Marketing to the New Customer Demographics
What have you done to reach the next generation of customers?
Thanks to the rapid technological advancement, the entire marketing concept and the demographics of the target audience have shifted. Today, teenagers and young adults have become the central part of this marketing element.
Forbes reported that young adults have more purchasing power today. They’re also an incredibly savvy group, so to successfully capture their attention and gain their loyalty, businesses need to speak their language and spread their message where it’s most likely to be heard.
The Appeal of Younger Demographics
In order to run a successful marketing campaign, marketers first need to know which generations of customers they are addressing their message to. Be it Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennial, or Generation Z, the important thing is to recognize the behavior of these multiple generations and how to customize their marketing strategy accordingly.
Younger customers are generally associated with words such as “tech-savvy”, “self-absorbed”, “entitled”, or “free-spirited”. Regardless of the different characteristics, marketers agree that there’s one quality that they all share: long-term potential.
Millennial is one of the biggest consumer groups on the planet currently, occupying the majority of the workforce with an expected $1.4 trillion income by 2020. It’s safe to say that many of customers in this category are hitting the peak of their purchasing power with steady income and stable job, and brands realize the importance of getting in front of them early.
Gen-Z, on the other hand, is the generations that are most exposed to digital transformation. Though the majority of them are still teenagers or younger, but technology has helped propel some of them, i.e. influencers and young entrepreneurs, to have respectable purchasing power. A growing number of brands now target them as they will most likely turn out to be the most diverse generation ever with higher levels of technological savviness.
“For brands, to connect with a young consumer is equal to having an opportunity to foster loyalty for years to come.”
How to Market to These Youths?
In addition to being consumers themselves, younger demographics also make valuable consumers because they can easily influence their purchasing decisions on others. Similarly, they are also living in a world where advertisements have become a part of their daily lives.
Brands need to develop a marketing strategy to cater to their highly digital nature, while also avoid overselling their brands. Remember, the first trick in garnering their loyalty involves getting their attention and keeping it.
Let them be the star of your story.
Younger customers love to see themselves in the platform they consume your content.
Focusing on creating high-quality UGC to tell your brand story is one of the most effective strategies you can leverage. If your audience can relate to your content in an authentic way, chances are, your brand message will go way further too.
Don’t forget social media.
Did you know anyone who didn’t have social media accounts these days? Basically, social media is the language of these youths.
From Facebook, Instagram, to YouTube, you can find them in every social media network. Instead, marketers need to focus their marketing efforts on optimizing their social media content and communication channels. Keep in mind. Younger demographics have shorter attention span and higher demand for high-quality content.
Invest on influencer marketing.
Younger customers have a bigger influence on their peers’ purchasing decisions. Likewise, they are also highly dependent on recommendations from their friends or review websites before making any purchases.
Collaborating with relevant influencers is one of the approaches that marketers can take to appeal to them. After all, what’s the best way to reach out to them than having the voices of young people as part of your marketing team?
Transparency is the key.
When it comes to marketing, always bear this in mind. Customers value transparency and authenticity.
They have any information they can imagine at their fingertips and are constantly being bombarded by messages and ads. Being able to cut through all the noise and meet them where they are through a variety of mediums is crucial. Brands need to keep their communications, advertisements, and content as authentic as possible and use it effectively to connect, not just to market to them.
Be Innovative.
Younger customers crave for a more interactive experience throughout their buyer’s journey. They are also naturally drawn to innovation.
To organically appeal to them, brands need innovative products and services, as well as innovative marketing deliverance. For example, brands can provide an immersive content experience or make them a part of your marketing production.
In Conclusion
There’s no doubt that the younger generation possesses a lot of potential purchasing power and brand loyalty. But marketing to them can be challenging as brands need to take a wide range of approaches and tailor their messages carefully on various outlets to reach them.
To appeal to this demographic, brands need a blend of great products, innovative marketing strategies, and an emotionally evocative brand.
Above all, it’s critically important for brands to let these youngsters know that they are part of a much bigger movement to create a more accessible experience for the next-generation customer demographics.
So, what other strategies do you think can be applied to appeal to younger customers?
=======================================
Viral Access is an AI and data-driven social communication company — we help you tell your story through social media. We pair your brand with relevant micro and nano influencers that help you increase awareness, engagement and conversion. We have the systems and team in place to support large scale communications throughout Asia.
For business inquiries, contact us at: info@viralaccess.asia.
