Young people these days are considered digital natives and if you’re in the digital marketing field like I am, you can’t afford to ignore this demographic.
Since one of my clients wants to target young consumers, I went hunting for more information about them. For instance, what kind of businesses do they look for online? Do they search for local businesses or do they do most of their shopping online?
My search led me to the annual Local Consumer Review Survey carried out by BrightLocal. This survey mostly focuses on online reviews and how different age-groups interact with them. It’s a great resource, especially if you want to market your products or services to young people.
The results they came up with were quite insightful. Here are some of the highlights of the study. It should be noted that young people here refer to those between 18-34 years.
- Fewer young people seem to be searching for local businesses online in 2019 than was the case in 2018. This could be a result of more online shopping instead of shopping in the real world. Alternatively, it could indicate that social media now drives brand recommendations through targeted adverts and influencer marketing, so young people don’t feel the need to search for businesses online.
- There are mixed results on the number of young people who trust online reviews. While some don’t trust them at all, quite a number do. This shows that there are 2 distinct groups among the youth with one being more trusting of the online world and reviews while the other remains distrustful.
- There’s an increase in the number of reviews read by young people before they decide to trust a business. Given that a number of young people distrust online reviews, they also seem to be more discerning and comb through these reviews before deciding whether to patronize a business or not.
What can local businesses do?
The apparent swing in attitude towards reviews in young people should definitely puzzle those targeting this demographic. Here’s how to use this information to improve such businesses;
- If you’re targeting young people, ensure your business is in on the top lists of your local area. E.g. Top 10 bakeries in… Top places to go for…, etc. For better results, the lists should be on sites that are visible to young people.
- Increase your activity on social media. Instagram is currently popular among the youth and there you can make an advert about your business’ goods and services to promote them.
- Also, use in-store tactics to draw young people in. You could sponsor a hashtag or run a social media campaign advertising your business, etc.
The information revealed in the survey shows that targeting young people isn’t as clear cut as previously thought. Although they are digital natives, they are also more discerning about the methods used by marketers.
Schedule a consultation with me today if your business targets young people and let’s work on a marketing campaign that will boost your bottom line.