To succeed in sales and marketing, it’s important to know your audience. Specifically, it’s important to know your audience and tailor your messaging appropriately.

One way to understand your audience is to consider the way people of different ages consume, think about, and react to content.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that all 65-year-old people consume information the same way – to the contrary, and even with generational understanding, it’s important to know your product and be authentic in your delivery.

For example, using a phrase like “This is the best pizza you’ll ever try – no cap” (a common gen Z phrase for “no lie”) would not be a good tactic if your pizza restaurant is located inside a retirement community – even if you are trying to pull in younger customers. Embrace your product/service for what it is, and what it means to your audience. Don’t try to make your brand something it’s not.

According to an article by Thomas Jefferson University, generational marketing must be relevant and authentic to be effective. If both conditions aren’t met, marketing time and money are wasted and, in some cases, the brand could suffer.

Here are some facts to consider when planning generational marketing campaigns:

Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964)

• Perhaps the most valuable generation, boomers possess 54% of all U.S. household wealth, according to marketing research publisher Packaged Facts.
• They are more tech savvy than you’d think. According to the Washington Post, older Americans are increasingly buying groceries — and just about everything else — on the Internet, and those over 65 are now the fastest-growing category of e-commerce shoppers.
• Facebook is still the most common social network for Baby Boomers, so consider reaching out to them on that platform.

Generation X (1965-1976)

• Generation Xers make up 25% of the U.S. population but have 31% of its total income dollars, according to B12.
• Gen Xers remember a time without digital advertising and therefore respond equally to modern and traditional marketing, according to Retail Dive.
• Very brand loyal – not as interested in trying new things as Millennials/Gen Z.
• Facebook and Twitter are the most notable social networks for this generation.

Millennials (1977 – 1995)

• They consume a great deal of online content and are content producers themselves.
• Short attention spans.
• Don’t have the disposable income that Baby Boomers have.
• Online reviews play a large role in purchasing decisions.

Read: Targeting America’s Largest Living Generation

Generation Z (1996-current)

• Incredibly tech savvy (don’t remember a time before technology ruled).
• Video content is key – they spend 3+ hours per day consuming video content.
• More racially and ethnically diverse than any other generation.
• On track to be the most well-educated generation yet, according to Pew Research.

Read: How to Amplify Your Sales Using Free Video Tactics that Work

To succeed at generational marketing, you need to look at who your customers are (or should be) not necessarily who you wish they were.

Next, use the insights you learned above, in combination with other demographic data you have, to create buyer personas for your customers.

Read: How to Create Buyer Personas, and Why They’re More Important Than Ever

Lastly, test your messaging and imagery to find out what works best with your audience

Sources: https://www.retaildive.com/ex/mobilecommercedaily/brand-loyalty-highest-in-gen-x-consumers-emarketer

https://www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2021/01/21/baby-boombers-online-shopping-pandemic/

https://online.jefferson.edu/business/generational-marketing/