Generational Marketing: How to Capture Different Age Groups

What are generational marketing strategies? Let’s unpack them.

Key Takeaways

• Gen Z are guided by strong values and make a significant proportion of their purchases on social media.
• Millennials want user-generated content to prove your product is actually that good.
• Gen X want upfront honesty and are hard to win, but they’re brand loyal once you do.
• Baby Boomers like long-form content and the option to chat on the phone, as opposed to messaging.

So, what are they?

They’re strategies that know what each generation values and spends time doing, and uses this knowledge to shape marketing.

We’ve all grown up with different ways of looking at the world, so trying to reach Baby Boomers on TikTok will probably end up wasting your time.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the best strategies for each generation.

Let’s start with the youngest.

Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012)

If your audience includes Gen Z, you have a lot of potential to rake in the sales. You just need to hit the right note.

It goes without saying that social media is central in the lives of Gen Z, and that’s where most young people make their purchasing decisions.

They’re always hanging out on TikTok, YouTube Shorts and reels, scrolling endlessly through funny, interesting, bizarre content, and especially content that gets them.

This is where you can get great brand visibility. Show them you’re relevant. You’re ethical. You’re selling something they care about.

Sharing your voice on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn and even Pinterest is how to get your products under young people’s eyes.

Gen Z are often guided by strong values when deciding what to buy. For example, they value authenticity, individuality and equality, but also environmental conservation, social justice and sustainability, too.

Speak about your stance on these values in your marketing to Gen Z and they’ll see that you’re on the same page.

Companies that care about the same issues as Gen Z are the ones that get the sales.

Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996)

Millennials are kind of everywhere.

YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Reddit, Threads, etc, etc. Any social media platform you can think of, they’re there.

They’re into emails, newsletters, blogs, podcasts and will interact with both video and text-based posts. They’re also the biggest fans of online shopping.

So it’s a big shoal of fish and they’re everywhere you turn. Sales should be a piece of cake, right?

If you know what they’re looking for. What’s really important to Millennials is authenticity.

They’re not just going to take your word for it that your slippers are amazing quality and totally worth their money. They want other customers to prove it to them, so a powerful way to market your product is through user-generated content.

Influencers make a big impact on Millennials as this is who they’re chilling out with in their free time.

You don’t need to go for celebrities like Zoella or Mr Beast; just a YouTuber with a few thousand subscribers that could make your product look desirable. Just maybe don’t choose a gamer to review your slippers; choose a lifestyle blogger or fashion-conscious mum.

You might be surprised, but when advertising to Millennials, they often choose original content over trending.

They want to see that you mean what you say in your copy and that you’re not just trying to go viral.

Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980)

This generation is very different to younger ones, and that’s why generational marketing is so important.

This is the sandwich generation.

Caught between raising children and caring for elderly parents. Survivors of global economic rollercoasters, such as the crash of 2008.

So, what are they like to sell to?

They’re pragmatic and careful with their money, so building enough trust with them is the key challenge.

They can be incredibly brand-loyal, but there’s a lot of legwork to put in to achieve that and it’s all about showing that you’re trustworthy.

Once you’ve got their trust, they often have a lot of disposable income to spend and they will stick with you if they like you.

So, how do you get there? A bit like Millennials, they want substantial evidence that your product or service going to benefit them, and that parting with their money is going to pay off for them.

They just want you to be straightforward, informative and real. They want to see testimonials, case studies and helpful responses to their questions and concerns.

Gen X are big consumers of Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, and are pretty consistent email-readers too. Your presence on social media will speak volumes to them, as long as you make sure you are informative and responsive.

But even though they are information-led, they want to feel seen and heard too. Therefore, they’ll respond well to companies that talk about their struggles caring for ageing parents, health issues and kids leaving home.

If your customers are in Gen X, be authentic, informative and understanding.

Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964)

As they make up nearly 20% of the UK’s population, it’s important to know how marketing to boomers should work.

They love simplicity and helpful content that builds their trust.

They’re not too keen on adjusting to new platforms so they’ll engage with brands on the platforms they know, which are Facebook and YouTube.

Boomers like longer videos and informative content that helps them understand exactly what you offer.

They don’t have a problem spending a lot of time on long-form content and similar to Gen X, they want companies to be straightforward and direct. That’s how you’ll build trust.

They’re actually on their phones a lot, so make sure your website is mobile-friendly and the text is big enough to read.

They also prefer to interact with a real person rather than web chat, so make sure your phone number is visible.

Although they love their phones, Boomers will shop mostly on PCs and laptops.

Why?

Because they want to read all the fine print and minor details before buying. They want to check you out properly.

So, making sure your website’s pages are carefully written and your products are clearly described is crucial.

Marketing to boomers? Show them value and they’ll give you their trust.

Ready to write?

If you’ve got questions about generational marketing or would like me to take a look at your marketing, drop me a message here.

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