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THIS WEEK
Marketing Tip: Marketing to the Generations
ALSO IN THIS EDITION
| Marketing Tip: Marketing to the Generations |
Many businesses state that everyone is their customer – but how true is that really? Do you know the demographics of your business? How many younger vs. older customers do you attract and retain?
The reality is you can't be all things to all people. If you want to attract and retain a particular demographic you need to take some specific actions to go out and target them.
So let's look at some of the different generations and how you should be marketing to them.
Matures
Matures are our older citizens, with the oldest ones still having memories of World War 1 and the great Depression. They grew up in a time where credit was not easily available, so if they wanted something they saved up and bought it with cash or put it on lay-by. They have strong memories of poverty, massive unemployment and hard times and many served in World War 2.
They have done the hard yards for their families and their country and value people showing them respect for their sacrifices.
The matures fall into two general financial categories – those on the pension who watch every penny and those with solid investments that allow for a comfortable yet not lavish lifestyle. This second category is happy to spend money on things they see as important (such as their grandchildren).
The matures want people to treat them with respect and not to ignore them, to have exceptional service, to not over-focus on their physical ailments and to remain independent with a good lifestyle.
Websites need to be clear, have good navigation and large font.
 Baby Boomers
Baby Boomers were born just after World War 2 until about 1964 - this means people generally 45 and older. The sort of world they grew up during their formative years included events such as the Vietnam War, Woodstock, the Cold War, the Moon landing & Civil Rights Movements.
They grew up in a time of pretty much full employment, with greater access to information through the advent of the TV. This was also the dawn of the self-help and psychology movements which started people working on the meaning of their life. It was also the dawn of "experiences" as a priority – searching out experiences to share with family and friends rather than just activities for activity sake.
Even those who started life in the hippy generation mellowed into working hard in order to buy and pay for consumer goods on credit. They now often fall into the sandwich generation of caring for their elderly parents as well as their kids.
The Baby Boomers are time poor, high stress and still want to learn and grow. They want people to "put in the hard yards, to pull their weight" and hate being overlooked or downplayed because of their age.
The Baby Boomers look for things to help them free up time, to reduce stress, to help them grow and hide the signs of aging.
Websites need to contain useful information and data, which looks attractive.
Generation X
Generation X people were born between about 1964 – 1978 which means people between about 29-43 years of age. They grew up in the era of the pill, no fault divorce, the fall of Russia and the Berlin wall, USA becoming the dominant world superpower, the introduction of PCs. They watched their parents be outsourced and downsized at work.
They also grew up in a world of increasing pollution, unstable economies and fragile social systems. As a result they are very "now" oriented – living for today. They tend to be spontaneous, pursue fun and experiences more directly and are more mobile than previous generations in terms of travel.
If things bore them – they turn off or click away. Their attention span is much shorter than previous generations and they value satire and parodies. They also hate marketing hype and are very cynical when it comes to product promises.
Given the break-down of many family units, Gen X's gain support from their friends. Peers are a major part of Gen X's life.
Gen X's hate being seen as the same as everyone else or stereotyped. They want to be seen as individuals while doggedly doing what everyone else is doing.
Their commitment is to their learning, their development and their interest and not industry or traditional businesses. They value flexibility, choice and global input.
Websites need to be interactive, colourful and include forums so they can hang out together.
Generation Y
Generation Y people were born about 1979 – 1994 which means people about 13-28 years of age. They grew up with the internet and the technology boom; they generally had extended periods of economic growth and stability and watched 9/11.
They were the first generation where building self esteem was as important as building reading and maths skills and they had very busy school years being ferried from sport to dance to school to homework to school extension.
Computers are second nature and TV also plays a huge role in determining their purchasing needs. They lobby their parents for things and have a large sway over discretionary spending of their parents.
Gen Y's love technology that is cool, interactive and that is cutting edge.
Websites need to be colourful, have games and other interactivity.
The bottom line is you need to work out who you are targeting with your product and service and then adjust your style, language and approach to meet their needs.
| HR Tip - Christmas Parties |
 It's that time of year when many businesses are booking their staff Christmas functions. This is something that needs to be well thought through.
- Consider having someone other than the Admin person organise it. They already have a lot on their plate at this time of year and organising Christmas parties adds a load of extra stress.
- Work out what you want to achieve from the party - do you want your team to relax, unwind and bond together, do you want families involved as thanks for their support throughout the year or do you just want to get it all over and done with?
- If you are looking for team bonding then hold your party during the day rather than after hours adn pay them for their attendance. Book something like barefoot bowls, ten pin bowling or a river cruise.
- If you want families involved then opt for a weekend party and arrange entertainment for the kids with a clown or someone to organise party games if you are holding it in a park.
- Keep alcohol out of it. This generates more problems than it solves, so keep the function "dry". If you do provide grog - then also provide taxis.
Business of the Week - Sydney Explorer Buses
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Last week my family and I spent time in Sydney. I grew up in Sydney so it was time to show my kids the places I used to call home. We decided to take on the Red and Blue Sydney explorer buses - where for a premium fee you were given a guided tour of the city. So what you may be saying?
Well these were just part of the regular city bus fleet - just painted a different colour. They were staffed by regular city bus drivers - but they had obviously very carefully selected the drivers for their garralous nature, sense of humour and love of Sydney.
Originally there were two separate tours - the red bus tour around the city and the blue one tour around Bondi and people had to choose which one they wanted. The drivers lobbied to have them merged so now people can hop on and off both tours and explore both areas for the one price.
Part of the tour includes a recorded voice commentary of all the key sights, which is supplemented by the driver's personal knowledge. I learnt things about Sydney I had never learnt from 25 years of living there. It was brilliant!
So what are the lessons for business? Just because people regularly use your service, doesn't mean they aren't interested in the more information about how you do what you do, as well as interesting facts about the process. Think about guided tours of your doctors surgery or clinic, stats about your business etc. It is very easy to create a premium offering from this additional information.
Differentiate your premium product in some way - the Explorer buses were just painted a different colour.
Choose your top staff to be part of your premium product offering.
As an aside it also reminded me of the importance of looking at your location through fresh eyes and seeing what you may have taken for granted with the eyes of a new person. It is quite amazing what you see.
| Blog Post of the Week: What Makes You Happy |
The 2008 Australian Happiness index has just been released - looking at what makes Australian men and women happy. The information is a great source of ideas for your marketing. In this post I list the top 10 happiness makers for both men and women.
 Jo Pollard from Wild Dog Designs is my favourite graphic designer - she does great work.
She has negotiated a brilliant printing deal for our readers.
5000 DL full colour, gloss, single sided 80gsm flyers for just $200 + GST (printing only).
This offer is available to anyone in Australia and includes delivery BUT it is only available until COB Tuesday 28th October. You have to pay on placement of your order.
If you need to stock up on flyers for networking or direct mail - this is the time to do it! 5000 DL for just $200 + GST is pretty spectacular.
To order call Jo on (07) 3325 2265 or email info@wilddogdesigns.com.au
Planning your Christmas Marketing
exuberantly yours
Ingrid
Heart Harmony
PS: This week's Small Business Tips blog also included posts about Virtual Workplaces and Christmas Corporate Gifts
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