Understanding your audience(s) /////////

Customer personas are a tricky thing. People often times aren’t that easy to categorize. Because you sell something that’s broadly used, your audience is inherently broad.

The best brands, however, create offerings that consider the motivations of many types of customers and they taylor their message, and distribution to meet them where they can have the most impact

Millennial Demographic Summary

When in doubt, think of millennials as the kids who came to age during the Internet boom. They’re techsavvy, but they weren’t born with smartphones in their hands (that’s Gen Z, by the way- they’re the ones Tik Tok-ing).

Here is a quick summary of the unique demographic traits:

• Consumers born between the early/mid-1980s and the mid-1990s

• Massive, incredibly diverse group of consumers.

• United States’ largest generation

• Entering prime spending years and largest wealth accumulation phase.

• Fiercely loyal with a high lifetime value.

• 60% of their shopping online.

• Money-conscious, having lived through the Great Recession

Distrust Traditional Advertising

This is the big one. It’s no secret that millennials avoid old-school ad formats and are skeptical of advertising in general.

Pop-up ads, cold calling, and anything that feels too much like a traditional commercial isn’t going to resonate as well with the millennial crowd.

Rather than disrupt and shove marketing messages in their faces, marketers are tasked with reaching these consumers organically or through ads that are presented as something “real.”

Interested in Experiences and Authenticity

Millennials love to share their latest purchases and likewise rely on friends and family to keep them in the loop on product recommendations.

That’s why so many brands targeting millennials focus on authenticity and customer stories.

Committed to Beliefs and Values

According to research by Sprout Social, millennials are the demographic most interested in values when it comes to the brands to support.

In other words, companies marketing to millennials shouldn’t shy away from social issues including sustainability and diversity.

Although addressing potential controversial topics is tricky for brands, younger buyers today expect companies to take a stand on social issues important to them.

Patagonia is a brand who has historically pushed their values to the forefront of their business, and built a lot of brand advocacy because of it.

Generation X Demographic Summary

Anyone born between the years 1965 and 1980 is considered a member of Generation X. Packed tightly between loudmouth Baby Boomers and Millennials, Gen Xers are often dubbed America’s neglected “middle child.” A Pew Research report from 2014 highlighted some trends between Baby Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials which found Gen Xers to fall in the middle of just about everything, like the number of Facebook friends and patriotism while calling themselves the least distinct generation of the three.

Here is a quick summary of the unique demographic traits:

• Consumers born between the mid-1960s and the early-1980s

• they are at their highest-earning years and are on their way to reaching the top of their profession

• Generation X currently makes up 31% of the total U.S. income

• They tend to share some qualities of Millenials and also some of Baby Boomers

• Gen X loves social media — 95% of them use Facebook

• 72% of Gen Xers use the internet to research businesses

• 35% of Xers in the U.S. have college degrees, compared to only 19% of Millennials. This means that they tend to hold more powerful positions in organizations

They prefer marketing that is more personal and authentic

Most Gen Xers are now parents and prefer to consume media that reflects their values. They also prefer brands who are authentic. Be transparent and don’t hide agendas or values from this generation — they will see right through it. Try to be forward with your intentions, no “smoke and mirrors.”

Keep it personal

Appeal to Gen Xers by rooting conversations in real-world possibilities by showcasing everyday life and situations. Keep the sales tactics to a minimum — this is a big no-no for this generation.

They’ve seen a lot

Gen X (as a whole generation) has been through the moon landing, the Cold War, the internet revolution, the Y2K crisis and everything in between. They have seen a lot of ads and been the target of a lot of marketing, which means having an authentic message throughout your marketing is very important.

Have great customer service

Provide timely responses and rectify any issues immediately. If you provide a great experience, Gen Xers are likely to become repeat customers and provide positive reviews.