DELIVER YOUR MESSAGE … the way they want to hear it!

Here’s a big question when it comes to generating leads: how do you get the message out most effectively?   Newspaper ads?  YouTube videos?  Social media,  print marketing,  a website, open houses?   Talk to different people, and they’ll all give you a different answer about what’s effective.

I can’t tell you how many agents tell me that newspaper advertising doesn’t work.  Or that their social media activities aren’t generating business.  The fact is that all types of outreach can generate results – but you have to be directing the right message to the right market … and deliver that message in the way the client wants to receive that message.

The bottom line: different social generations prefer information delivered differently.

But before I talk more about delivering the message in a generationally-appropriate manner, I want to touch briefly on another important piece of the puzzle – and that’s making sure you identify your target market.

If you haven’t identified your target, it’s like the old saying “Ready.  Fire.  Aim.”  You can’t expect to hit a bulls-eye if you haven’t aimed.  In this case, aiming involves determining who your target is, then crafting a message that will appeal to them, and finally delivering the message in a way that’s appropriate for your target market.

But let’s imagine that you have determined your target market, and have developed a strategic message that will captivate and engage your target market.

Now you need to determine the best way to distribute your message, and that needs to be done based on social generations.

As time has gone by, our society has become more and more technologically dialed-in.  Not surprisingly, this means that the older the potential client, the more “high touch” your message needs to be.  And obviously that means that younger potential clients are looking for “high tech” message delivery.

Let’s take a look at the different generations, the birth ranges of those generations, and how your brand message should be communicated to each.

The Silent Generation:  1925 -1945
Typically wants only via “high touch” — in person, snail mail, radio, and telephone.

Baby Boomers; 1946 -1964
Wants primarily via “touch”, but with a little “tech” — snail mail, telephone, email, and websites.

Generations X (“Baby Bust”): 1965 – 1981
Prefers a good mixture of “touch” and “tech” — snail mail, telephone, websites, email, text, and social media.

Generation Y (“Echo Boomers”): 1982 – 2000
Wants primarily via “high tech” — text, email, websites, and social media.

Generation M (“Mobile Generation) / Generation Z (“Digital Generation”):  2001+
This generation isn’t purchasing homes yet … but when they do the will be anticipating a “high tech” message — texts and social media.

Let’s pretend your target market is women who don’t currently own homes, between the ages of 23 and 29.

Since the target market is Gen Y women (or “echo boomers”, as they’re sometimes called), effective delivery of your brand message should occur primarily via technology – through text, email, websites, and social media.

Had your target market been someone in the “silent generation” – your brand message should be delivered primarily through “touch”, face to face and voice to voice interaction with very little technology.

So remember: for your lead generation efforts to be effective it’s critical that you deliver the message in a way that resonates with your target market based on the preferences of their “generation”.