Who are Gen Xers?

From a marketing standpoint, think of modern moms & dads. These are adults who currently make up the filling of the American demographic pie. They are working long hours, raising kids, and paying mortgages. Many of them are at the peak of their careers or are building businesses.

Though they are self-proclaimed mavericks and individualists, in many ways, from a marketing standpoint they are a hybrid. Some researchers call them the bridge generation. They’ve adopted some aspects of “boomer-ism” from their parents, and they have clearly been one of the major influences in making millennials so–well–millennial.

In this post, we’ll examine how an understanding of this generation’s unique characteristics can help us market more effectively to them. Here are some tips on marketing to Generation X.

The Busiest Generation

Gen Xers are busy. They must juggle marriage, kids, parents, and careers like no other generation. If we want to gain them as customers, we have to catch them first. Here are a few suggestions for marketing to the busiest generation.

1. The @ Factor

Though some prematurely prophesy the end of the email, it’s still the most effective way to market to this generation. They are online to a much greater degree than boomers, and they are very comfortable with online shopping. Outlook is an integral part of their business and home communications, so email marketing is a natural fit.

2. Chill Time

Gen Xers need a break more than any of us. According to research, 80% of Gen Xers with an annual income of over 250k say they’ll take a vacation this year. Over half of the rest said they plan annual vacations as well. Even if you’re not in the travel business, consider a sweepstakes promotion or other travel-related marketing.

3. Get Social

One of the ways to help this generation save time is to be where they are. Gen Xers are on social media almost as much as millennials. This means that your social media marketing needs to address them as well. Develop specific strategies to target them, however, since their needs are very different from those of millennials.

Conscience Counts

This generation certainly has a conscience. They have grown up in difficult times, and it has made them want to make the world a better place. Here are a couple of ways to appeal to the Gen X conscience.

1. Remember the Planet

Finding out what causes your prospects are interested in can be a great way to win their business. For Gen Xers, the environment is number one. Be cautious about associating your brand with anything perceived as hurting the environment. Proactively, find ways your business can facilitate the support of environmental causes. Gen Xers will genuinely appreciate this effort and take notice of your brand.

2. Rock the Vote

Though early predictions about this generation’s political personality were gloomy, they have grown up to be quite politically loyal. This gives you another simple way to research and target this demographic. Their voting habits can be relatively stable, so learn what they are. Research their hot-button issues and you’ll know them much better as a group.

A Few Curveballs

I have three kids. They all surprise us from time to time, but the middle one is just full of surprises. This seems to be true with most middle children, and it’s true with this demographical “middle child.” Here are a few statistical curveballs Gen X has thrown at market researchers.

1. They go to the store.

Gen Xers are hybrid shoppers. Though they often shop online, they also still go shopping. You’ll find them at the mall with their kids, at discount and specialty shops as well. In addition, though they claim to be list shoppers, statistics say otherwise. They are among the most likely to make impulse buying choices.

2. They use coupons.

These are some of the most coupon-ready prospects in the marketplace. They entered the workforce just as the Great Recession hit, and they tend to be pessimistic about retirement, so they focus on saving. Self-professed bargain-hunters, many of them try to buy only with coupons. Therefore, in your social media and email marketing, make sure to provide useful coupons.

3. They bring in the mail.

One place you might not expect to find this generation is at the mailbox. However, as the Postal Service struggles for its existence, many Gen Xers pick up their mail every day. In fact, many of them say they have bought based on direct mail advertising. Though the bulk of current marketing will tend to be digital, feel free to kick it old school on occasion. As long as you are careful not to waste paper, you may be able to win some Gen X business for the cost of some printing and postage.

Don’t Forget the Middle Child

Next month, we’ll explore what’s on everyone’s mind, marketing to millennials. However, we hope this information inspires you to remember the tremendous opportunity of marketing to this unique group. Generation X, like Baby Boomers, are often forgotten in our haste to adapt to what’s new and what’s next. Remember, this demographical “middle child” is and will continue to be a crucial target for any successful marketing strategy.

Effective Digital Marketing in Tulsa, Oklahoma

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The post Generational Marketing Part 2: Marketing to Generation X first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.

Market Awareness – Understanding Your Target Market

A business without market awareness is like a ship without a rudder. If the wind happens to blow in the right direction, success is possible. The chances of that happening, however, are almost none. In order to succeed in business, we must know our markets.

Multiple Generations/Multiple Strategies

One of the most important ways to analyze our markets is in terms of demographics. Right now, perhaps more than ever, marketers need to consider three distinct generations in our culture. Those generations are usually known as Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millenials.

These three groups are dramatically different in terms of how they buy, how much they buy, how they view money and business, and how they communicate. Therefore, we must market to them with these distinctions in mind. We need multiple strategies for multiple generations.

Generational Marketing

This is the first in a series of blogs on how to market to these three generations. We’ll briefly identify each generational group, and give some insight on how to tailor your marketing strategies for each. Of course, these are not hard lines or hard and fast rules, but benchmarks to help give direction.

Marketing to Baby Boomers

Who are Baby Boomers? Baby Boomers are the ones who still listen to and leave voicemails. They were born between 1946 and 1964, so they grew up in the idealistic post-WWII era. In general, theirs is a rather “white-picket-fence” view of the world.

Though their kids say they are technologically challenged, they are not averse to it. Researchers say that by 2014, over 65% of people ages 50-64 were using social networking sites. In addition, Boomers spend more on technology than any other generation.

Most importantly, this generation is a huge and often untapped market. Though the over-50 crowd accounts for over 50% of all expenditures, we marketers currently only spend 10% of our budgets going after them. Oops! Let’s see how we can correct that. Here are some tips on marketing to Baby Boomers.

1.  Don’t Low-Ball

According to the AARP, US adults over 50 spend $3.2 trillion annually and have accumulated $15 trillion in financial assets! This means that they’re not afraid to spend. They spend more per purchase, more per shopping trip, and more per year than any other group.

Baby-boomers not only aren’t afraid to spend, but they may, in fact, be suspicious of prices that are too low. Their years have taught them that quality matters, and they believe they deserve it. So market premium, full-priced products to Boomers. Just make sure your products are worth the price.

2. Win Their Loyalty

This brings us to the next tip. Baby Boomers tend to be very brand loyal. Once they’re convinced a product is great and they like it, they’re committed. My mother is on her “umpteenth” (that’s the word she would use) new Buick, and she’ll keep buying them because that’s what she buys.

The trick with boomers is often to become “what they buy,” “what they use,” or “who they go to.” If you can become their brand, you can build serious consistency. The key is to make sure your products and services are really great and do a great job convincing them of that fact.

3. Reward Their Loyalty

Consistency and longevity are important to Boomers. One way to communicate that you’ll be around is to set up programs that reward their longevity as a customer. Cash-back programs or loyalty discounts are excellent ways to make these customers stick. To most of them, front-end discounts often mean something is wrong. Loyalty programs do the opposite, adding value instead of taking it away.

4. Go Old-School

Facebook ads just annoy most Boomers. According to research, they use social media to revive old friendships and not much else. Therefore, they will most likely tag your FB ads as spam.

The most effective way to market to this generation is through direct contact. These big-spenders are more likely to buy from a real person than any other way. Call them on the phone (by the way, many of them still have landlines), but just make sure it isn’t during dinner!

If personal sales contacts are not practical for your business, the next best thing is email marketing. Boomers are more likely to read an email than a blog or pop-up ad, especially if it’s brief and professional. Particularly if you’ve already won them as a customer, used wisely, email can be a powerful tool for keeping yourself in front of this generation.

Speaking of blogs, don’t count them out. Boomers do read blogs as long as they are brief. Researchers have found that most people 50 years and up will read a blog if it’s about 300 words or less. The long-form blog that takes forever to get to the point won’t work. However, if you can write concisely and get your message across quickly, Boomers will get it.

5. Always Tell the Truth

This is just good business, and we assume the vast majority of our readers know and practice that. However, if you’re tempted to fudge occasionally, don’t. If you read about the next two generations, you’ll find that this is one of the tips for all three generations. However, the reasons differ slightly for each one.

For Boomers, it’s about trust. Many of them feel that the moral fiber of our culture is eroding. They have been burned by slick salesmen and misleading ads, especially on the internet. In order to gain and keep these loyal customers, you’ll have to prove yourself. You’ll need to establish integrity.

Speaking of integrity, there’s a fact we all need to remember while we’re working to get ahead in business. Author and researcher Tom Stanley surveyed vendors, friends, and family of self-made deca-millionaires (people who had achieved a net worth of $10 million or more) and found they had 38 things in common. The number one thing they all shared was fanatical integrity.

Market Personalities

Maybe you’re already marketing to this generation. Perhaps you see this as uncharted waters. Either way, remember that these guidelines are intended to shed light and open doors, not to draw hard lines.

Every customer will differ slightly, but research shows that in general, these three groups have distinct market personalities. Learning how to approach them can greatly increase your ability to win and keep them as customers. Watch for our next entry in this series, “Generational Marketing Part 2: Generation X.”

Digital Marketing Strategies

At McWilliams Media in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, we are passionate about helping you succeed in today’s market. From branding and overall strategy to web design, video, and social media, we can help you build a marketing strategy to win in the digital age. Contact us today for a free consultation.

The post 5 Unique Strategies to Utilize When Marketing Baby Boomers first appeared on McWilliams Media | Website Design | Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.