Which Group Are You Marketing To?

Texting

(Photo by Jhaymesiviphotography)

In our culture there’s a new dichotomy – Digital Natives vs. Digital Immigrants. And like generations before, in your marketing you need to reach them, talk to them, and interact with them differently.

Digital Natives are people who grew up surrounded by computers. They get their news from their Facebook friends. They “talk” to their friends via texting/tweeting. They trust people they haven’t met face-to-face to provide them with honest reviews of products and services. They are comfortable exchanging their personal information online to build community and get information.

Digital Immigrants saw the rise of the Internet. They likely wear a watch, have a land-line telephone, read the newspaper in print, and trust the wisdom of people they intimately know or peer-reviewed experts. They keep their personal information private, since they know that companies have a way of abusing the data.

Most business owners know that it’s easy to create a Facebook page, create/upload videos, Tweet, etc. That’s why many people are doing it. However, very few are truly monetizing their efforts. Most are simply trying to “stay in the game” – so they can be found wherever / whenever people are looking.

If you’re marketing to natives, you can’t simply put up a Facebook page, website, etc. and assume people will see your marketing and suddenly want your offering. Natives require online communities. They need to see large numbers of people interested in something, and 24/7 interaction. Their attention spans are very short, so you need to capture their interest immediately. You need to reach globally, since your native customers may be anywhere in the world.

If you’re marketing to immigrants, you need people to trust you. Attend networking events to simply build “face-time”. Write articles in your local newspaper to have people hear your voice. Get involved locally in your community. Keep in touch by email, but also don’t rely upon your emails to be read. Call people. Do demonstrations. Learn to tell a story about your offering.

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