Creative business strategies that appeal to young audiences

Author
Harvey Holloway
Freelance Digital Marketer
22nd October 2021

The key to successful marketing is about understanding the wants and needs of your audience. Millennials and Generation Z are challenging businesses to think of new ways to market their services in a rapidly evolving market.

The ability to evolve and adapt to these changing times can be a huge benefit to businesses and one of the best ways for them to appeal to younger audiences. 

In this article, we will be sharing some of the best creative strategies that appeal to a young audience so that you can be on the front foot with your marketing campaigns.

Create a visually engaging brand

In a competitive landscape, your brand needs to stand out. Creating a strong brand identity is essential and means that when a person mentions your brand, they have an instant visual in their mind. Bold designs and bright colours are a great way to grab the attention of younger audiences.

The more creative you can be when it comes to developing your brand identity, the easier it will be to reach new audiences and connect with people of all ages. Your brand identity should walk that fine line between being engaging enough to draw customers in and professional enough to leave a lasting impression.  

Utilise influencer marketing

Investing in influencer marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach younger audiences. Studies show that 50% of younger audiences trust recommendations given by social media influencers. So, if you want to increase engagement with your brand, boost trust and authority, and gain more customers, influencer marketing is a great way to do this.

To be successful, influencer marketing campaigns must remain authentic and relevant. This requires collaborating with influencers who have already gained the trust and following of your prospective customer demographic. Trust between brands and their customers can take a long time to establish, but with influencer marketing, you can share your brand via a trustworthy source, increasing your brand influence, authority, and attracting brand new customers.

Build a genuine brand

Young audiences know what they want, and they know if you’re not being genuine. More than ever before, young people are passionate about supporting brands they care about. In fact, 90% of consumers are looking for authenticity when deciding what brands they want to support.

“Gen Zers value individual expression and avoid labels. They mobilise themselves for a variety of causes,” says McKinsey. “They believe profoundly in the efficacy of dialogue to solve conflicts and improve the world.” Brands that are authentic and genuine tend to resonate with younger generations very effectively.

Be active on social

It is nearly impossible to reach younger audiences if you aren’t active on social media. Millennials are highly engaged on social platforms, so it’s important your business is too. This audience is quick to engage with trends on social media and prefer brands that keep up with these trends and create content accordingly. Brands that adopt a contemporary outlook in their marketing strategies see high levels of engagement from younger audiences.

“The advanced targeting capabilities that social advertising offers, means that prospecting to build your brand is strategically sound. User behaviour on social media is leisurely and therefore people are more receptive to ads,” says KAU Media Group. “This in combination with engaging ads, makes social advertising the place to be.”

Invest in getting your message out on all relevant social platforms, including Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to connect effectively with younger audiences.

Learn from young people

If you want to know how best to engage with the younger generation, you have to take the time to learn from them. See what they do, watch how they interact with different types of content, analyse the apps they use, strike up conversations and engage with them, and ask questions. The better you understand your audience, the more effectively you will be able to market to them.

Engage with your audience

Responsiveness and engagement are two of the most critical drivers for younger audiences regarding choosing a brand. Starbucks is a brand that achieves this really well. Not only do they ask their customers to make new drink suggestions, but they are always active on social media and engaging with their customers. In fact, the Starbucks marketing team responds to 95% of comments their customers initiate. Can your brand say the same?

If you want to reach younger audiences successfully, you should invest in good communication strategies. Younger audiences know when they are receiving a chatbot reply versus a real person. And they don’t like one-size-fits-all email responses. So, taking the time to customise your replies to your customers is a great way to help them feel valued, heard, and connected with your brand. Engage effectively with your audience, whether the feedback is positive or negative, and you will find your customer loyalty increases.

Develop a mission

Today’s young people care about the world around them, and they are passionate about doing their part to preserve the environment, fight homelessness and unemployment, and support worthy causes (to name a few). As such, they want to invest in brands that share their morals and values. In fact, one report found that 90% of millennials are likely to switch from one brand to another if the second supports a cause they care about.

So, you need to develop a company mission that goes deeper than just making more sales. How do you want to drive positive change through your business? What are you doing to help the environment? How are you working to solve issues like hunger and homelessness?

If you want to create a business that appeals to younger audiences, you need to show them that you care about more than just making a profit.

Final words

Younger audiences are challenging companies of all sizes to up their marketing strategies and think outside the box. Cold pitches and hard sells don’t work on young people. They want connection, communication, and care. 

Developing marketing strategies that communicate the authenticity of your brand and your passion to make the world a better place are some of the best ways to reach younger generations. 

We hope our list of business strategies has inspired you to get creative and try something new

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