer to online content are acceptable.
Millennials (born 1980 – 1999)
For millennials, also known as generation Y, tech is integral to their way of life, both personally and professionally. They are a digital generation. They will be consuming most of their news via smartphone and tablet and will be active on social media sites on an hourly/daily basis. They are less brand loyal and will use tech to sort and sift to obtain the best deals.
Marketing to millennials must be predominately online via social media, websites, portals and mobile although hard copies and postal marketing is often well received.
Centennials (born 2000 – Present)
Also known as Generation Z, they are digitally over-connected. They generally have an intense fear of missing out and go from device to device with hardly a pause in-between. They are insatiable consumers of bite size pieces of information rather than long copy. They are less brand loyal but are heavily influenced by their peers and online ‘heroes’. They welcome the latest tech upgrades and versions as they see this as progress.
If marketing to centennials ensure you are active on Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, YouTube and to a lesser extent Twitter. Short sharp communications and eye-catching ads will work as centennials have a shorter attention span.
Summary – Generation Divides and Your Marketing
- Nowadays, consumers interface with a vast array of platforms before they make contact with you. Are you there on those platform?
- Engage quickly after any initial enquiry and add the appropriate value at each step of the way
- 80% of consumers start their shopping experience online. Are you where your typical customer is?
- Use an appropriate mix of online and offline media for your target audience.
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