3 Minutes
3 Minutes
Personalized marketing involves using data collected about your audience to deliver customized content and promotions unique to them. But there's more to the process than just adding a customer's name to a marketing piece. Appealing to your customers by age group instead is a much better way to boost engagement and sales.
Why is personalizing so important?
Companies are ditching their one-size-fits-all marketing in favor of a more personalized approach, and with good reason: 81% of consumers want brands to know them better and know when to approach them. Giving customers the personalized content they crave builds trust by showing them you know who they are and what matters to them. And with all the data available, there's really no excuse not to inject personalized marketing into your communications.
Choose your channels wisely
Why put time and effort into an Instagram promotion when your customers don't use that channel? Reaching and engaging each generation requires different marketing communication efforts because each age segmentation group's shopping habits differ from one another. For example, 63% of Generation X consumers use coupons they've received in the mail, whereas Gen Z consumers prefer mobile ads offering rewards. To make sure your marketing messages are seen, you'll want to:
- Read up on your target audience — don't ignore generational differences
- Reach out in a way your consumers prefer to communicate — whether that's through email, social media or traditional marketing
Personalizing the right way
While personalized marketing is a proven tactic for improving the customer experience, conversion rates and sales, it can be tough to know where to begin. Gathering too much data, for example, can lead to information overload, and frankly, make you look nosy. Strike the right balance by focusing on the most important customer demographics, including age segmentation groups, occupation and gender. Mass marketing just doesn't cut it anymore. Your customers expect and deserve a customized experience, so take the time to connect with them on a personal level. Kickstart the personalization process by pinpointing your audience by age group, deciding what data to collect and choosing which channels to personalize. Use the tips and insights in this handy infographic to come up with your game plan.
It begins with the headline “How to personalize your marketing by age group” and a subhead “Boost your sales by catering to your audience” and is followed by six subsections:
#1 subsection is titled “Question: What is marketing personalization? Answer: It’s a strategy that leverages data collected about your audience to deliver customized content, promotions and other marketing messages.”
#2 subsection is titled “Why personalize your marketing” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is a series of ten human figures, eight of which are highlighted and the line “81% of consumers want brands to know them better and know when to approach them.”
#2 icon is a series of ten human figures, seven and half of which are highlighted and the line “75% are motivated to buy from companies that know them by name and make recommendations based on past purchases.”
#3 icon is a series of ten human figures, five of which are highlighted and the line “49% have spent more money than they planned on a purchase because of personalization.”
#3 subsection titled “Personalization works” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 states “70% of companies use some form of personalization.”
#2 states “96% of companies believe personalization builds customer relationships.”
#3 states “87% of companies say personalization improved marketing performance.”
#4 subsection is a two-part message. The first message is titled “Top criteria businesses use to personalize marketing.” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is a location identifier titled “60% Location”
#2 icon is a series of human figures titled “56% Demographics”
#3 icon is a computer and a tablet titled “56% Website pages viewed”
The second message is titled “Popular demographics to personalize by” and includes six squares: Age/generation, Marital status, Occupation, Education level, Gender and Family size.
#5 subsection is titled “Getting up close and personal by age group.” and shows four very detailed charts of information related to age groups. The four are titled Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials and Generation Z:
Baby Boomers chart shows a line of human figures with two bullet points–Born 1946-64 and 73.46 million people.
Below that is titled “How to reach them” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is a magnifying glass titled “94% use search engines.”
#2 icon is an envelope titled “95% use email.”
#3 icon is a play button titled “70% enjoy videos about products & services.”
#4 icon is the Facebook logo titled “65% use Facebook.”
#5 icon is a television titled “47 hours of TV watched per week.”
Below that there is an image of a mature woman holding a laptop titled “Get to know the boomers” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 states “40% of the market share.”
#2 states “70% use mobile internet.”
#3 states “60% read blogs and online articles for information.”
#4 states “Peak preferences – 65% of people over 50 prefer to purchase online.”
Generation X chart shows a line of human figures with two bullet points–Born 1965-80 and 65.71 million people.
Below that is titled “How to reach them” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is a smartphone titled “85% own a smartphone.”
#2 icon is a percentage mark titled “68% have used coupons sent by email.”
#3 icon is a television titled “24% of purchases are influenced by TV ads.”
#4 icon is two conversations bubbles titled “6 hours and 58 minutes spend each week on social media.”
Below that there is an image of a man with a tie and vest holding a tablet titled “The lowdown on Gen X” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 states “41% follow brands online for contests.”
#2 states “70% will purchase from a brand they follow online.”
#3 states “Spend 21 hours per week on smartphones.”
#4 states “Peak preferences – 89% join customer loyalty programs.”
Millennials chart shows a line of human figures with two bullet points–Born 1980-96 and 71.86 million people.
Below that is titled “How to reach them” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is the Facebook logo titled “92% use Facebook.”
#2 icon is a play button titled “80% use video to shop before buying.”
#3 icon is a television titled “58% will watch ads by their favorite influencers.”
#4 icon is a thought bubble titled “40% read online reviews before buying.”
Below that there is an image of a man with a hat holding a tablet and a cup of coffee titled “Millennials prefer content that is” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is a human figure titled “User-generated.”
#2 is a check mark titled “Authentic.”
#3 is a heart titled “Socially conscious.”
#4 states “Peak preferences – 72% want points or rewards for referrals.”
Generation Z chart shows a line of human figures with two bullet points–Born 1997 and later and 86.43 million people.
Below that is titled “How to reach them” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 icon is an envelope titled “68% prefer to hear from brands via email.”
#2 icon is a play button titled “50% say they can’t live without YouTube.”
#3 icon is an Instagram logo titled “45% discover brands based on Instagram.”
#4 icon is a location identifier titled “23% more likely to visit shopping malls than other age groups.”
Below that there is an image of a girl taking a selfie titled “Gen Z prefers marketing experiences that are…” and is followed by a series of icons:
#1 is a check mark titled “Authentic.”
#2 is a bullseye titled “Succinct.”
#3 is a checkmark titled “Transparent.”
#4 is an atom titled “Immersive.”
#5 states “Peak preferences – 41% reacted positively to mobile ads that offer rewards.”
#6 subsection is titled “3 tips for starting with personalization:”
#1 tip is “Read up on your target audience–don’t ignore generational differences.”
#2 tip is “Reach out in the way your consumers prefer to communicate–whether that’s through email, social media or traditional marketing.”
#3 tip is “Recognize that it takes effort to change your marketing strategy–and it’s worth it.”
Final message reads “Remember, you’re marketing to humans. Take the time to connect with your customers, and you’ll find that it pays off. And, when you’re ready to personalize your marketing, our Small Business Advisors can help you take the next steps. Call 866.240.8691.
Editor's note: Marketing to specific age groups is illegal in some industries and lines of business. This blog post does not constitute legal advice.
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