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Nick Brown • Aug 09, 2021
Finding Your Target Customers — Understanding Where You Should Market
Defining your target customers.
Everyone tells you that getting started is the first step towards achieving business success. Many business owners are, therefore, misguided in the notion of 'if you build it, they will come.' Although starting a business is the first step, it's the second step that is essential (yet most challenging) — finding your target customers.
Having an excellent product or service is not enough to get you customers or traffic on your website. What you need is the proper marketing techniques for your target audience.
You have to ask yourself two vital questions: Who are my target customers? Where do I market?
The answers to the above questions will help you customize your marketing strategy to suit your target customer demographics. People born at different times have distinctive preferences in how they spend, what they value, and the advertising channels they use. Here are effective marketing techniques — for each of the five distinct American customer demographics — that show you where to market to reach your target customers.
Understanding Your Target Customers
Baby Boomers
Ranging in age from 57 to 75, baby boomers are the second largest group in the U.S, with a population estimate of 70.6 million. The majority of these individuals are either at or nearing retirement. Therefore, they are concerned with ensuring they get value from the money they spend.
Contrary to what most people think, not all baby boomers are interested in traditional sales. According to a recent survey, the vast majority of this generation uses digital devices. Therefore, businesses can benefit from showing them the latest products and services in the market.
Email marketing is an excellent way to appeal to this generation because 93% use email
regularly. Baby boomers spent most of their professional lives sending email, thus making email marketing effective. However, it will help to ensure you build trust when working with this generation. Most of them will need to know who you are and what you stand for before buying your product or service.
Generation X
Although born when technology was forming, this generation fell just short of the internet age. It is a much smaller group (between the ages of 41-56) with a population of 65 million in the U.S. Unlike other generations, marketing to Generation X requires a lot of time and effort.
You have to play it safe when dealing with this generation because they are more concerned about decreasing debt and becoming independent. Their conservative approach to life means you have to think twice before pitching extravagant products or services.
Ensure you incorporate multiple approaches when marketing to Generation X. Being digitally-enabled but not growing up actively using technology means they have several comfort zones. Leverage numerous tactics, including email marketing, social media, and phone calls to appeal to this target audience.
Millennials
With a population of over 72.26 million in the U.S, Millennials form the largest group on our list. Because they were born at the height of technology (now aged between 25 and 40), they can't live without it. This generation is also all about instant gratification, which means you need to act fast.
Ensure you stay relevant when marketing to this generation because they are adaptive to technological changes. Peer recommendation also means a lot to this generation. They will value your business and trust your brand when they see others commending your product or service.
Interestingly, 90.4% of Millennials use and check social media accounts regularly. Therefore, you can only connect with this generation by generating a robust online presence. If your target audience is hugely Millennials, ensure you consider a Social Media Management service such as Digital Edge Marketing Agency. Doing this will help increase your brand visibility, thus attracting more clients and bringing in new revenue.
Generation Z
Although Generation Z might seem to share several attributes to Millennials, these two generations are quite different. Born between the year 1997 to mid-2000s, this generation grew up with high-tech gadgets, including cell phones and iPhones. Gen Zers can't recall a single moment of life without the internet.
Their short attention span (about eight seconds) means you need a prudent approach in your marketing strategy. An excellent way to achieve this is by ensuring every instant counts. Leverage digitally appealing and swift techniques for easier and faster penetration.
Presently, a majority of Gen Zers feel comfortable on YouTube. Other notable platforms include Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat. Digital marketing is the way to go for businesses targeting this generation. However, ensure you make your strategies more meaningful and personalized by learning the Gen Z language.
Generation Alpha
Every new generation comes with new behaviors, customs, and cultural phenomena that shape the business world. The new Generation Alpha is a racially diverse, tech-savvy, and unapologetically influential group that will enter adulthood by the end of the 2020s. However, why should your business target this group when they aren't buyers yet? Well, studies show that kids under 12 influence parental purchases of roughly $130 to 4670 billion every year.
Luckily, every marketer will tell you that it is never too early to prepare. Because Generation Alpha will be more technologically advanced than any other generation, it is vital to start customer targeting early. They will also spend more on nonessentials because of their materialistic upbringing.
Gen Alpha will probably reject the more traditional forms of marketing just like their Millennial parents did. Businesses targeting this audience need to look towards social shopping, humanized messaging, and personalization. This generation will interact with robots
— considering robotics and AI will be fully integrated into modern life by 2025 — just as frequently as humans.
Start Customizing Your Marketing Campaigns
Determining which marketing campaigns suit your target customers is the difference between failure and success in the business world. At Digital Edge Marketing Agency, we can help take your business to the next level by ensuring every customer contact is successful. Ensure you sign up for our Managed Social Media Management services today to get your brand in front of your target audience.
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