Suite Success Secret #44

THOUGHT PROCESS:
Have you ever wondered why your marketing and advertising works better with one group of clients than another? There are currently six generations, each with distinct preferences and general behavioral tendencies living side by side.
 
ACTION STEPS:
Gain a better understanding of how generations are defined in order to improve client attraction among your desired target audience.
 
1. The Greatest Generation
 
Also known as the G.I. Generation, born between 1901 and 1926, its members lived through World War I, the Great Depression, World War II, the Korean Conflict, Vietnam, two Gulf Wars. This generation saw the world change from one where women couldn’t vote to one where a woman may become president, from one without household electronics to one where technology dominates the daily landscape.
 
When marketing your Salon Suite’s service to members of The Greatest Generation, appeal to their can-do and can-make-do attitudes. Stress practicality and value and help them take advantage of the low price-maximum value options. This is an extremely civic-minded generation, so talk about the ways your Salon Suite participates within the local community.
 
2. Mature (or Silent) Generation
 
Sometimes grouped together with The Greatest Generation, members of this generation were born between 1927 and 1945. They experienced the Great Depression as very young children and were adolescents during World War II. Mature/Silents tend to be “lifers” who spent their whole life married to the same person and their whole careers working at one company. This was the first generation for whom retirement income became a reward for doing so.
 
As a result of being more financially able than previous generations, Matures/Silents tend to be less cost and value-conscious than their older counterparts. They spend more than preceding generations but they are also disciplined and self-sacrificing, so you may need to persuade them it’s ok to indulge once in a while.  Although members of this generation tend to be loyal, don’t take their loyalty for granted.
 
3. Baby Boomers
 
Much has been written about the spending power of Baby Boomers, born between 1946 and 1964 beginning just after World War II. Members of this generation saw – and drove – social change in society. They were the first generation to grow up with TV and members of this generation pioneered computer and modern technology development.
 
This is the first generation for which retirement meant freedom and the ability to do more, not less. When marketing to this generation, appeal to their belief that age is just a number, and that they can remain vibrant and youthful at any age. Though they launched the digital age, mastering new technology still presents a learning curve, so its members may prefer to book appointments by phone and shop in person rather than online.
 
4. Generation X
 
Born between 1965 and 1980, members of this generation were the first whose “normal” was a household with two working parents, so much so that they are also referred to as “latch-key kids.” Members of Generation X are more individualistic and entrepreneurial than preceding generations. While they don’t have the same reputation for job-hopping as those in younger generations who personify the gig economy, members of this generation average 7 career changes during their professional careers. They are comfortable with (or without) technology, since for many the digital age emerged after they were already in their teens or twenties.
 
Members of Generation X are still working; in fact, many are just beginning to come into their prime in the workplace. In your marketing, show this generation how your Salon Suite’s services can help them look and feel their best. If Baby Boomers started the idea that money is power, Generation X perfected it. Loyalty with this generation must be earned and nurtured.
 
Appeal to their independent nature and help them cultivate looks that can become uniquely theirs. Less constrained by social norms than preceding generations, don’t assume that they won’t be open to experimentation or even extremes when it comes to hair and makeup.
 
5. Millennials (or Generation Y)
 
Millennials, it seems, are everywhere. Born between 1981 and the year 2000, they are quickly becoming the largest generation of working Americans. Perhaps due to their activity-heavy upbringing, Millennials tend to schedule everything. They take school very seriously, however, when it comes to the workplace, many see work as a means to an end (vs. previous generations whose career moves were the end-goal). Many Millennials have struggled to find work after college in the jobless recovery while others have made “best under 40” lists, launched businesses and amassed millions when those companies were acquired. Viewing work as the means to enjoy their home and social lives, this generation loves the “gig economy” which allows them to work for a while, travel for a while, work for a while again, and so on.
 
The Millennial’s world is seamless. Technology allows them to be virtually anywhere, at any time, with anyone. Appeal to their need for schedule control by pre-booking them 6 or even 12 months at a time with a standing Salon Suite appointment block. This generation is extremely concerned with building savings and retirement for the future, so its members are likely to be more price and value conscious than those of Gen X; Millennials want great hair and makeup looks, but they want those looks to fit within their budgets.
Pay attention to their social media updates and propose looks, products and tools that can help them prepare for their next work, travel or family “gig.” Be prepared to interact with them across multiple devices (and especially via mobile devices) and channels (email, text, social media, etc.) according to their individual preferences.
 
6. Generation Z (or Boomlets)
 
Members of Generation Z were born after 2001 and as such represent the children of your Generation X and (older) Millennials. This generation will be the most multi-cultural ever. They don’t remember a time when “everyone” didn’t have a mobile device. They are vocal and their preferences and ideas influence their parents in ways that children of preceding generations wouldn’t have imagined.
 
Generation Z might not be on your horizon yet, but it’s a market worth understanding since they will be entering their college and professional years very soon. They’ve been immersed in technology and exposed to more ads and brand messages than youth in any preceding generation. Millennials by and large say they don’t trust (or respond to) traditional advertising, expect this to be even more true for Boomlets.
 
By understanding the general characteristics that may motivate and drive client behavior you can better tailor your Salon Suite’s marketing, especially as it pertains to those who fit within your ideal client type or buyer personas. 

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