While most companies sell products to adults, some sell primarily or even exclusively to young consumers. And while there is a lot of support out there for businesses looking to market to the former, there isn’t the same level of help available for those seeking to appeal to the latter.
This post seeks to address this imbalance. We take a look at some marketing strategies that will make your business cool in the eyes of the younger generation. Here’s what you need to know:
Make Your Website Bright And Interesting
Young consumers are digital natives. That means that they have an inherent understanding of online spaces and computerized devices. They also have shorter attention spans and are almost completely unwilling to tolerate inconvenience.
Because of this, you need to make your website bright, interesting, and fast. Young people need content that draws them away from their favorite social media channels and gets them to invest their time in other areas.
Use Suitable Language
Younger consumers don’t always have an extensive vocabulary. In fact, they might only know a couple of thousand words, just enough to get by. Because of this, firms need to be careful in selecting the language they use to communicate with younger audiences, particularly children. Keep the language simple and use the Fleisch-Kincaid reading score method to determine whether your tone and sentence structure are correct. Avoid using too many long words, and keep sentence clauses to a minimum. Be precise and to the point in the way you communicate.
Add Fun Extras
When you sell products to young people, think about ways you could add “fun” extras to make your offering even more exciting. For instance, you could put small candy bags in all your parcels or make stickers with Cricut that they can stick to their workbooks or notepads.
Don’t Be Preachy
Young people endure a lot of preaching from figures in their lives. They’re constantly being told how they should live and conform to society. And to be honest, most are quite tired of it. They just want to get on with their lives and enjoy themselves in the best way they see fit.
Therefore, avoid lecturing young people on what they should and shouldn’t do. Instead, aim your marketing in a more positive direction, such as self-improvement or development. Present your products and services as offering either fun or opportunities.
Make The Packaging Cool
If you sell physical products, make the packaging cool. Young people love unboxing to be an event. You can also attract them with bright colors and interesting cartoons if they are appropriate for your brand image.
Demonstrate Good Value
While young consumers are a big market, they don’t have a lot of purchasing power themselves. Therefore, you’ll need to demonstrate the value your product offers, usually to the parents who have more cash.
This requires being cost-sensitive and spelling out the value that you offer. Don’t fall into the trap of some brands by assuming that there are an enormous number of customers out there with the means to pay you significant sums of money. There probably aren’t.
Double-Check Your Wording
Brands targeting older and niche groups can be a bit more liberal in the wording they use in their marketing campaigns. However, companies going after younger audiences need to be careful. Even slight transgressions can put buyers off.
Therefore, before you publish any marketing material, make sure that you double-check it first. Make sure that people on Twitter can’t misconstrue it in some way to fit their agenda.
Remember, many brands have had to pull products from store shelves because they said or did something that people disagreed with. And that often costs them a lot of money.
Pay Tribute To Diversity
Even if you think you have your market pinned down, it’s still a good idea to pay homage to diversity. Not all kids are the same, and critics will point this out if you don’t show diversity in your packaging and marketing.
Depict Younger People In Groups
Another great tactic is to depict young people in groups. For young people, having friends is important. For many, it is the main focus of their lives. Therefore, depicting groups of young people together on packaging can be a great way to empathize with them and depict scenes that they appreciate and love.
In some instances, you can depict children by themselves, but this is unlikely to have the same degree of impact as showing kids in a group. The more you can associate your brand with the community, the better.
