- January 24, 2017
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From Gen Z to Boomers: Conquering the Generational Social Media Divide
With more than 2.3B active social media users globally, it is unsurprising to find that each generation interacts with social media differently. From Gen Z’s reliance on trusted sources for content, to Baby Boomers’ preference for getting information from their newsfeed—and every generation and platform in between—each demographic configures and consumes content in unique ways.
These consumption habits can impact how integrated marketers connect with each age group. For instance, Baby Boomers typically use Facebook in order to connect with family and old friends, drawn to the “community culture” aspects of the platform. For those same reasons, younger generations prefer other platforms where they can develop their personalities, focus on self-expression and build new relationships.
In a new infographic shared and explored by MarketingProfs, digital marketing agency WebpageFX looked into the makeup of each generation of consumers from the youngest, Gen Z, to the oldest, Baby Boomers, to see where interests and habits align—and where they differ. The infographic encourages businesses to look at their existing social media strategies and where they may or may not be meeting the needs of each generation.
Gen Z (13-19)
- The average Gen Zer has an attention span of 8 seconds, so keep it simple
- Most are no longer on Facebook—try reaching them on Instagram
- Prefer to be reached by email
Millennial (20-35)
- They’re the largest living generation in the U.S.
- This group has the largest number of Facebook friends
- Believe user-generated content is more trustworthy—consider influencer marketing
- Like email outreach
Generation X (36-49)
- Have social media presence on multiple sites, but aren’t very active
- Prefer using a laptop for online viewing
- Pinterest fans
Baby Boomers (50-65)
- Have access to 70% of U.S. disposable income
- Use Facebook as their primary social media platform
- Trust brands encountered on social media and visit them online
- Pinterest fans
Now that you have the tools and data, it’s time to build a plan. What integrated marketing approach will you use to bridge the generational divide? Start by looking at your audience and how they fit into this breakdown; how best can you meet their needs? Consider, perhaps, an email campaign reaching out to Gen Zers and Millennials from your database, or a Pinterest campaign for your Generation X and Baby Boomer fans.
