Not Your Mama’s Marketing

Gone are the days when all you needed to do to find new clients was post a billboard and a few TV commercials. Thanks to technology, the entire philosophy of marketing has shifted, and the demographics of your target audience have likely shifted, too. Back in the day, women held the purchasing power.  Businesses and brands targeted their advertising and messaging to women in the hopes that they would share their experiences with family and friends.

Today, teens and young adults have more purchasing power than ever before.  They’re an incredibly savvy group, so in order to capture some of that purchasing power requires that you speak their language and spread your message where it’s most likely to be heard.

How to Capture Young Audiences:

Include useful information in your marketing message -– not just “advertising” statements.

Today’s young people are bombarded with more advertisements than ever before.  From pop-up and sidebar ads on their favorite blogs, to commercials on music streaming apps, advertisements have become a part of their minute-by-minute experience. Simply stating that your product does x, y, and z or your organization does x, y, and z is not good enough. They’ve heard that claim before – perhaps from your competitors. Instead, include information that grabs their attention.

Remember, your viewers will only see your ads for a second, and then their attention will be on to something else. Make sure that second counts by including only the most pertinent information about your product or service in the ad.

Focus on providing engaging, interactive content on your website and social media pages.

To capture a dedicated, young customer base, you need to provide them with more than just your key product. Draw them to your website or social media pages with content that they want to engage with. Don’t make it all about selling your product. Trust that after they grow to love your company for its witty, interactive content, they’ll come around to giving your product a try on their own terms.

• Make Facebook posts about day-to-day life that encourage your followers to respond. For instance, you could post a status that says “How many people have already gone swimming this season?” at the beginning of summer.
• Keep your blog updated with regular posts related to current events in your industry. If you sell clothing and accessories, you could make bi-weekly posts about the latest trends in the fashion industry and what celebrities wore to certain events.
• Post pictures on Instagram of things you come across that are related to your business. If you sell healthy snacks and you’re driving past a strawberry field, take a picture of the strawberries.

Your goal is to draw your target demographic (young people) to your website and social media pages with great, engaging content – then let them make the decision whether to learn more about your product and perhaps purchase it on their own.

Make it clear that your product or service solves a specific problem.

The companies that have been successful in selling their product to the younger generation all have one thing in common – their products solve a problem. 

To encourage young people to try your product, your advertising needs to make it clear that your product solves a specific, real-world problem, thus making their lives easier. Wording such as “Are you tired of, xyz? Our product eliminates xyz by…” is very useful. And, USE VIDEO.  This is a must when catering to young people. Depict someone struggling with a problem, and show how your product solves it. This will make your ads relatable.

Develop a company mission that’s deeper than sales – and make it clear to your customers that you really care about the cause.

Today’s young people are caring and passionate about the world around them. They want to do their part to preserve the environment, save animals, fight homelessness, feed the hungry, and support other worthy causes. They want to buy from businesses that share their morals and values. 

If you want to market your business to young people, you need to show them that you care about more than just making a profit. Choose a cause that you and your partners or employees are truly passionate about, and get involved. Participate in fundraisers related to that cause, or pledge to donate a portion of your proceeds. Then, let your viewers know what you’re doing. Post about it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Ask your viewers for their opinions about the cause.

Young people will appreciate that your company is “about more than just the business,” and you’ll gain not just any customers – but loyal customers who share your passions.

Marketing to the young generation is not simple. You must take a multifaceted approach, carefully tailoring messages on your website, social media accounts, and other outlets to ensure they are in line with your target demographics’ values and needs.

Above all, engage! Respond to comments on social media. Go where the young people are.  Don’t wait for them to come to you.

Attention Millennials: What You Post Online Becomes Your Brand

We often think about branding as something done only by large corporations, but everyone has a personal brand.

Think about your friends; there are probably a handful of ways you could describe them. Those words are probably part of the individual friend’s brand for why you like him so much.

While branding used to only apply to your regular social circle, the Internet now means that everyone carries an online persona that is part of their brand. This is both good and bad. If you go on a racist rant on Twitter, that rant will become negative branding and can hold obvious consequences.

There’s a lot you can do to improve your online brand beyond obvious tips like “don’t go on racist rants.”

Here are a few small things which can help you stand out from the crowd with your online brand:

1. Know your strengths and apply them.

A brand is a fundamental reflection of your personality. If you’re not funny in person, trying to be funny online is going to look strange. You have to identify what you’re good at in personality and skills, and make it part of your brand.

Identifying your strengths is much harder than it sounds because people are far more generous, kind and intelligent in their own minds than in reality. Instead of trying to identify your strengths yourself, contact people who know you in a wide variety of settings — from professional to personal — and ask them to tell you.

Discussing your strengths with many different people can give you a better picture of what your strengths actually are.

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2. Too little is better than too much.

No one has the time to be active on every social media site out there. Pretty much everyone has a Facebook account, but what about other websites like LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram?

No matter the outlet, remember that your online brand relies on regular, interesting updates. Even posting about something as mundane as what exercises you did over the weekend can help elevate your brand and humanize you.

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3. Clean up your social media accounts.

If you have a successful brand, people are going to look you up. The more successful your brand is, the deeper people are going to look.

That can be a serious problem. Even if you aren’t serious about building your brand, remember that certain photos or Facebook posts can be a serious detriment to your work or relationships.

Employers look at social media accounts of potential workers and more than 80 percent of them have said they are less likely to hire someone with an unprofessional account. They are also just as willing to fire someone who they catch making unprofessional posts.

So, take a moment to clean up your Facebook. Also, Google your own name to see if anything unsavory comes up. It’s better for you to do it than your boss, or friends.

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4. Don’t talk about only yourself.

The entire point of building a brand is so that other people become interested in what you have to say. But, it’s a reciprocal relationship. If you aren’t interested in other people, why should they be interested in you?

While your brand should be about yourself and what makes you special, don’t hesitate to give shout-outs to others. If people have comments or questions, answer them.

Always look for a chance to make a friend online. More friends means more links which results in a bigger online brand.

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5. Don’t give up.

Building a brand is something we do every second of our lives, so creating a new one can be challenging.

But don’t give up. Keep tabs on the progress you’ve made, and pat yourself on the back when you’ve accomplished something. When you look back on your hard work, you can feel proud of how you managed to present yourself online.

What you post should be relevant.  What you post should be authentic.  What you post is a clear reflection of your true personal brand.  If you need help determining YOUR brand and how to set yourself apart (in a positive manner) from the crowd, contact us!