How to Make Your Brand Identity Attractive To Millenials and Gen X?
Trying to draw millennials’ and Gen Z’s attention for the long term is challenging. These two generations were born between 1986-2010 and have been the only generations to grow up during the internet age. Gen Z’s has pretty much been raised with (or sometimes by) technology. With these changes, it only makes sense that the way we present our company brands has to change.
Previous generations have viewed companies as being honest and authoritative and meant to be respected, while millennials don’t. For Millenials and Gen Z, you have to earn their business by having values that they respect and have a reason to buy from you. One of the main things that attract Gen Z is small businesses, and they are willing to pay extra to buy from them.
But is gaining their respect and business really all that difficult? No, all you have to do is understand what they want and what draws them to a company’s brand. To help you solve this problem, we’ve created a list to help you do just this.
What is a brand identity?
More than likely, if you’re reading this, you already know what brand identity is, so we will keep this short. Brand identity is how consumers feel when they see your company or when they hear your company name. This is the main driving force between attracting customers or losing them.
So now let’s get to the entire reason you’re reading this article – How can you attract the new generations!
Tell your brand’s story.
You want to tell your brand story in a way that will resonate with your target audience. Tell them why your company is a better choice than your competitors. This is probably going to take some introspection on your part. Here are a few questions you can ask yourself to assist you with this.
- What is important to you
- Why did you start your company – what problem do you want to solve
- Make it personal
- Keep it simple
Embrace social responsibility
There has never been a generation that’s been as passionate about social responsibility as these generations. If you want to attract them, then find out what your passion is and then show them you’re being authentic. Social responsibility isn’t limited to philanthropy. It can be a variety of things. Some businesses are passionate about going green and using more sustainable products, and reducing their carbon footprint. Your company may also be focused on ethical labor practices, volunteering, or many others. Whatever it is, share it with your customers.
Have a solid online presence
Remember back in the 80s. You could put ads on television and radio to attract customers? Most people now don’t watch commercials, thanks to various streaming services. Now everyone is scrolling through social media, using search engines, and looking at websites. If you want to stay at the forefront of potential customer’s minds, you will have to be where they are.
Utilize social media
Individuals spend roughly 5-6 hours a day scrolling through social media sites. You can personalize your brand by connecting with customers online through your page. Today’s consumers like to form relationships with companies they purchase from. Connect with them, post things to draw people’s attention, and interact with them. Love her or hate her, Chrissy Teigen has a solid social media presence, especially on Twitter. Because of this, she has been able to make it through some things other people couldn’t.
Connect with an influencer
Don’t underestimate the power of an influencer. This is someone who has gained a considerable following on social and traditional media who can influence people to make purchases through certain companies. Many companies collaborate with them because this has become a crucial part of brand awareness.
Have high-quality products
Your brand will have some type of reputation, and a big part of that will depend on your products’ quality. If your company gets the reputation of selling sub-par products or services, Millennials and Gen Zs isn’t going to waste their time or money on your products. They rely upon one online review, company information, and complaints against the company before choosing who to buy from, especially if it’s a higher-end product.
Be original
Don’t use what worked in the past because it won’t work now. People want something new that grabs their attention. Think about the commercials that you see that, in the end, you have no idea what they were trying to market.
An example of this is perfume commercials. Someone diving in the pool half-naked, swimming around, then getting out, putting on a towel, and then flashing you a perfume bottle. This leaves people scratching their heads, wondering what they just watched and why they should buy their product. Instead, current generations want to know why they should purchase your product.
Blogs matter
You may be wondering why blogs are important. You already have an online presence; you’re interacting with your customers, so why should you blog? A blog allows you to share stories and information with people in an entirely new way. It is also a way you can engage with people in a new way. You can provide them with relevant information, educate them, and answer the questions that people want to know. While the blog doesn’t have to focus entirely on your company, you want it to be about something related to your company.
A few other reasons you should have a blog are.
- You’ll show up higher in search engines
- Blogs are company-owned
- Blogging is a cost-effective way to keep your brand relevant.
- You’ll have a permanent online presence.
- If you make your blogs sharable, you get free advertising.
Be inclusive
Both Millennials and Gen Zs are passionate about inclusivity, equality, diversity, and acceptance. You’ve probably noticed that large companies are now very outspoken about various issues they never talked about five years ago. You have to do more than just say it; you have to show how you market your company. You need to ensure that your visual content and the words you use reflect this inclusivity.
Design a memorable logo
McDonald is a perfect example of this. Everyone knows what those golden arches mean. You want your logo to do the same thing. Your logo will grab people’s attention and is the first impression they will have of your company. If you want to make a solid first impression, you need a logo that does the following.
- Is noticeable
- It makes a solid first impression
- It is something people will remember
- Encourages brand loyalty
- Is unique
- Builds trust
Be consistent
Once you establish your brand, you want to keep things consistent. If you start changing things up, you’ll probably end up losing part of your customers. Most businesses want to do the opposite. A couple of reasons why consistency is essential are.
- Brand recognition
- Increase revenue
- Creates trust
Summary
Now that you know a few ways to attract new generations to your business now it’s time to get to work doing it. When implementing these changes, you want to make sure not to alienate your current customers like a few other brands have done. Being inclusive and socially responsible doesn’t mean you should exclude your existing customers.