Top 5 Trends for Marketing to Millennials

The Millennial Generation (defined as those born between 1981-1996, or aged 24-38 in 2020) represents more than one-fifth of the American population. As such, Millennials play a key role in the marketplace, representing a purchasing power of $1.4 trillion. This generation responds to marketing quite differently than the generations before and after them. Let’s take a look at some top trends we’re seeing among Millennials that brands should consider when forming their marketing strategies.

 

  1. Millennials Shop Online—But Not Exclusively

 

This generation was the first to grow up in the digital age, with easy access to smartphones and the Internet, so it makes sense that most Millennials do at least part of their shopping online. But that’s just part of the story. In fact, Millennials are known for the practice of “showrooming”—visiting a brick-and-mortar store and doing price comparisons and checking customer reviews online while looking at the physical product they are considering. One study found 68 percent of Millennials prefer a “seamless” shopping experience between online access and in-person shopping. Brands definitely need to have a strong online presence when marketing to this demographic, but for those who also maintain physical locations, it’s equally important to keep online information (e.g., prices and inventory) consistent with what’s in the store.

 

  1. Millennials Don’t Mind Paying a Bit More

 

This is the generation that grew up with designer coffee and stood in line for the latest iteration of the iPhone. They do care about price, but they are also willing to pay extra for products that add value, comfort, or convenience. In addition, Millennials are coming of age and beginning to accumulate more wealth. Brands can make the most of this opportunity by packaging their offers to highlight the added benefits of a product or service, throwing in “freebies” and added features, etc.

 

  1. Millennials are Socially Conscious

 

Millennials care about causes, and they can be fiercely loyal to companies and brands who support causes they care about (e.g., the environment, equal rights, fair trade, etc.). They have even been known to research companies to find out what issues they support before choosing to buy from them. The brands that resonate the most with this generation are the ones who advocate for important social and environmental issues, especially if they donate a portion of their profits toward these causes.

 

  1. Millennials Lead the “Sharing” Economy

 

Millennials have been so inundated with mass messaging that they tune it out at best, and are hostile to it at worst. They are much more likely to buy a product recommended by someone than they are to respond to a TV/radio spot. Throw in the emergence of social media and online review sites like Yelp, and you have a generation that responds greatly to online sharing and reviews about products and services. For this reason, social media marketing in general—and “influencer marketing” in particular—can be highly effective in reaching Millennials.

 

  1. Millennials Still Have Ambitions

 

Millennials have come of age, but they’re not ready to settle down just yet. More than half have not yet married, and many tend to delay marriage into their 30s at the earliest. They seek adventure, they value experiences over things, and most have expressed an interest in seeing the world before they “settle down” to normal life. Brands can increase revenues by promoting products, services, and experiences that touch these deeply-felt desires.

 

Wicked Bionic makes a point of keeping our finger on the pulse of the latest marketing trends toward Millennials and other demographics. Let us help you devise a marketing strategy that speaks most effectively to your target market. Make an appointment here to see how we can help.

Change General Marketing to Target Marketing to Grow Your Business

Businesses today face a distinctive set of challenges when developing a comprehensive marketing strategy. Using general market advertising, companies have taken something of a one-size-fits-all approach, creating a branding campaign with a single message hoping to reach enough people and convert them to customers.

Those days may soon be behind us. The one-dimensional general marketing approach is like casting a wide net into the ocean and hoping to catch whatever you can. But target marketing, specifically multicultural target marketing, is like fishing in a lake where you find a higher concentration of those that are like-minded.

Businesses are learning the advantages of segmented marketing—targeting smaller demographics within their target market with customized messaging. Let’s discuss some of the reasons why it’s vital to your bottom line to look at segmented marketing as an effective strategy.

97% of Consumers Disengage From Businesses That Send Mistargeted Messages 

We live in a multicultural world. America has always been a “melting pot,” but today, we are more diverse than ever. Each culture and ethnicity brings a particular worldview and values, and they will each respond to your message differently. If they can’t relate—they won’t respond. You’ll see a great improvement in your engagement by creating a highly tailored ad to your brand’s Hispanic demographic, and another suited to the African-American demographic, for example. If you have done your research and understand a group’s wants and needs, then speaking directly to them has far more power than attempting to attract potential customers with a single ad.

The Population Is More Segmented

The differences among people aren’t just cultural or ethnic. People of different generations respond differently than each other; so do people of different religions, backgrounds, genders, and even different neighborhoods. The more you can customize your message to the different identifiable segments within your target market, the more success you’ll have with your branding strategy.

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People Respond Better to Personalized Messages

Let’s be honest: The public is inundated with mass messaging today to the point of being annoyed, weary, or just plain numb. Consumers will tune out your Facebook ad or delete the email unless they hear or see something that speaks directly to them. Segmented marketing addresses this issue by learning about the specific needs, desires, and pain points of different segments in your market, then tailoring your messaging to speak to those issues.

Not sure where to start in diversifying your marketing strategy? Los Angeles marketing agency Wicked Bionic has the research, data, and audiences you need. Experts in multicultural marketing with a track record of reaching over 7.2 million Hispanics and driving a 325% increase in engagement for their clients. Set up an appointment to review your business needs.

Top 3 Advantages of Multicultural Marketing

Today’s marketing executives face a distinctive set of challenges when developing a comprehensive digital marketing strategy for their business or their clients. For many years, companies could take something of a one-size-fits-all approach, creating a branding campaign with a single message hoping to reach enough people to make it cost-effective. Previously, a wide net was cast, and whoever ended up in it was the result of a campaign.

Today the one-size-fits-all approach is less effective, costly, and may now be misaligned with updated brand values that are more inclusive. Instead, marketers are learning the advantages of segmented marketing—targeting smaller demographics within their target market with customized messaging. Let’s discuss some of the reasons why general marketing doesn’t work anymore, and why you need to look at segmented multicultural marketing as an opportunity to have an effective connection to consumers.

 

1. People Respond Better to Personalized Messages

 

Let’s be honest: The public is inundated with mass messaging today – on average, we see 10,000 ads each day. It’s to the point where people can be immune to advertising. They will tune out your Facebook ad or delete the email unless they hear or see something that speaks directly to them. Segmented marketing addresses this issue by learning about the specific needs, desires, and pain points of different segments in your market, then tailoring your messaging to speak to those issues.

 

Get a FREE copy of The Practical Guide to Multicultural Marketing

 

2. Society Is Acknowledging Diversity 

 

America has always been a melting pot of cultures, but today we are more aware, paying more attention to those that have been minimized, and (big breath) aiming for equality for all. Each culture and ethnicity brings a unique worldview and values, and each will respond to a brand’s message differently when you understand their needs and how they consume content.

 

94% of consumers disengage from companies that send mistargeted messages.

 

If a particular group you are targeting can’t relate—they won’t respond. You’ll see more success by defining the audience for your brand, then creating a separate ad campaign tailored to each audience. Say one for your Hispanic demographic, another tailored to African-Americans’ culture and behaviors, one to the Asian market, etc. Selecting the demographic that makes sense with your brand allows you to authentically connect and attract potential customers with a single ad set.

 

3. Segmented Marketing is More Than Just Cultural

 

The differences among people aren’t just cultural or ethnic. People of different generations like millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Z respond differently from each other; so do people of different religions, backgrounds, genders, and even different neighborhoods. The more you can customize your message to different identifiable segments within your target market, the more success you’ll have with your branding strategy.

An effective multicultural strategy begins with research. Los Angeles full-service marketing agency Wicked Bionic has a treasure trove of data and experience and stays on top of the latest trends. They can craft a brand strategy that will save your business money by spending wisely with those consumers that are more likely to engage with your brand. Here you can see the services Wicked Bionic offers to reach diverse markets for any brand,

What You Need to Know About TikTok Advertising

If you’re one of those people who’s still scratching their heads trying to learn what TikTok is, join the club. While still quite new, this short-video based social network has taken the world by storm in the last couple of years, rapidly surpassing giants like Twitter and Snapchat for the number of users. With the introduction of TikTok ads in recent months (and still technically in the experimental stage), brands seeking a younger crowd definitely owe it to their business to explore advertising on this platform.

 

What Is TikTok?

 

In a nutshell, TikTok is a video-sharing app that enables users to create 15-second videos backed by the music clip of their choosing and the results are usually hilarious. Until recently, most people used the app to show videos of themselves lip-syncing or dancing to their favorite tune. That’s still the bulk of the content—however, as with all social apps, TikTok content has evolved to include things like 15-second video diaries and other creative videos. More recently, as with all things social, companies and brands have started figuring out how to use it to engage possible customers.

 

Why Would Brands Choose TikTok Ads?

 

Although the advertising functions of TikTok are still developing, many brands have already seen the value of using the app to create brand awareness. Some reasons why:

 

  • TikTok is mainly used for entertainment, not engagement. It’s a place to consume amateur content, not start a dialogue, making it a great platform to blast short, 15-second messages instead of trying for deeper engagement.
  • TikTok encourages user participation. More on that momentarily.
  • The demographic is clear. TikTok is soundly dominated by younger users (generally age 13-24) so brands can tell right away whether this is the right platform for them. If your brand is for the young and hip, it will probably do well with a thoughtful TikTok campaign; if your brand is for more mature adults, spend your dollars elsewhere.

 

Ways to Advertise on TikTok

 

At the current time, there are four different ways to build your brand on Tiktok:

 

  • In-line Video: Similarly to other social media platforms, your ad simply appears in the feed of relevant users, except instead of a picture or graphic, you’re putting up a phone-sized 15-second video, not unlike an Instagram Story.
  • Brand Takeover Ads: Displays a 3-5 second GIF, image, or video when users first open the app. (Only one brand per day can do a takeover, so this option can be quite costly.)
  • Hashtag Challenges: This tactic encourages users to post their own content using a hashtag you create—a very effective technique for getting users to engage with your brand.
  • Branded Lenses: Inserts branded objects, graphics, and filters onto user-generated content using AR technology. This approach can be very useful, for example, if you want to give users a way to “try” your product and see how it looks on them.

 

The one potential barrier to entry right now for TikTok is the cost. Since it’s a new avenue with relatively few businesses participating, the cost per click (CPC) is considerably higher than other apps—so you want to be sure your ad strategy is laser-focused on your target market. Top Los Angeles advertising agency Wicked Bionic can help you create the perfect TikTok advertising strategy to meet the goals of your brand. Reach out to us to learn more.

Zoom Event Ideas: Tips, Dos and Don’ts

Zoom, the free video conferencing app (that most everyone has heard of by now), has become one of the most popular platforms for communication due to stay-at-home orders. As of May 2020, Zoom has 300 million daily meeting participants.

 

Aside from using Zoom internally to chat with telecommuting employees, did you also know you can use Zoom to increase brand awareness and build customer loyalty? Hosting various types of Zoom events can invite deeper customer engagement levels than other platforms; it can also serve as a tool to educate the public about the benefits of using your product or service. Let’s brainstorm a few ideas for Zoom events and offer some practical dos and don’ts for using this platform.

 

Ways to Use Zoom to Engage Your Audience

 

In the wake of various levels of stay-at-home orders, Zoom has become the new “in-person” meeting place—and in the process, people have quickly discovered it’s easier (and safer) to hop onto a Zoom to connect in lieu of restrictions on live event gatherings. The platform invites engagement so let’s explore some ways you can use this to your advantage:

 

  • Webinars—Use Zoom to educate interested customers about various aspects of using your product or service, or offer helpful advice related to your vertical.
  • Panel discussions—Invite experts to gather on Zoom to discuss topics relevant to your brand.
  • Q & A’s and Customer Feedback—Invite a cross-section of customers to hop on a Zoom call to discuss ways to improve your offerings.
  • One-to-one Sales Calls and Demos—Use Zoom as the second or third touchpoint for leads moving through your sales funnel. Invite them on a call to demo your product.
  • Innovator Sessions—Invite users to hang out online and share various creative ways they’ve used your product to make their lives better.

 

Dos and Don’ts for Zoom Events

 

Once you’ve figured out some ways to utilize Zoom for your business, let’s discuss some practical ways to use it, and things to avoid.

 

  • DO limit the “talking heads.” If you have dozens of people on a Zoom call and everyone has their mic on, your event can quickly devolve into a “free-for-all” that easily derails the purpose of the meeting. Limit the number of people in the room who can speak and mute the others. For panel discussions, one standard solution is to keep the actual Zoom login private and live-stream the discussion on a third-party platform like YouTube. That way, you can have unlimited viewers while controlling the discussion among a few people.
  • DO encourage engagement in small rooms or via chat. You want to keep the conversation focused, but you don’t want to discourage participation. If you want people to participate verbally, limit the room to an adequate number of participants. For larger groups, open up the chat feature on Zoom and have participants submit questions and comments. If you are presenting, it’s always a good idea to have someone else monitoring and managing the chat so as not to be distracted from delivering your message.
  • DON’T waste people’s time. If you hold a webinar or other event and you’re not properly prepared, participants will interpret it as being disrespectful of their time—even if they didn’t have anything else to do. Whatever you’re offering, come to the meeting prepared having practiced by running through your content a few times before you go ‘live.’
  • DO add value. Whatever type of event you’re hosting, and whether or not any attendee is interested in buying something from you, the people coming on the Zoom call are giving you their time and attention. Make sure they come away with something useful and helpful to make their lives better, even if they never become a customer.

 

At top Los Angeles marketing agency Wicked Bionic, we can help you incorporate tools like Zoom into your larger marketing plan to maximize your audience engagement and build brand loyalty. Reach out to us to learn more.

 

 

Tips for Converting from Brick-and-Mortar Marketing to Online Campaigns

If your business has traditionally relied on brick-and-mortar marketing strategies, you’re probably already aware of the challenges facing you in this “new normal” as the economy starts reopening. With social distancing in place, face-to-face marketing, product demonstrations, etc. may be ineffective at best, or nearly impossible. Companies who successfully convert to online marketing tend to fare much better—but the idea of making that switch might seem overwhelming at first. Where do you even start?

 

First, to set you at ease, converting to online marketing isn’t as daunting as it appears. You’ve already got two big advantages:

 

  1.  Most of your target market is probably already online; and
  2.  More people prefer to shop online during this time.

 

This means your primary challenge is not to convince people to buy from you online. If you can reach them, they will buy. Your challenge is simply to connect with customers in a new way. So let’s discuss some steps to take to establish that connection in a different way.

 

Shore Up Your Web Presence

 

Your website and social media accounts may replace your brick-and-mortar sales locations, at least for the time being. When you reach prospects online, you’ll typically send them to your website to make purchases. Make sure your website is set up for e-commerce, and that the path to making a purchase is clearly laid out for users.

 

Shore Up Your Contact List

 

Chance meetings in stores and trade shows are on hold for now. Instead, focus on your list of contacts. Focus on email addresses, phone numbers, and social media. Organize and segment contacts in a way that makes sense to your marketing plan. Make a point of gathering contact information every time you make a connection, including from visitors to your website. Your contact list is now your marketing lifeline.

 

Explore New Online Touchpoints

 

Hopefully, you already have a working email list to whom you regularly send marketing emails. If you don’t, set one up; if you do and haven’t been consistent with it, renew your focus here. Of course, email is just one of many online touchpoints you can explore. You can also utilize the following:

  • Social media engagement—Post and comment regularly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social outlets.
  • Text messaging—Invite your leads to sign up for automated texts from you to receive information about sales and events, just like email.
  • Instant messaging—Similar to text messaging, but via direct messaging through Facebook, Instagram, etc.

 

Wicked Bionic CEOs Carlos Sapene and Dana ArnettResearch and learn more about digital marketing for business development by downloading the Wicked Marketing podcast here.

 

 

Create New Online Content

 

Even though you may not be able to educate people about your product in person, you can educate them with consistent online content.  Now more than ever, this strategy can be even more effective than in-person demonstrations. Some examples:

 

  • Creating product demonstration or instructional videos and posting them online or texting short clips to your customers
  • Setting up live streaming demonstrations via Facebook or Instagram Live
  • Organizing instructional webinars via videoconferencing platforms like Zoom

 

Every business is different, so the specific online tools you choose will depend on what works best for you. The key, in any case, is to treat the online world as the “new” brick-and-mortar, so to speak. Engage with people online with the same enthusiasm and passion as you once did in retail outlets and trade shows, and you’ll be surprised at the results. People are as hungry for connection as you are. Wicked Bionic can help you devise the best possible online marketing strategy for your business. Reach out to us here to learn more.

Marketing in Times of Uncertainty: Companies Who Turned Crisis into Success

When we live in uncertain times, it’s easy to allow the crisis of the moment to overshadow our vision for the future. For example, how can businesses form viable marketing strategies when the circumstances seem to be continually unstable and evolving? 

The key is perspective. Let us explain.

In our society, with every significant change comes new opportunities—but many people don’t seize them because they’re too focused or afraid and can only see the things that don’t work anymore and are waiting for something to “get back to normal.” Often, those who take the 10,000-foot view see options that others miss—and they are the ones who typically thrive where others flounder. Let’s look at some examples of businesses and industries that found an opportunity amid crisis.

 

The “New Music Industry”

 

A few years ago, Internet streaming threatened to bankrupt the music industry due to lagging record sales. At that time, a few entrepreneurial-minded musicians envisioned a whole new income opportunity with a platform called YouTube. These artists began creating content and became pioneers of social media marketing. Many of them (some still relatively unknown) now have 6-figure incomes entirely from streaming content. A few, most recently, Grammy-winning artist Billie Eilish, have become wildly famous with over 30 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and without the backing of a major distribution label.

 

FujiFilm versus Kodak

 

Here’s a perfect example of contrasting ways of thinking during a crisis for affected FujiFilm and Kodak. Kodak once dominated the film camera industry. Its primary competitor, FujiFilm, struggled to keep the same name recognition but managed to hold its own. When the digital photography revolution made camera film all but obsolete, Kodak struggled to weather the storm. At the same time, forward-thinking FujiFilm diversified early, expanding its reach into optical technologies, medical imaging and related fields, and marketing itself. Today, FujiFilm remains a thriving business with a healthy portfolio. Kodak retreated into bankruptcy.

 

McDonald’s 

 

Once one of the world’s most successful restaurant chains, McDonald’s encountered a crisis around the millennium when a growing American obesity problem and a new emphasis on healthy eating threatened its profits. In particular, a 2001 book called Fast Food Nation set McDonald’s public image back. The fast-food chain began reinventing its image in two ways: 1) They added more healthy options to their menu; and 2) They focused on the “best meal of the day”—breakfast. They began re-marketing their highly popular breakfast sandwiches as an “all-day breakfast” menu, and they added a designer coffee drink section to their menu. Innovation and quick pivots keep McDonald’s relevant and popular.

The takeaway from these examples: The key to successful marketing during uncertainty is not to resist, but to adapt. We can’t stop change from happening, but we can read the signs and leverage change with innovation turning it into new opportunities for sales and growth.

At Wicked Bionic, we are focused on the ever-changing business world and leveraging our marketing and advertising skills to provide new messaging for businesses adding product lines and initiatives. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you adapt your marketing strategies to changing landscapes. 

The Giving Approach to Community Engagement

In an age where the public has become inundated with mass marketing and ever more distrustful of corporate greed, businesses and brands today face an ongoing challenge: How to earn the trust of their community. Achieving this trust won’t happen with mere lip service—people today are naturally skeptical, and they can spot phoniness and ulterior motives a mile away. If you want to build rapport, trust, and authority as a brand, you have to come by it honestly and altruistically, with a sincere desire to do good. We refer to this as the “first them, then us” approach to community engagement.

“First them, then us” plays out just like it sounds: As a brand, you commit to finding opportunities to help your customers and community in a way that places their needs above the needs of the company. The idea here is that goodwill eventually comes back to you in the form of customer loyalty when you show goodwill without an agenda or expectation. First them. Then us. Let’s look at some examples of how you might implement this approach in your community.

 

Look for Real Problems You Can Solve

 

The most successful companies today don’t only look for what sells. Instead, they identify an actual need, then develop a product or service that helps meet that need. In this way, your brand becomes a solution, not just a product—something that genuinely makes people’s lives better. Effective branding will always be customer-centric in its message, reinforcing that your service or product exists to solve a legitimate problem or meet a felt need that the customer has.

 

Always Add Value

 

To revisit a key tenet of marketing, consumers aren’t looking for the lowest price; they’re looking for the price’s greatest value. The more value you can bring to your customers and clients, the more you will earn their loyalty and trust. Never be satisfied to provide a good product at a fair price; instead, always be looking for genuine, creative ways to add additional value to your customers—not just asking how to make your product better but also how to make your customers’ lives better in the process. It doesn’t have to be something huge, just something that connects.

 

Give Back

 

Powerful Business IdeasA key component of the “first them, then us” philosophy is to find meaningful ways to give back to the community. This idea is covered beautifully in the book The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. The practice starts with shifting your mindset first, then developing actual tactics when giving. These can include giving to a local charity you care about, sponsoring a community event, offering free classes or workshops. Feel free to use your imagination here—make sure that however you choose to be a go-giver, you do it from the heart.

 

You’re not a charity—and your customers don’t expect you to be. Business owners have to make a profit to stay in business, and you certainly don’t want to give away the store. But by putting your community’s interests ahead of your own, you’ll ultimately reap more long-term benefits in the form of customer trust and loyalty than you ever would just trying to sell a product. Wicked Bionic can work with you on creative strategies to incorporate genuine community engagement into your branding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketing to Gen Z and Gen X—The Major Differences

One of the biggest differentiators in how people respond to messaging is age—or, more to the point, the generational culture in which they grew up. We hear terms like “Gen X” and Gen Z” tossed around often in market-speak, but many people are confused as to what these terms mean or how they can affect a marketing strategy. To clarify any confusion, let’s discuss these two generations specifically and discuss what marketers should understand about them.

 

They Are Completely Different Generations

 

Gen X and Gen Z are separated in age by as few as 14 years or as much as 50 years at the opposite ends of the generational timeline. Gen X refers to people born between 1965-1979 (age 41-55), while Gen Z represents those born between 1995-2015 (age 5-21). Tucked between these two are members of Gen Y (otherwise known as “Millennials”), born between 1980-1994. For perspective, some members of Gen X are old enough to be parents to most Gen Z-ers, and some are old enough to be grandparents to Gen Z-ers. These two demographics are far enough apart in their cultural experiences that they respond quite differently to different types of marketing.

 

They Shop Differently

Gen X has become largely familiar with the technology of the past several decades, and while they frequently shop online, they also don’t mind going into the stores. Gen Z, the mobile generation, interacts more with their mobile devices than other generations, including doing their shopping there. If they go into a brick-and-mortar store, they’re more likely to look up product reviews on their phones before selecting a product.

 

They Respond Differently to Advertising Outlets

 

Gen X still responds at some level to traditional advertising methods (e.g., OOH ads, TV/Radio, etc.). They also respond well to email marketing. Gen Z, however, is more suspicious of advertising and prefers authentic engagement, which is why social media “influencer marketing” can be a highly effective way to reach them.

 

94% of consumers disengage from companies that send mistargeted messages

 

Gen Z Is the Largest Generation Population-Wise

 

Comprising more than 27 percent of the population in America, Gen Z is now the largest demographic in the U.S. (Gen X occupies about 20 percent of the pie, Millennials close to 25 percent.) While not all Gen Z-ers are consumers yet, their buying power is increasing daily, and within a few years, they will represent the lion’s share of consumers. Wise marketers won’t write off this bloc as “children,” but will instead continue to monitor them as their shopping habits evolve.

 

Wicked Bionic CEOs Carlos Sapene and Dana Arnett
Expert Marketing Tips

Top Los Angeles multicultural marketing and advertising agency Wicked Bionic tracks the latest consumer trends and demographic shopping habits so we can provide up-to-the-minute advice for brands on how best to find and reach their target market. Subscribe to the Wicked Marketing Podcast to learn more about generational marketing.