Remember the stories your parents told you about walking to school barefoot in the snow, uphill, both ways? Remember the stories of subsisting on beans and a fan belt, and therefore, you should be grateful to have food on your plate?
My generational stories aren’t about physical hardships, but about a lack of technology.
I had pen pals in foreign countries so I had to wait for an actual letter. For weeks or months! I didn’t know if a restaurant was crummy because there were no reviews – only word-of-mouth.
Recently, I met with a potential client targeting a younger audience. Now it’s been more than (cough-cough) years since I graduated from college, and I needed a perspective other than my own when it came to social media. So I reached out to several young women: a high school senior, an undergraduate at Texas Tech, and a Masters/PhD candidate at Texas A&M-Galveston.
It was an eye-opener! They were so varied with their interests, the social media platforms they use, and why. There was absolutely no uniformity in their answers.
My conclusion is not scientific. I spoke to three young women. But I do think it gives a very general insight into the younger demographic. And one of the most important insights was this: almost everything they look at online is on their phone. Laptops are almost exclusively for school work/research.
There is no magic social media site where they all reside, so use the platform(s) that works to the strength of your products or services. Make sure your photos are terrific and keep your copy brief.
In the end, reaching a younger crowd can present different challenges that feel like walking uphill, both ways, but if you can connect, it could mean big dividends.
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