Marketing to different generations

As business owners, we all know it’s hard to acquire customers and hold onto them. We can get their attention through our website, email marketing, social media marketing and more. But what works for a 20-year-old won’t work for a 60-year-old. So it’s important to be aware of who you are marketing to and the best way of reaching them.

Baby Boomers

Either retired or heading for retirement, the Baby Boomers have seen their families grow up, paid off their mortgages and are looking to enjoy life.

While they don’t appreciate a hard sell from advertisers, they also don’t like feeling overlooked by companies in favour of Millennials. To ignore Boomers is a big mistake – they often have far more disposable income than the younger generations. This generation is responsible for 51% of the UK’s total wealth and likes to spend money on quality products.

And with all that disposable income, they are often susceptible to an upsell – as long as it is offered politely by someone they feel they can trust.

While they have gradually embraced technology and even social media (they are big Facebook users!), Baby Boomers are generally more comfortable with traditional forms of marketing and customer service.

Facebook is something for keeping up with friends and their grandchildren, and they don’t adverts interrupting that experience. In marketing, they don’t like anything which intrudes on their lives and are far more likely to respond to an email than to any form of instant messaging. They still appreciate a newspaper or TV ad more than other forms of advertising.

The Boomers use the internet mainly for finding information or researching brands. They are most comfortable with text messaging and basic apps on their smartphones. Needless to say, they are the generation least likely to buy straight from their smartphones. But ensuring a checkout process is easy enough for an older person to use is always a good idea.

They are often very loyal to their favourite brands, which they may have been using for 50 years or more. To persuade them to try a new brand, you need to share clear and honest descriptions of how a product or service can benefit them. They also want to read honest reviews to back that up.

The Boomers like to talk to real people either in-store or on the end of a phone and don’t like companies which don’t have easily accessible phone numbers. If they do use social media, they want to hear back that their feedback has been passed on to the right team. By focusing on their priorities, your business could really benefit from the Boomers’ prosperity.

Generation X

At the height of their careers, Generation X are often paying big mortgages, while juggling the demands of teenage and adult children with ageing parents. Typically, they will be family-oriented, financially responsible and financially independent, with a significant influence on the workplace and the economy.

Despite this, they are a forgotten generation, sandwiched between the Millennials and the Boomers, and sharing attributes with both. Generation X often have big purchasing power, so it is important for businesses not to ignore them.



Generation X grew up without online shopping, but most are happy to embrace both shopping online and shopping in-store. Older Gen X-ers may still struggle a bit with technology, but the younger members of the generation are usually as enthusiastic and savvy as the Millennials.

They’ve seen a lot of advertising, marketing and sales tactics over the years and aren’t easy to fool. They want to buy from businesses which they see as honest and authentic. That’s why Generation X are particularly big users of online reviews. Like the Boomers, they still digest TV and newspaper ads, but will then go and check a company’s credentials online before buying.

And if someone posts a review of your product, take the time to reply and say thank you. A bit of politeness and good customer service is always appreciated by this generation!

Generation X are big Facebook users, so make sure your business details are up-to-date and accurate on Facebook, as well as review sites like Trip Advisor. To reach this generation, post regular organic content on Facebook, use Facebook advertising and use the ‘Shop now’ button, so that people can buy straight from social media.

They are constantly checking their emails because they work a lot – so email marketing is more effective for this generation than any other.

Once they’ve found a brand or product they like, Generation X are loyal customers who will keep coming back for me, so it’s worth putting the effort into marketing to them. As they share traits of both Baby Boomers and Millennials, Generation X respond best to a combination of forms of marketing to drive them to your website – from social media and email to TV and newspaper advertising.

Millennials

Millennials are no longer the young adults many still assume they are. While some are fairly recent graduates, others are turning 40 and have families of their own. Some are already rising to senior positions in the workplace, but they are also a big generation of entrepreneurs, who understand that jobs aren’t always for life and you have to make your own destiny.

They are far less likely to shop in-store than older generations. They want to shop quickly and easily straight from their phones – and for things to arrive as quickly as possible. Convenience is key for this generation – from Amazon Prime to Deliveroo and Uber.

Millennials often decide where to eat and what clothes to buy based on what they see on Instagram. They are generally suspicious of traditional advertising and marketing and often won’t buy anything or make a decision without discussing it with friends and family, as well as checking online reviews. They also respond well to influencers and brand ambassadors (as long as they are authentic and really match your brand values), as they can relate to them and see them as more ‘real’ than straight advertising.

Millennials are the most likely to buy after seeing something on social media - whether that is through an ad, a video or a product review. They are the only generation who favour social media over email for customer service enquiries and feedback.

This generation is particularly interested in products which are sustainable and ethical, so make sure those credentials are visible across your website and social media. But make sure they are honest too! Millennials won’t buy from companies with fake green credentials. If your packaging looks great and is sustainable, expect Millennials to take a photo and put it on their Instagram Stories. On the flipside, they may also do this if your packaging is the opposite of sustainable.

Millennials are far less likely to read marketing emails than the older generations. They want informative and easy-to-digest content which helps them to really understand your products and their benefits – video always works well.

To appeal to Millennials, it’s important to provide great customer service to encourage great reviews – on social media, review sites and your own website.

While it’s not always easy to win over the Millennials, it is worth the effort to engage with them on social media in particular, as they are likely to then refer a business to their own social media following – largely made up of fellow savvy Millennials.

As this generation approach the peak of their careers and earning potential, it is well worth investing in marketing to them and holding onto them as customers in the longer term.

 
Generation Z

Generation Z are the first generation to grow up in an entirely digital world. They range from children at the top end of primary school, through teenagers and students to young working adults.

As they enter the workplace, Generation Z’s earning power and buying power will increase. And for those still too young to earn their own money, they have great influence over their parents’ buying power. So it is important not to ignore this young generation.

Gen Z have an attention span of just eight seconds and can seamlessly juggle up to five devices at once, including smartphone, tablet, laptop, games console and TV.

Generation Z share their opinions on everything, good or bad, on social media. Their preferred channels are Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram – which is where many of them look for and find new products. They consume, share and join in with viral trends across these platforms.

If you want to reach this generation, make your products ‘Instagrammable’ and Generation Z will not only buy them, but will also share them with their followers.

When Gen Z are your target market, focus on interactive viral content or create an online game. Many members of this generation are unable to resist an online viral challenge.

Instagram Stories, as well as short video ads across YouTube, Snapchat and TikTok, are the best ways to connect with this generation. Yet only around a fraction of businesses are using TikTok in their marketing.

Although they spend more time on social media than the other generations, they are the least likely to follow brands. So working with YouTube and TikTok creators and influencers in your niche is essential to connect with Generation Z. They relate far more to this new generation of celebrities than they do to traditional celebrities from TV, film, music or sport. Another advantage of working with micro-influencers in your niche is that they are usually a lot more cost-effective then working with traditional celebrities.

Gen Z care about the environment, sustainability and socio-economic issues. They aren’t loyal to any particular brand, instead focusing on either a brand’s ethical credentials or the latest trends. They are challenging gender norms, so don’t respond well to marketing which is targeted specifically at one gender. But they also want to engage with brands which are lighthearted and fun. They don’t want carefully created (and expensive) content, because they spend their time on Snapchat and TikTok.

If you really focus on this generation’s needs and manage to hook a member of Gen Z in their teens, you have huge potential for sustainable business growth, as they grow up, spend more and influence their peers to do the same.

Each generation has their own experiences, expectations, values and lifestyle which influence what they buy and how they buy it. To really make the most of your marketing spend, it is essential you are sensitive to these differences and target your budget effectively at the generations you are trying to reach.

While there will never be hard and fast rules for every member of each generation, there are definitely big differences between them, and particularly between one end of the spectrum (the Boomers) and the other (Millennials and Gen Z).



Getting the mix right, particularly where you are targeting two or more generations, and adjusting your strategy to meet the expectations of each generation, will make it easier to build their trust and build your business.