By age

A target audience is a group of people identified as being likely customers of a business. One of the categories of customer distribution is age, which plays an important role in finding the target audience. If you enter the wrong age for a certain product, you are depriving yourself of the opportunity to sell. Therefore, you need to analyze, observe and choose the right age.

Important points to consider

•       The 55+ age group is the most rapidly growing in Canada and the U.S., and it will continue this growth pattern for the foreseeable future.
•       The younger end of the age spectrum (millennials and younger) is more diverse than the older end. That diversity is expected to increase over time.
•       Millennials and younger coming into their buying power tend to fall into niche markets, and are thus harder to reach with conventional marketing (compared to baby boomers).

Groups by age are divided into:

1.Baby Boomers (Roughly 50 to 70 years old)

Place importance in accuracy to detail and ease of use, Primarily desktop-driven or tablet driven.

What content is best: guides,books and longest videos with details.

• Baby boomers tend to be loyal to brands.
• They are on social media, just in different ways than their younger counterparts.
• Baby boomers tend to have disposable income.

2. Generation X (Roughly 35 – 50 years old)

Generation X are clear and concise information, comparisons and reviews, testimonials.

What content is best: blogs,video content and Email newsletters.

• Generation X is notorious for loving tech and the next big thing.
• Gen X-ers don’t love being told what to do.
• Transparency is important.

3. Millennials, or Generation Y (18 – 34 years old)

Generation Y are Large internet users and can regularly multi-task so content needs to be attention grabbing.

What content is best: short videos,emotional content and facts.

• Millennials prefer organic marketing to the hard sell.
• They want to have a say.
• They equate the shopping experience with entertainment.
• Gen Y-ers have perhaps more influence than any other generation.

4. Generation Z, or iGeneration (Teens & younger)

Generation Z are used to changing media, apps and content. 

What content is best: memes,quizzes and imagery.

How do you appeal to each group? 

1. The Baby Boomers

• 82 % use social networks to connect with family and friends
• Baby Boomers spend 27 hours per week online, two MORE hours than those aged 16-34!
• They spend more online than any other generation (source)

How to target Baby Boomers on social media: This generation is much more loyal than the subsequent generation. They’re the group who pioneered those major players, like Levis and Coca Cola. Nostalgia definitely sells, so to make yourself compete make sure you’re playing up the reliability of your brand.

2. Generation X

• 92% of Gen Xers own a cellphone, 69% own a desktop computer, 61% own a laptop, and only 5% own a tablet. (BrainBoxol)
• Gen Xers are the most likely to get their news from websites or apps (PRC)
• Gen Xers use social media 40 minutes more each week than millennials. They were also more likely than millennials to stay on their phones at the dinner table and spend more time on every type of device (Nielsen)

How to target Gen Xers on social media: You’ll need to bear in mind everything we said about loyalty, but also consider that this group has more than just a tenuous grasp on social media. 

Embrace the technological side with this group, and you can explore some of the newer social media platforms – experiment and see where your audience are most engaged.

3. The Millennials

Marketing to Millennials is the hot ticket right now, wherever you turn there’s advice relating to this demographics.

• Millenials are most likely to get news from social networking sites (PRC)
• 95% aged 18-34 (Millennials) follow brands through social media (MarketingSherpa)
• 92% of Millennials own a smartphone (PRC)
• Well, marketing to Millennials is reliant on a few key things; Honesty, openness and an embrace of modern technology. More than that though, what really matters to this group is a sense of ‘humanness’, and not large-scale corporations.

How to target millennials on social media: You’re active on social media. Create profiles on the major networks,making sure to keep up to date with the latest trends and promote your store information online – that’s where Millennials look for information.

You’re using real people. Celebrities are old hat, influencers still have a few years left, what’s really selling now are real people and real stories. Focus your campaigns on ordinary, real people living their lives, this allows your target audience to empathize with the people in your marketing, making them more likely to seek you out.

You’re open. Openness really is the key here. The ease with which this demographic accesses information means any major transgressions will be seen globally within minutes. To avoid any scandal, stay as open as possible and be sure to highlight your integrity. Frankly, it just makes smarter business sense.

4. Generation Z

Luckily, Generation Z isn’t a group marketers are currently focused on too heavily, yet (well, except for toy stores and children’s products). The thing to remember about this group is that their lives are focused on technology. Everything they do will be governed by an ever expanding internet of things.

• Gen Zers influence $600 billion of family spending. Millennials use three screens on average, Gen Zers use five: a smartphone, TV, laptop, desktop, and iPod/iPad. 
• Sixty percent of Gen Z individuals are more likely than average consumers to hang up if their call isn’t answered in under 45 seconds. 

How to target Gen Z on social media: The Z Gen want to be entertained in whichever media they flow to at the time. They don’t want interruptions or barriers. This generation has never had to wait for content and been slowed down by advert breaks and slow connections. They can happily flick around keeping themselves amused for hours.

The key to making the most of your advertising here, is to take your Millennials marketing one step further. Keep ahead of the technology game, embrace new media and focus on the human aspect of your company.