Going Digital: The Generational Shift

It’s easy to get lost in trying to figure out how to market to your clients. Never before has marketing been so expansive, or so complex. Through the introduction of smartphones and social media, social barriers are constantly being broken, allowing companies to reach their customers at all hours of the day in ways they’ve never been able to before.

Of course, a successful marketing campaign doesn’t mean just being able to reach your clients, you have to be able to relate to them as well. And with all age groups having access to the internet (and by default, exposure to marketing in ways that we’ve never seen before), how do you keep your content relatable to everyone?

Everyone's Online

At first glance, it might make sense to market solely to the generations that are most active online. Those darn kids are always on their phones, so obviously you want to base most of your digital campaigns towards them, leaving print advertising for the older generations.

…Right?

In total, there are two billion people that actively use social media and three billion people that use the internet regularly. There are about 80 million Baby Boomers just in the US, and they’re spending less time on TV than they are on the internet. About 82% of this generation that uses the internet spends time on social media as well. On average, Baby Boomers are spending almost two hours per day on social media, easily rivaling Millennials who spend a little over two and a half hours on it, and the Gen Z generation who spend about three hours a day on it.

Age Doesn't Apply

Age doesn’t matter much. If you’re marketing on social media, you’re going to reach all age groups. You should aim for this. Unless your brand relies on targeting a very specific age group, it’s important to market to all of them equally. At this point, half of the global population has internet access, so to be successful it’s important to try to reach everyone. 

That isn’t to say there’s a secret marketing key that will help you reach and be relatable to all generations. According to digitaldoughnut.com, each generation has different types of content that they like to consume. For example, Baby Boomers want to see content that contains detailed accuracy and is simplistic in design so that it’s easier to read, while Millennials tend to seek out content that is short, concise, and attention grabbing.

Keep it Simple

The best way to reach all generations is simply to be clear and concise. If your ads are confusing, it doesn’t matter the age, your viewers will lose interest. Take advantage of social media, use a mix of influencers and direct brand advertising, and run with this wide-reaching opportunity that you’ve been given. 

Today’s reality allows for people of all ages to connect and share content that they enjoy, and if you play your cards right, your marketing could be part of that. The openness of today’s world is a beautiful thing. Let’s help it grow.

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Sources: WP Engine |  The Center for Generational Kinetics | Forbes | SemRush | Digital Doughnut | Wikipedia