We are breaking down generational marketing, and if you haven’t heard of this, you’ll want to watch this. All of these age groups respond differently to marketing approaches, but one thing is clear: they all represent today’s customers. We’ve got a special panel for this broadcast to help us understand how to best target these generations.
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Watch the Full Discussion Below
Sarah: Good morning! All right, we have a really good topic. Let me tell you something. Baby Boomers, poor baby boomers, they’re labeled as outdated, unaware, judgmental. Millennials, well they’re lazy, sensitive, self-entitled. Generation X, we’re the middle child in between. And generation Z over here, well, they’re the ones that are social, visual, technically sound but have no patience. We are going to talk about all these generations today because before you dismiss that none of these generations get it when it comes to selling and marketing, let me tell you something, all of us represent today’s customer. So, we’re going to discuss how to best target these generations with our special panel of guests today. And we’re really excited, and we’re off on a roll. Let’s go.
Glyna: I forgot to unmute! It’s like you would think that I’ve been on enough Zoom calls to know that you have to unmute. But anyway, it’s all right. As we move forward, good morning everybody, and welcome to Marketing Mix. We have a very special segment today. We have four people today if you didn’t notice. It’s usually just Sarah and me, and we are going to talk about some really, really cool topic today. But normally on Marketing Mix, that’s what we do. We mix it up. We could talk about tips, trends, Q&A. You just never know what we’re going to bring up. But let’s go ahead and put up our social platforms, Sarah.
Sarah: Yes, yes. Okay. As always, we go live every single week on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. And you can catch our great podcast, Marketing and a Mic, and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. And always subscribe to our YouTube channel. We are always putting out fresh new videos, and we’re going to be doing some muting to help with the feedback today. So whenever you see that, we’re just trying to help with the sound quality. So all right, let’s get started. We’re talking today about generational marketing. And if you have not heard about this, you need to really keep watching because these are all age groups that respond differently to different marketing approaches. Well, why does that matter? It’s because all of these age groups are customers, and they’re more than likely your customer. So, we’re just going to go right into it, because some generations say they prefer a phone call. Some get hooked on a product because it’s environmentally friendly. Some will only watch videos to learn about a product, but they all matter. So let’s go ahead and break this down, Glyna.
Glyna: Yeah, and it was amazing to me when we started talking about this to realize that the oldest millennial right now is 39 years old. It’s like really, I don’t think of millennials as being that old. I mean they’re very big, a high percentage of the group of them are homeowners now. They have children, they have established credit and even stable careers. So that means that they are out there making purchasing decisions on products and services. So we have to think of all of these things. And we thought it’d be best understood if we brought in people from each generation. So that’s why we’re here, and we’re going to go ahead and let everyone introduce themselves. And we’re going to start with our youngest. We have Katie, and we’re going to talk about the character traits of each generation. So I’m going to let Katie go ahead and start it off.
Katie: Hi, I’m Katie, repping Gen Z today, which is going to be anyone from the ages of zero to 23. You might not realize how old we are getting, but it’s going to be people all the way up through college and now just getting married. We’re big social activists. We love a cause. When things are eco friendly when things are animal cruelty-free. All that kind of stuff, we love it. We are also super internet savvy since we’ve always grown up with computers, always had cell phones, and we are hyper-aware online. We’re also skeptical and less trusting because of that because let’s be real, people are not always authentic online. And we can always catch when people aren’t being authentic in marketing. We also need instant gratification, because we’ve always had cell phones and we love it when can get things quickly and when we can get things done the way we like it.
Sarah: So, what is your age group, so people know. What is generation Z?
Katie: 1997 to now.
Sarah: Okay. So do you know the age? Is it like 20? What’s the cap off of that?
Katie: Zero to 23.
Sarah: 23, okay. Perfect. Okay.
Kelsi: All right. I’m Kelsi, and I’m representing the millennial generation. Millennials today are going to be between the ages of 24 and 39. So, that’s from 1981 to 1996. The character trait of millennials, we value experience over things every time. We are digital natives. We did not have the internet our entire lives, but the majority of our lives. So we’re in-depth researchers, we love innovation and change. We’re okay with change. And we love to work smarter, not harder. That doesn’t make us lazy, Sarah. We like to be a little bit more efficient. And we are very driven by social causes.
Sarah: Yes, you guys are the researchers.
Kelsi: Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Sarah: Not as trusting. Okay, let me get to myself. Generation X. I mean I love this generation, I am this generation. But let’s talk about them. They value flexibility. They have a big picture perspective, which means that they don’t follow the latest trends. Everything with them is if it makes sense and if it’s practical. They’re very self-reliant. I feel like they get that from the baby boomers. They’re independent. As I said, they’re independent thinkers. They’re not easily persuaded, and they’re very practical buyers. Like they’re not going to be the ones that are going to just go splurging on things. So that’s them. They’re a little bit more careful with what their purchases are, and they’re between the age groups of 40 and 55.
Glyna: Cool. Well, that is a great representation of all of you. Now we’ll get to baby boomers. And speaking of boomers, I think we have some boomers this morning. I shouldn’t assume. But I want to say good morning. I don’t know if Melissa is a boomer. I’m not sure if she is, but Melissa Dixon is here. LaVon, now I know LaVon is and she says that baby boomers rock and I’m not going to say if Steve is or not, we’ll just leave that right there. So, I may or may not be a baby boomer, but I play one on the internet. The baby boomers, all right. Their age group is between 1946 or they were born between 1946 and 1964, which makes their age group age 56 to 74. Now their character traits are a little bit different. They believe in the American dream if that’s still possible these days, but they do try. Most of them should be financially stable or a place in their life where they can be financially stable. They’re very loyal. They’re loyal to brands. They prefer a straightforward approach to people selling to them, and they’re less influenced by peer pressure. So, they’re not really worried about what everybody else is doing. They’re over there like I like what I like, I really don’t care what you like. So, that’s what we’re looking at as far as the character traits. Now you’ll see that we’re all a little bit different, so we also have different preferences or things that we prefer. So we’re going to move right on into that, which I think you’ll find very interesting as well. So, again Katie, we’re going to just start right off with you.
Katie: Yeah. So for Gen Z, we are all about cell phones. We do not have a desktop we’re going to go be on. We’re not going to be on an iPad. We are phone people and we love TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat. Anything really, really visual is going to be the best way to get through to us.
Kelsi: All right. So for millennials, our device preference is also going to be the smartphone. You will not find us without it either. Our social media preferences are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Snapchat. And you can almost always guarantee that the majority of their purchases are going to come from ads on these platforms as well.
Sarah: I’ve got so many gadgets I’m working here. Okay. All right, Generation X. Okay, we prefer the laptop. Our social media preferences are Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Facebook. And that’s just what we like. So that’s where you will find Generation X.
Glyna: It’s funny. It’s interesting that the preferences are really similar to Generation X to baby boomers. However, I do disagree a little bit because I know Sarah and I are on our phones 24/7. So you will find us on our phones, but we might prefer to have a laptop or desktop. And then my social media preferences would be Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Sarah: Yes.
Glyna: All right. So we have all that, now we’re setting things up. Where should you advertise to get to these different generations? This is very important for businesses to think about who you want to reach. You got to figure out who you’re wanting to reach. So Katie, let’s start with you. What about Generation Z?
Katie: Yeah, so it is going to be a lot of those online platforms that I just mentioned. So YouTube ads do really well. Google ads, Snapchat, and Instagram ads. Like I said, anything visual and anything that has a lot of videos is going to catch my attention.
Sarah: Yeah, very much so. That’s where you can find that little age group.
Kelsi: I jumped the gun a little bit earlier on device preferences, but our ad preferences for Millennials are going to also match those app preferences. As I said, we love to see ads on … well, we don’t love ads. We’re more likely going to pay attention to ads on YouTube, Google, Facebook, and Instagram especially if they’re eye-catching.
Sarah: Yeah. And I think what’s interesting about that is sometimes our social media preferences, while they do align with where to advertise, there are some differences. So, even though we may enjoy some social media platforms, when it comes to where to advertise and target them, it’s a little bit different. That just means what you’ll respond to, and there are some platforms if you do see an ad, it’s actually even though you’re there, you’re not going to be paying attention to an ad if it’s on there. So, I find that to be really interesting. Okay. Generation X for me, is we’re the losers … No, just kidding. We like email!
Glyna: What?
Sarah: For real. I mean, it’s so true. I still go through my … I love email. It’s a preference of mine. So, email campaigns will work really well with our generation. I like Google ads. I like Facebook ads. And again, I like direct mail. I like getting a coupon in the mail. I really do. I love the coupon, and I get excited when I’ve got a deal come in the mail.
Glyna: I have to say also, Sarah, that the graphics are stellar today.
Sarah: Thank you.
Glyna: They’re always stellar, but Sarah put all of that together for you all. So much talent right here. Also want to say hi to Cindy Edmunds. She’s right there with me. She says I’m here right on the cusp of a baby boomer. Yeah, I know Cindy, I’m hanging on with my fingernails. And Steve’s like, “Now wait a minute.” Now, Steve, I didn’t say anything. I said maybe, I don’t know if you’re a baby boomer, but-
Sarah: We’re not calling anybody out today.
Glyna: All right, so, where am I? Oh, yeah. Where to advertise to me. Email campaigns, again, I’m like Sarah. I will look at email campaigns. I’m always looking for that special or that 10% off. Google ads, come into play because again, baby boomers know what they want. And where can they find us as fast as possible? That’s Google. Go right to it and look at those ads. Facebook ads, they can be swayed. And they’re on Facebook a lot, so that makes sense. And if they’re still working, baby boomers are still in that age group working, they’re going to be on LinkedIn networking. So LinkedIn ads would work as well. All right, so much information.
Sarah: So much information. This is a good topic.
Glyna: Awesome. All right. So we have all that info. Now businesses, the next thing you need to know is how to target. How are we going to target each one of these age groups? And we have a lot of points for each one of these. So we’re going to go ahead and get started on that. Katie, how should we target you?
Katie: Yeah, absolutely. So with Gen Z, there are a few important things to remember. One is that we’re impatient. We’re a little bit more impatient than millennials. We have a shorter attention span because we’re online so much and we’ll tune out whatever we consider irrelevant. So it needs to be really eye-catching, it needs to be something that’s visually pleasing and it’s going to need to be something that’s going to catch my attention quickly so that you can actually keep my attention. We also know our technology really, really well. And we understand advertising, and we really appreciate it when it’s done well. So, a big thing with Generation Z is that you’re authentic, that you’re real. We really want to connect with a business and make sure that it feels like it’s something that’s vibing with us. Especially since we are social activists, that’s a huge deal. And if we don’t trust you, you’re going to get tuned out. Also, as I said, we’ve never lived without technology. And so we’re so internet savvy and innovative. We’re hyper-aware of what’s going on around us, especially in the world. So, advertising needs to be tuned into that as well. One thing you might not have expected is at Gen Z has $150 billion in spending power right now. Another not so surprising stat is that we really are not into Facebook. Don’t see value in it. Honestly, it’s one of those things that a lot of Gen Z thinks is for old people. Sorry!
Sarah: Let me tell you. Glyna and I joke about this. That people age into Facebook, okay. So, you may not like it now, but it’s going to work for you later.
Katie: We do like-
Glyna: She’s like “I don’t know”.
Katie: We do love really fluid, beautiful, changing platforms that keep up with the time. So, Instagram and Snapchat are really, really good at that. And the oldest of our generation is currently graduating college and joining the workforce. So, maybe they’ll get to Facebook age soon, we’ll see. Yeah, that’s a little bit about Gen Z. There’s a lot more to us than I think people realize, and we’re the next generation that’s going to have that buying power, just like Kelsi was talking about on millennials. So, it’s really good to key into us now and start learning our patterns.
Sarah: How would you say, like give some examples of how specifically to target them.
Katie: Yeah, so I think making sure that you have really beautiful visual ads on platforms that we like. So as I said, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, places that we’re going to find information. Making sure that your advertising really connects with me on an emotional level is going to be a big thing, especially since we do love things that feel authentic and real, especially if they can connect with me and things that I’m passionate about and care about. So, a good example about is if I’m looking for a makeup company, I probably am going to be looking for a cruelty-free one, and you better believe I’m going to know whether or not you actually are because I’m going to go look it up and I’m going to find out. So, that kind of stuff is really, really important. And really as I said, key into video. YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, are all going to be avenues that you can use video. And that’s going to be something that is going to catch my attention a lot faster than just a graphic. And so that’s really important when you’re advertising to Gen Z.
Glyna: Yeah, and you don’t have much time, do they?
Katie: No.
Glyna: They think better quick, they better grab what we say on that slide in eight seconds to get the message across, or to capture attention. Sarah, explain user-generated content real quick. What do you mean by that?
Sarah: So, user generation, it’s a way to…When somebody else is a trusted source and is sharing your content. It just builds that trust factor because again, they’re one of the more skeptical age groups. So, user-generated content is when somebody else, a follower, or user or viewer is actually sharing content from that company. It just instantly makes it more reputable.
Glyna: Okay, and that’s the Gen Zs in that they’re like, “Okay if so and so is talking about this and likes it, it must be good.”
Katie: Love a good influencer. We’ll totally buy if someone I follow is like, “Hey, you should check out this product. It’s amazing.” Because that makes it feel more real to me. It makes it feel more authentic when it’s someone I trust.
Glyna: That’s perfect. And LaVon is asking, what about TikTok? Are you on TikTok, Katie?
Katie: Yes, Gen Z is definitely going to be represented on TikTok. Now as far as advertising on there, that’s still something that is to be seen whether or not that’s effective or not. Just because that’s something that when you’re on there, you can scroll through so quickly and just skip videos. And so I think it’d be a little bit easier to skip ads on TikTok than it would be anywhere else.
Glyna: Perfect. Alright, Kelsi.
Sarah: How about you, millennial?
Kelsi: All right. So as, I said before, Millennials are digital natives. We consume nearly all of our content exclusively online. So, if your business is not online, the chances are millennials are not going to know about you. That’s not to say they’re not watching TV and TV advertising won’t work for this group. But I promise you, focusing your efforts online is going to be way, way more effective for you. As Sarah said and I said before, we are researchers. Millennials are way more likely to do extensive research on a product or a service before they make a purchasing decision. That may explain why they’re also swayed by influencers, just like Gen Z. They want to see someone out there that’s vetting this product or this service before they put their money there. So, they’re going to be way more likely if they see an ad for one of your products or services, to go directly to your social channel, scope you out there, they may go directly to your website. But they’re probably going to go to YouTube and try to find some sort of tutorial that’s going to show them what your product does, or someone talking about your service and giving you a little bit of vetting there. So again, with influencers, they’re going to be swayed by those people because they trust those people. They want to hear what they have to say about your product. They are definitely going to look at your online reviews. So, you definitely need to make sure that you have a constant flow of reviews going on, on your channels, and on your website. Millennials tend to be more tender-hearted, and they’re motivated by things that they’re passionate about, and things that they have compassion for. So they’re also social-cause driven, just like Gen Z. So if you can show that your business is plugged into the community and how you’re helping local causes, and your local community, that’s really going to give you some brownie points for the millennials. Millennials are also a force to be reckoned with in the economy. We have over $200 billion in annual purchasing power, and we are the largest generation. We are motivated by convenience. So, work smarter, not harder. Always trying to find a faster way to get from point A to point B. Doesn’t make us lazy, it actually makes us smart. When you’re targeting to millennials, you really, really need to focus on innovation. We are all about the next best thing. We place much more value in finding a better way to do a common task. And we’re going to be really interested in seeing innovative type products that help us get through our lives easier. So, showcase what makes your brand niche, what features you offer that make your business a cut above. We are way more responsive to making our lives easier. So, if your online experience is negative in any way, it’s slow loading on your website or your social channels are empty or not consistent, these things are really going to turn millennials off. So, you want to make sure that their online experience with your business is fast and seamless because if you’re selling a product on your website and your website is slow, millennials are going to research that product and find it somewhere else. Rather than wait on your website to load, we’d spend the time looking for that product somewhere else. So, you need to make sure that their online experience is great every time. And be sure to connect to them through social media, and with those online reviews. As I said, they’re probably going to go to your social channels before they even check out your website. So you definitely want to make sure that your social media channels are full of great information about your business, and that all of your graphics and your imagery is really eye-catching. So you’ll keep them there and keep their attention span.
Glyna: Perfect.
Sarah: It’s visuals. They respond to visuals, which is really key.
Glyna: Yeah, and I think Sarah, you and I always talk about this. When we’re talking to customers, they tend to want to say, “Well, I wouldn’t do that. I wouldn’t go there. I wouldn’t do it that way.” When you are a business, you don’t think about how you would do things. You think about how your customers would do things. So that’s what this is all about, targeting. And targeting these different age groups. So, that’s a good point, Kelsi. It may not bother some people if a website is moving slowly, but if a millennial is they’re trying to get info they’re moving on. So that’s-
Sarah: Which is why it’s so important to know your target customer and their demographics. I mean we talked about this a couple of shows ago, Glyna, about you can’t just say I’m targeting everybody, because it’s simply not true. It’s not going to work. So, really the first thing you need to do is know who is my customer? What do they look like? And what Glyna said, it doesn’t matter if that’s not something that I would do. If that’s what my customer responds to well, then that’s what you focus on.
Glyna: Exactly.
Sarah: Okay, let’s talk about Generation Z, I mean X. I’m having an identity crisis!
Glyna: We all are, this morning.
Sarah: The Z and the X keep tripping me up, okay. Generation X, okay. We are more likely to buy a product if it shows a benefit to us in the long run. We are long time purchasers. So, I love … this is really the mindset. The mindset is hey, you know what? This may not be the most attractive shoe out there, but my feet are comfortable and it’s going to last a long time, so I’m buying it. They really are big fans of brand loyalty too. If it’s something that benefits them in the long run, they’re not going to move with the trends. They would rather find something and stick with it, and they’re not easily swayed. And it has to be practical. So in terms of technology, this generation is very comfortable with all the digital channels and their preference is Facebook and Twitter. So here’s some key talking points I want to talk about with these guys. Okay, they’re the first generation to have … Sorry. They’re the first … I get choked up talking about generation …
Glyna: It’s such important information.
Sarah: I’m so emotional! You know why? Let me tell you. They’re the OGs of Myspace. Okay? We improvised space, we started it. We were doing the dial-up, AOL, Hotmail. We are all of it. We were the early adopters of social media. Okay?
Katie: What’s Myspace?
Sarah: Oh God. I got to go.
Glyna: And I’m over here, baby boomer. What’s an OG?
Sarah: Oh, my gosh. OG, original gangster. You started it. Okay. They love relatable ads. They don’t get swayed so much on something that’s cute or touches my heart. I’m like can I identify with that? Can I relate to it? Is it practical for my life? They’re often referred to as the bridge between millennials and baby boomers. This could not be more true, because they have some of those traditional ways of working hard and having something that works. And they don’t care about influencers and all that kind of stuff. But they can definitely relate to the other generations in terms of liking technology, and liking speed and convenience. So, I feel like they’re a true hybrid because they’re comfortable with online technology. But like I said, we still love getting a good coupon in the mail. So, let’s talk about how to best market to Generation X. They love a good deal. I’ve said that a million times, and it’s so true. We get really excited when we feel like we got a bargain. They like to make smart purchasing decisions. They gravitate towards good deals, so attract this group with buy-in offers. It’s so important to say you’ll get this because if we see that there’s a freebie attached to it, we get super excited and they don’t move with the trends. Gen Xers are more likely to buy a product or service that shows how it benefits them. So they’re not going to be swayed by the next big thing. So don’t use those buzz words. Don’t use this thing of “it’s brand new, it’s the latest thing!”. It’s like really, I don’t care. Like how does it work? Do I need this? So you got to keep that in mind.
Kelsi: Did you say they don’t move with the trends?
Sarah: Do what?
Kelsi: Did you say they don’t move with the trends?
Sarah: Like moved by the trends. Meaning-
Kelsi: Okay.
Sarah: Yeah, like if you said that this is the most innovative car out there. We’re going to be like, “Well, let’s give it a couple of years and see if it’s still innovative.”
Kelsi: Okay. I thought you said they don’t live with their friends.
Sarah: Some of them may, they might be in a midlife crisis.
Glyna: Kelsi, you’re a millennial. You shouldn’t be losing your hearing yet.
Sarah: Some of them live with their friends, and that’s okay!
Kelsi: No judgment!
Sarah: Something is going on.
Glyna: All right, we have now Melissa, she said, “It’s very challenging for those people my age to learn new technology, especially if you didn’t adopt it when it came out. It is hard to go backwards. It’s hard to catch up. That is a big problem.” That’s a big problem in our industry in marketing period. We get to a certain point and if those customers aren’t to that certain point, it’s very hard to catch them up. So, that’s the same with you Melissa on some things. It’s like I’ll do what I need to do, but if I don’t have to learn it I’m not going to learn it. All right, we are to the baby boomers now, talking points. All right, this group still likes a great conversation. They will actually pick up the phone and leave voicemails, and they’re not afraid to have that face-to-face conversation. So that’s still around, believe it or not. They are very loyal to products and services, and customer service is huge to them. If they find somebody that has great customer service, they probably will never leave. And then before you think boomers are completely out of touch, let’s just consider this for a minute. The boomers have the highest value as customers in the market today. The majority of this group have money to spend. And according to Packaged Facts, boomers possess 54% of all U.S. household wealth. So they have the money, they’ve got the money to spend and they’re more likely to splurge on larger ticket items. So, that’s something to keep in mind too if you’re a business. Now they may not have grown up on the internet, but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy some new technology because they’re very comfortable and you would know this as you see all the Amazon boxes piling up every day at my house, we’re very comfortable with online shopping and love to use social media. And yeah, we’re particularly still stuck back on Facebook. So, tips for marketing to boomers. Let’s look at those for a minute. Create brand loyalty. When this generation finds a brand they like, they’re going to stick with it. If your product provides great value, you’ll probably have a customer for life. So, you need to find ways to capitalize on that loyalty, give them some membership perks. Maybe auto-renewals loyalty rewards, they love that. And then keep it simple. This generation still enjoys a great read and a personal phone call. So they’re more likely to read that long-form blog posts or email campaign that you can use to target them. They appreciate a straightforward sales approach. And again, solid customer service. So just skip all the fancy bells and whistles, and just market their product in a way that makes their lives easier. That’s really the bottom line. All right, so now you know all the talking points and tips for marketing to all the generations. Do’s and don’ts. We’ve already mentioned a few of the do’s and don’ts, but we’re going to … hold on, I’m looking at LaVon. You all are hilarious this morning. What’s in the coffee cups? Are we not always funny, LaVon? Claire says Good morning. All right, we’re going to do’s and don’ts. Katie, fill us in.
Katie: Yeah. So for Gen Z, do use terms that reflect reviews and purchases. Information like online reviews and compare tools are going to be fabulous for us. If you have an influencer who is working for you, love seeing them posted on your website and platform because it just makes me trust you more. Do use video in advertising. As I said, we’re such a visual people that we love, love, love a good video. And it catches our attention easier. Also, optimize for mobile. So, as Kelsi was saying earlier if your website is not working quickly or you’re not active on your social media, I’m just going to zip on to the next one. Because with Gen Z, we’re so instant gratification-oriented that we want your website up the moment we click it. Not five seconds later, not 10 seconds later. So, if it’s not working, you better believe we’re gone. One important thing for how to not sell to Gen Z is don’t sell to us directly. We want again, for you to build trust with us. For you to actually build relational aspects into it so that we want to buy from you. Avoid terms like “buy now”, “buy today”. That is just not something that’s going to vibe well with us, and that’s just really going to be something that turns us off. And so we want to actually feel like we’re getting something useful out of the relationship first, and then we’ll research how we can buy it.
Sarah: My son is Generation Z, my oldest son. And a couple of days ago, YouTube was down and he was in full meltdown mode. And he was like, “I’m clicking on it, and my video is not loading and why is it not loading?” And then he at one point asked me to contact YouTube and, you know, I don’t have their direct line and I’m not sure, but it was just hilarious to me that I was like oh, YouTube is down, and my son who was like it was that whole thing of they lack that patience. He was not having it that it was not functioning and … he didn’t know what to do with himself.
Glyna: Will you just call them, Sarah.
Sarah: It’s like I don’t have that much influence, buddy.
Kelsi: All right. So, on the millennial front for do’s and don’ts in marketing to millennials. What you want to do for sure is focus on convenience for them. So, things like same-day shipping, subscribe, and save. Those are really going to catch millennials’ attention. They want your product, but they want to get it easily. They don’t want to have to work for it. So, any kind of little freebies like that will help sway them to purchase. They want to see that you support local causes. Not necessarily local, but social causes. And so you want to highlight when your business does support social causes, but you need to do it in a very non-braggadocios way. It’s a very fine balance. They want to see that you support causes, but they don’t want to see that you brag about it. So, if you need help navigating that, we can help you. And remember, content is king. So your content needs to be valuable. It needs to show them why your product is valuable, and it needs to be eye-catching. Videos are going to be really helpful in that aspect as well. What you don’t need to do when marketing to millennials is don’t sell them based on stereotypical interests. So, don’t put millennials in a little peg hole, and market directly to that type of stereotype. An example would be, I guess a good stereotype for millennial men is the man bun and the craft beer. Don’t need to have a man, a good looking man with a man bun with some craft beer in your ads. Sure, it will get eyes but I think millennials might actually be a little bit more turned off by that at this point because they see that you’re pandering to them at that point. Then also don’t use generalized messages. Be more succinct in what you’re trying to say to them and sell to them, and they’re going to be more likely to purchase.
Glyna: Perfect. And Brooklyn, we have Brooklyn Stags. She says Gen Z here, totally agree. And yeah Cindy, there’s nothing wrong with living with friends. We weren’t judging. We were just …
Kelsi: No, I just can’t hear, Cindy.
Sarah: Yeah. The millennials, it’s like do not put them in a box like what you’re saying. Don’t say like oh, you’re a social activist so everything we do is going to be about hounding in on that, no they will read right through it. Okay. Generation X. Do’s and don’ts. Do use, I mean I’ve said this so many times. We are the coupon … I am a coupon lady. So use deals like or use terms like “promo” or “discount” in your advertising. Be authentic and keep your promises, we read right through garbage. And like I said that fluff does not work. So be authentic and keep your promises. So whatever you say you’re going to do whether in your advertisement or whatever, don’t try to do it just to hook it. Make sure you follow through with it. Set up loyalty programs and email campaigns, because much like the baby boomers, we are very loyal to products when we like them. So, if we are making repurchases and we continue to do that, then it’s best to set up some loyalty programs with us to just really keep us as a lifelong customer. Don’t retarget excessively. I cannot say this enough. I can’t stand when I get … I like emails, okay, but I don’t like it when I get an email, and then the next day I get another email, and then the next day I get another email because to me, it’s excessive. It shows that you’re not really trying to learn about me, you’re just trying to sell your product. So, unless you really know what I’m looking for, don’t just keep hounding me and being in my face with your email campaign. Oh, and don’t text marketing messages. I can’t stand this, I’m telling you. I get these text messages and I’m like, “How did you find me? Like, what is this? I didn’t give you permission to text me this stuff.” So, it just doesn’t work. I feel like we get enough stuff thrown at us, and texting is just not the right way for us. So don’t do that.
Glyna: Yeah, and unfortunately that’s one of the newest things is text messaging everything. Yeah, it’s going to get … you’re used to the email stuff, but text message you’re thinking, “Oh, it’s somebody I know. Who’s texting me?”
Sarah: And if I signed up for it, great. But if it’s creepy, like you need sunglasses! I’m like I don’t know who you are.
Kelsi: It’s almost invasive if you didn’t give them your number.
Sarah: Yeah, it’s invasive. That’s a good word invasive. Yeah.
Glyna: All right. I don’t think I’ve said hi to Claire this morning. Good morning, Claire. She’s always so good to share all of our stuff. We really appreciate all of the people that help us with that, but I know her in particular. All right, baby boomers do’s and don’ts. All right. With the baby boomers, give us the price. Just give us the price upfront. We don’t want to be messing around, and we don’t want to be sold to. We want the price. Now you can be slow-paced, I love this. Make your videos very slow and informative.
Sarah: With closed captioning.
Glyna: I will say this that one girl that you like to watch … closed captioning. That one girl you like to watch, Sarah. She talks so fast I’m like, “What in the world?” I guess yes, slow it down a little bit. Invite them into the store and also give them online offers. Again, I think we all love coupons obviously. It’s funny too about the video thing. I know you guys love the videos. I like watching a video once in a while, but it gets on my nerves. I’d rather read something real quick, especially a recipe. I don’t want to have to sit watch 20 minutes of recipe video. So, videos get on my nerves a little bit. All right. Don’t try to trick them in with buy-in sales tactics. No bait and switch, they’re going to see that a mile away. And please do not, do not, do not campaign for the “elderly” or talk about “golden years”. I mean baby boomers still feel like they’re young, even though they’re baby boomers. So don’t point out the obvious. I think I was telling you guys the other day that … now this was even years back. I went to the doctor… there was something wrong with my knee. And he’s like, “Well, you just have age-appropriate knees. There’s nothing wrong with them.” What are you trying to say? Don’t point out the obvious. We’re getting older, right?
Sarah: I’ll tell you with Pinterest because I love me some Pinterest and I know Gen Z over here loves some Pinterest. But what really bothers me when you’re talking about with recipes, is I find a recipe, by the visual, looks really good. I click on it. It’s followed by all these videos popping up, which I’m like okay, and then it’s this extremely long story of why they make this dish and why Little Timmy eats it and what inspired them with this dish. I’m like, “When do we get to the recipe?”
Kelsi: Well, it all began back in 1927.
Sarah: Right? “I’ve always loved tomatoes From Tuscany”, I’m like oh God.
Katie: I’m on TikTok and I’m like, “I’m watching the video of the recipe.” Eight seconds, done!
Sarah: Oh my Gosh. I’m like just get to it. Is it one cup of flour? What is it?
Glyna: I’m the same way. I don’t want to sit there and watch you cut up all the stuff. Just give it to me! So, anyway. So again, there are just different ways to market to the different generations, and that’s the whole bottom line here. We hope this was really helpful for you.
Sarah: Yeah, absolutely. It just goes to show that we all respond differently to different forms of advertising. So really the biggest point is to know your demographic first. First and foremost, know who your key customer is and then follow it from there on what age group they are and how to target and advertise to them.
Glyna: That’s exactly right. So I know we didn’t really officially introduce Katie, but Katie is also with us here. She’s one of our social media, another social media guru that we have. But we really appreciate you joining us today to pull this off and of course, everybody knows Kelsi and Sarah. So, we didn’t officially introduce everybody, but all right I guess we’ll wrap this up. We really appreciate all of you coming by, stopping by. And one more comment from Cindy, “I agree Sarah, jump to the recipe is the best way to go.” And Lavon said, “Awesome job, ladies. I took lots of notes.” And Cindy again, “You’re so awesome. This was a great segment. Thank you, ladies, so much for sharing all the information.” Well, we love it. We hope that it’s very helpful for all of you, and we’ll be back with some more information on Tuesday. I believe that we’ll be back with Sarah, Kelsi, and Katie, talking about Pinterest which is going to be cool. We’ve never even talked about Pinterest. We have Katie as our Pinterest ringer. So we’re going to bring her in to talk about that a little bit more and then we’ll be back for our regular Biz Talk next Friday at 8:00. So all of you have a great day, and we’ll see you later!