Generational Marketing Insights
Generational Marketing Insights for 2023
Generational marketing strategy is the approach organizations take to reach specific age-based cohorts of the populations (generations). People of similar age groups tend to experience major life events in a similar manner. These experiences often shape their belief and values systems, which in turn shape consumer/user behavior across multiple channels. While not an exact science, generational observations can help inform organizational leaders and industry professionals on the best approach(es) to build long-lasting relationships with target markets.
Today, we’re interviewing Jeremy Becker, our CEO/Co-Founder, on how he utilizes generational marketing in his work.
Meet Jeremy Becker:
I am Jeremy Becker, CEO of Becker Digital. We founded Becker Digital in 2015, as I was transitioning out of the military. Based out of rural Virginia, our company is a consulting firm that provides services to mission-driven organizations. Digital strategy, program support, management, and marketing consulting are our areas of expertise. Much of this work has been focused on generation-specific cohorts, programs, and experiences.
Our Story: Learn how military service inspired our company’s founding
What sparked your interest in generational marketing?
My interest in generational strategies began when I was serving in the U.S. military, as an Armor Officer, and, later, as an Engineer and Transportation Officer. The military’s organizational structure is vertical, with higher-ranking officers and NCOs typically belonging to one generational cohort, while lower-ranking servicemembers often belong to different generations. All generations have to work together to support the mission, overcoming generational differences that may exist across the ranks.
Identifying generational strategies to build cohesion and improve performance became an interest of mine that I continued to explore in my civilian career with Becker Digital. Through our consulting and training work, we have the opportunity to support mission-driven organizations as they strive to engage multi-generational audiences. Becker Digital’s extensive research on Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z assists in our successful outreach initiatives for government agencies and nonprofit organizations.
Blog Post: Multigenerational Marketing Strategies
What do digital natives look for from organizations on social media?
From my point of view – speaking as a Millennial, the digital world is very important. Millennials are prolific users of technology in almost every aspect of their lives. While high usage rates of social media are often cited in Millennial-focused publications, one key aspect of successful Millennial marketing recognizes the breakdown of barriers between our digital and physical worlds. Digital natives, such as Millennials and Gen Zers, are looking to engage with organizations online that offer interactive experiences that cross the digital-physical divide. What happens in real life (IRL) needs to integrate seamlessly with one’s digital life. An example of ways organizations can do this include offering photo op event props for in-person attendees to easily share their experience with their network on social media.
Another aspect of bridging the digital-physical divide is that today’s consumers are checking out organizations online long before they ever engage in person. Therefore, the organization’s online presence should accurately reflect the in-person experience. Any dissonance between the digital and physical experience will likely be viewed as “inauthentic” and do damage to the organization’s reputation in the eyes of a digital native. Organizations can put their best foot forward on this by offering virtual tours, live camera feeds, and streamed events for prospective Millennials and Gen Zers to review prior to visiting the organization. One example of this can be observed with ski resorts that offer live camera feeds that can be accessed remotely on their ski slopes. When marketing to Millennials and Gen Zers, it’s all about authenticity. Digital natives want the “real deal” - not an over-commercialized image that isn’t accurate. Gen Zer’s rapid patronage of BeReal - an emerging social media app that incentivizes posting accurate, in-the-moment, unfiltered images of one’s day.
Blog Post: Why Generation Z Loves BeReal
What social media platforms should organizations be on to reach each generation?
Many differences exist in terms of which social media platforms are popular with each generation. For example, YouTube and Facebook are very popular among Baby Boomers, while Snapchat and Instagram support a more Gen Z user base. While age range isn’t the only demographic variable one should consider when determining what social media platform is right for your organization, we do observe patterns across age-based cohorts of social media users. To figure out what social media platforms your organization needs to prioritize, you must conduct market research to determine who your target audience is and what social media platforms they are active on. If you’re trying to reach Gen Xers, Tik Tok isn’t likely to yield a high return on investment (ROI). Conducting market research will help you to identify these demographic breaks, many of which are generational.
It’s important to note that the popularity of social media platforms tends to evolve over time, and we see channel migration. For instance, Facebook used to be a Millennial thing - created by Millennials, for Millennials. Years later, Millennial’s predominantly Baby Boomer parents followed them onto Facebook. As a result, many Millennials left Facebook in favor of other social media platforms - perhaps they didn’t want their parents to see everything they post on social media? These generational channel migrations aren’t restricted to Baby Boomers and Millennials. Channel migration can be observed with all adult generations in the United States. At present, when we think TikTok, we think of Generation Z, because they are currently the main user base. However, there could be a time in the future that finds the majority of TikTok users are another generational demographic besides Gen Z. Possibly their Gen X parents? Only time will tell. It’s important for organizations to track these generational shifts in social media usage to ensure the platforms they prioritize align with where their target audiences are currently active.
Blog Post: Marketing to Gen Z vs. Millennials
How do today’s generations want to engage with organizations online?
Today’s social media users want an authentic experience engaging with brands online. They aren’t into overly commercialized content. They don’t want to click on content that looks like advertising; instead, they seek out content that looks more authentic, such as behind-the-scenes looks or user-generated content. Musician and songwriter, Hopsin, said it best: “First of all, the best type of marketin' Is marketin' that doesn't feel like marketin' It makes the people feel like they a part of it.”
Our world is saturated with content that is trying to sell us something…everything. We’re all tired of scrolling past commercialized posts that try to prey upon our feelings of FOMO and inadequacy. Instead, we - social media users of all generations - are drawn to content that appeals to other aspects of the human experience - one that satisfies our deep craving for authentic connection. One of the best industry examples of brand engagement with multiple generations is Cowboy Tim at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. During the pandemic, the museum shut down, and the museum's head of security, Tim Tiller, was tasked with maintaining museum social media accounts. His personable, humorous online content went viral, and the persona “Cowboy Tim” was born. His social media engagement humanized the organization in a way that successfully reached multiple generations.
This cross-generational craving for authenticity and connection is one reason why the social media platform, BeReal, has generated so much attention. People are tired of the same ‘ol online noise. They want something “real.” Meta recently announced the roll-out of BeReal copycat features, called “Roll Call.” It will be interesting to see how established social media platforms integrate similar features into their app capabilities over the next few months, in an attempt to improve engagement across disengaged user bases.
Blog Post: Social Media Secrets for Long-term Success
Learn more about generational marketing:
Becker Digital specializes in generational marketing campaigns and digital strategies. We help mission-driven organizations connect with diverse audiences on and offline. Contact us today to discuss your organization’s mission and goals.
Becker Digital is proud to be a CVE-verified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), SBA-certified HUBZone Business, and Virginia SWaM-certified (Micro, Small, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned) Business.