Bridging the generation gap with social media marketing

You're probably using social media to reach your customers online, but are you being smart about it? The truth is, not all social media users are the same. The social media you use - and the way you use it - can have a big impact on the ROI (and profit) you make from it. In fact...

There are big differences in the way people use social media, and many of these differences are generational. It turns out that the Age plays a role when it comes to using social media effectively.

Social media in figures

Let's first look at some demographic information for the most popular social media platforms. You'll notice that the age of your customers largely determines where you can reach them. All statistics come from the Pew Research Centre.

• Nearly eight in ten American adults use Facebook, by far the largest social media site. While users cover a wide age range, the highest percentage, 88%, is in the 18-29 age group. The numbers decrease with age, but still an impressive 62% of adults over the age of 65 use Facebook.
• 32% of all online adults and 28% of Americans use Instagram. The demographic here is much younger than Facebook. In fact, 59% of Instagram users are under 30 years old.
• Pinterest is almost as popular as Instagram, with 31% of all adults using the site. However, the proportion of female users is significantly higher and evenly distributed across all age groups. Pinterest users also tend to be more affluent than users of other social media.
• 87% of Millennials and 85% of Baby Boomers have a Facebook account.
• The two social media with the highest daily engagement are Facebook with 76% and Instagram with 51%.

The social media you choose for your business should be based on who your customers are. If you're hoping to appeal to millennials and Generation Z, Instagram is the clear winner. For older women, Pinterest is a must.

Choose content that appeals to your target customers

The type of content you share is just as important as where you share it. In fact, choosing the right format and the right sources can make a big difference to your engagement. Generation Z Let's start with the youngest generation, Generation Z. As mentioned earlier, their favourite social media site is Instagram, and the Pew Research Center points out that their average attention span is just eight seconds. This means that they are much more likely to respond to visual content than written content.

Some other things you should consider with Generation Zare:

• They favour real people in their content and not celebrities or actors.
• They are quick to embrace new technologies such as VR (virtual reality).
• They enjoy creating content just as much, if not more, than consuming it.

If you want to connect with Generation Z, encourage them to share their photos on Instagram or Facebook and show people they can relate to. Millennials Millennials are a huge generation with enormous purchasing power.

Marketing for them is a challenge, but this is where Some things you should know.

• Facebook is their favourite social media site.
• The most important thing for millennials in marketing is authenticity.
• In general, millennials place a high value on peer reviews and influence. Connecting with micro-influencers can be a very effective way to reach millennials.

Social engagement is important to millennials. So finding a way to link your business to a cause can help you connect with them. Generation X Generation X has a few things in common with millennials, but is a little harder to pinpoint when it comes to their content preferences. Here are some tips to help you, get in touch with Generation X:

• Members of Generation X are less likely to access the Internet via mobile devices than Generation Z or Millennials.
• Their favourite form of online content is blog posts, followed by images, comments, eBooks and case studies.
• They are most likely to be online during business hours and between 8 p.m. and midnight.

They are far more likely to use Facebook than any other social media site. If you have a product or service for sale, consider developing some case studies and posting them on your blog and Facebook if you want to appeal to Generation X. Baby boomers Baby boomers may have lagged behind later generations in the adoption of technology, but they have now caught up. Most baby boomers own mobile devices and use the internet in some form.

Here are some things you should consider when addressing baby boomers:

• Facebook is by far the favourite website for social media.
• Baby boomers do research companies online, but they are less likely to want to contact them and more likely to look at basic information before calling or visiting you in person.
• Many baby boomers are strongly driven by savings and are likely to respond to coupons, sales and other value-based marketing.
• Baby boomers are generally very loyal customers. Once they have tried a brand and like it, they stick with it through thick and thin. They are therefore excellent brand ambassadors.

If you want to reach baby boomers, make sure that basic information about your business is easily accessible on your website, social media and local directories. It's also a good idea to target them with special sales and bargains to show them that you value their business. They will reward you with intense loyalty.

As you can see, there are some significant differences between generations when it comes to marketing. By taking the time to get to know your customers better and tailoring your content to their preferences, you can maximise engagement - and grow your business.