Marketing to a Younger Generation
“Marketing to A Younger Generation” by Aaron James
For so many businesses, young people form a huge portion of their demographic. But marketing to this group can be tough–they’re savvy and are often more discerning with their purchases, so it’s important to speak their language and put your message out where it’s most likely to be heard.
Be Digitally-focused
Gen Z-ers and young people spend more money online than any other group, even with a lower income than previous generations, so your marketing strategies have to be targeted to online platforms to make it easier for consumers to view and buy your products with minimal friction.
It means making sure your product catalogue or service pages are up to date, that your site has a responsive design and that you’re providing multiple options for payment. It’s also essential to have a mobile-first approach since 95% of people in the Gen Z group own a smartphone, and over half use it for more than five hours per day.
Keep It Real on Socials
Young people are drawn to authenticity, so it’s essential that the content marketing you’re using is focused on building trust and brand loyalty. From your social media campaigns to email marketing, every aspect of your digital strategy needs to be aligned and centred on building a relationship with your audience, not just pitching products.
Genuine testimonials and social proof inspire young shoppers, so making sure that you’re not just posting content to elicit a particular response will ensure that your reputation stays positive.
Engage with Content
Your product, in most cases, won’t be enough to bring a younger person to your site. You need to provide engaging, valuable and innovative content to draw them in. The key here is to not make it all about selling your product or services – you want to focus on delivering content that’s genuinely useful or entertaining so that users come to rely on your brand for the content it puts out.
From dynamic photos and videos for social campaigns to infographics and shareable content for your site or emails, think outside the box for content creation and focus on the channels where younger audiences are hanging out. TikTok, for example, is one channel that has become incredibly popular with younger people and is a channel that businesses should be utilising if they’re targeting this age group.
Solve a Problem
Businesses doing marketing right solve a specific problem for their customers. If you’re targeting a younger generation, you need to consider the problems they’re facing in their lives today and offer a solution. The goal is to make their lives easier and less stressful, and a product that achieves that will win you more loyal customers.
One way to achieve that is through video content – it provides information fast, in an easily digestible way, and it’s short. But it also involves researching and speaking directly to people in this age bracket and finding out what they need from businesses today. Data plays a crucial role in your marketing efforts, particularly when delivering what people are looking for.
Highlight a More Profound Mission Beyond Sales
Young people today are compassionate – they care about people and the world around them, so businesses that align with those values will succeed with this demographic. Whether it’s protecting animals, fighting for social justice or supporting minority groups, young people want to put their money towards businesses that share their values.
Don’t be shy about shouting about your charitable efforts. Choose a cause that resonates with your business goals and mission and get involved. It might be offering a percentage of your profits towards charitable giving every month or putting on fundraisers to raise money for worthy causes. Not only are these efforts naturally going to be doing good in the world and supporting issues, but it also positions your business as one that young people who share your opinion are going to want to support.
Final Thoughts
Young people are a demographic well worth targeting if you’re a business. The best way to appeal to a younger audience is to speak their language, focus on the platforms and social channels they use, and be genuine with the content you put out into the digital ether.
