Marketing to 20-somethings

Twenty-somethings represent an incredibly lucrative sales demographic for many companies. If you sell a product or service geared toward 20-somethings, the following tips and tricks will help you maximize your profits.

Break it down

If your target demographic is simply 20-somethings, then it's far too broad to be of use. You can't fine-tune your campaign to 20-somethings alone, because there are there are many sub-segments within this demographic. Even if you sell a product that nearly all 20-somethings might want, your marketing strategy is at least somewhat different for each sub-niche. If you're selling an MP3 player, you might send a postcard to college students depicting its use at a party or as a study aid. You would send a different postcard to young parents depicting its use in the nursery or as a short respite from child care, and yet another postcard to post-graduate professionals highlighting its use in an apartment, on the way to work or in another audience-specific application.

Don't make assumptions

The younger generations are more in tune with digital devices such as iPods, cell phones and computers; but don't assume that these are the best channels for reaching them. Digital advertising can prove to be a successful medium, but at the same time the considerable competition can make it difficult for a company to stand out. Other advertising mediums such as consumer publications and direct-mail postcard marketing campaigns can sometimes be a more direct line to your customers. This is why postcard-to-website marketing has proven so successful in recent years. Campus and office bulletin boards, nightlife hot spots, backpacks, laptops, and automobile bumpers are excellent places to reach the 20-something crowd with flyers and stickers. Be creative and consider places that your audience congregates, and how you can effectively stand out in those areas.

Identify through your offer

Help your 20-something audience identify with your company through an incredible offer. College students are often on the lookout for deals, so a sale or free give-away can be a powerful promotion. Post-graduate professionals, on the other hand, might have more cash flow and be more likely to respond to a results-oriented offer as a sales vehicle.

Brand, brand, brand

Branding through repetition is the best way to build a long-term customer base. The more your audience sees your brand, the more inclined they'll be to seek you out when they need what you sell. Brands can be especially important to 20-somethings who have not yet settled down, married, had children, etc., because so much of their success depends on impressing others. Take advantage of this by properly branding your products. Marketing to 20-somethings can be a lot of fun but can also be very challenging. There's a lot of competition for these dollars, so you have to be on top of your game when you go to market. Don't be afraid to try contemporary avenues such as social media and blogs, but also don't forget about successful mainstays such as postcards and catalogs. A well-rounded 20-something marketing campaign will always yield the best results and the highest profit margin.