Born between 1965 and 1980, they’re older than Generation Y, the Millennials, and younger than the Baby Boomers Generation.
The US Labor Department says they outspend all other generations. This is due to their current life-stage.
- They’re likely earning the highest wage in their life.
- They’re likely at the top of their profession.
- Many are raising a family.
- They’re likely looking at retirement years.
- And they are likely more in debt than other generations and focused on all of the above.
When marketing to this audience, marketing firms should consider using both online and traditional advertisement. For social media, Gen X platform of choice is Facebook. Like other generations, they too consume a lot of video and spend a lot of time on YouTube, but don’t miss out by neglecting the more traditional advertising mediums by using a mix of direct mail, newspaper, traditional TV, and email.
Generation X people are generally loyal to brand, so when crafting your message, agencies should be sure to consider your brand, the consistency of what you’re saying, and how you’re saying it. If you’re branding message if focused on “speed of delivery”, such as Jimmy John’s sandwich shop, always include that branding message within all your advertisements across all your mediums. This will help your brand stay memorable.
My recommendation for reseller marketing firms is to be sure that the first experience a customer has with you to be great. You want to “WOW” them, impress them, and make the experience memorable, especially on that first experience. Do everything you can to fix any bad experiences if there are any. As an example, if a customer commented online that they’ve had a back experience with a particular location, be sure you reply back to them, explain how you plan to fix that problem, and thank them for taking the time to tell you. Whether you can truly fix this problem or not, it’s vital that you communicate with as many customers and prospects that reach out to you, comment on your offerings, and connect. The more engagement the better.
Social engagement is important so make sure you answer online questions, and engage with your customers and prospects at every turn. Your time talking with them is very often under appreciated.
Include video’s, mobile, and direct mail marketing. This generation, like others, will appreciate and watch your video’s, so if you can create them, do so. Make sure your website is mobile friendly and use direct mail if you want to reach this audience.
When crafting your message, be sure to consider financial security, family, and casual appeals.