When it comes to reaching demographics, strategies must vary. Whether by slight variations in platforms or major shifts in content material: marketing is not one-size-fits-all.
When launching a marketing campaign, business leaders should have one key factor in mind: audience. Regardless of the outlet, your target audience should always be your top priority. Will this content appeal to my customers? What is the best way to distribute this information? How can I see the most return on my efforts?
The answer to every single one of these key questions relies heavily on your audience. Businesses should keep age in mind at all times. Different generations respond well to different types of marketing. But what content appeals to whom? And how can you incorporate this knowledge into your marketing strategy?
Customer content interaction
Inc. reported on a study that surveyed over 1,200 people on content consumption. Survey participants spanned in ages, from Baby Boomers to Generation Xers, all the way down to millennials. The research sent out to determine in what way and on what platforms and each age bracket interacts with.
When it comes to the consumption of content, three areas were examined. How much time do consumers spend on content? What time of day is the most content viewed? And on which devices does each generation consume the most material? Of the three generations, baby boomers were responsible for spending the most time digesting marketing content. Over 23 percent of baby boomer spent more than 20 hours a week on consumption. Generation X and millenials were more likely to spend around 5-10 hours on content a week.
Late-night content viewing was the name of the game, according to the study. All three demographics spent the most time looking over marketing material between 8 p.m. and midnight. The most interesting findings involved the marketing mediums.
When it came to laptops, desktops and tablets, each generation seemed to be on the same page. Laptops produced the highest interaction rates with all three generations, desktops were close behind and tablets fell to an obvious last place. However, mobile devices saw some considerable gaps. Only 5 percent of baby boomers used these handheld devices to view content, while nearly 30 percent of millennials did. Generation X sat in the middle at around 15 percent.
The content sharing category included which types of platforms consumer were most likely to share on and what types of content they wanted to share. Facebook was the clear winner when it came to social media sharing. For types of visuals, content images were the most shared material, however memes were popular with millennials and Generation Xers, whereas videos took the second slot for Baby Boomers.
Marketing how-to by generation
The study findings make some key things clear, laptops and desktops are high-reaching platforms, younger audiences spend less time on consumption and Facebook is a prime time portal for multi-generational contact. This knowledge is huge when creating targeted campaigns. But that is not the only information out there regarding generational marketing. Here is a generation-by-generation marketing breakdown.
Millennials: (Those born anywhere from 1980’s to early 2000s) When it comes to millennials it is no surprise that social media is your key. This age bracket lives and breathes all things digital. Marketing heads should create a strong online presence if millennials make up their target audience. Make all of your information mobile-friendly and cater to their tendencies towards brand loyalty. For this generation, direct mail or email marketing may not be your best bets. Take the social media route and carefully follow interaction rates.
Generation X: (Birth dates ranging from 1960s to the early 1980s) This generation hits a real sweet spot for marketers. Young enough to be internet-fluent but old enough to still check their physical mailboxes, the key to this demographic is time-sensitivity. Most generation Xers are busy with families, thriving careers or both. Time is of the essence here. Capitalize on quick and effective messages on multiple platforms. Generation Xers are a demographic raking in the dough and they are willing to spend it, according to Small Biz Technology. However, they are not as easily convinced to make a purchase. SBT suggested working to convince this demographic of your brand values in order to win their business.
Baby Boomers: (People born during the demographic post–World War II baby boom approximately between the years 1946 and 1964) Baby Boomers are willing to take the time to view your materials. They want to know about your business and exactly what you can offer them. Cater to this. Instead of throwing out targeted bursts of marketing, give these consumers some substantial information. Remember, images and videos are their content of choice, Facebook takes the cake in the social media department and desktops are their medium. SBT echoed these notions, noting that this generation’s primary interest lies in what your business stands for. Let them know. Baby Boomers or not, these are good marketing messages to send out into the world.