One of the biggest benefits of integrating social media influencers into your PR strategy is that it helps your brand to build more authentic, intimate relationships with its customer base.
In this sense, an influencer almost serves as a friendly buffer between the brand and the public.
But how can you, the PR pro, implement this strategy to your advantage? By adjusting it according to generation,
of course! This is effective because you can target each group directly with your influencer marketing strategy.
This is an instance when PR and marketing work hand-in-hand to help you build a more holistic brand image.
media update’s Taylor Goodman reveals how you can reach each generation with influencers here:
1. Influencers and Boomers
If you think you can’t reach your Baby Boomer audience with influencers,
think again. In fact, this generation (born between
1946 and 1964) is becoming increasingly active online.
Although Boomers may be skeptical of influencers, and favour more traditional forms of PR, when approached in the
right way, they may be more open to the idea.
How, you ask? Well, you could start off by meeting this audience where
they’re at. According to Influencer Marketing Hub,
Facebook is the most popular social network with older generations, and they are most engaged when using it.
So, if your client is looking to run a social campaign and target older audiences, Facebook is the place to be.
Another way to make influencers more appealing to Boomers is by partnering with influencers that fit into this age group.
Think about it: If you’re trying to target a more mature audience, why would you do so with a teenager that they can’t relate to? After all, the influencer
needs to be someone the consumer connects with, helping to humanise the brand.
If you are not choosing an older influencer, you need to take someone on who will still resonate with the Boomers, like caregivers or children.
This is effective because they have an impact on the purchasing decisions in the Boomer’s life, so the messaging may resonate more with them. It all boils down to
reliability and
authenticity.
You must both empower the Boomer and add value to their life for your influencer strategy to be effective.
You should also avoid messaging that depicts the Boomer as ailing or elderly. They are just like any other consumer, and they want to be treated as such.
This generation desires quality goods / services at a
good price, and they are keen to invest in brands that make their lives easier.
Lastly, an effective way to incorporate influencers into a PR campaign is with
video content. This form of media is easy to consume and entertaining, and that is why 27%
of Boomers regularly watch videos.
2. Influencers and Gen X
Although often forgotten, Gen X has more influence than you may think. This generation is a smaller pool, born between
1965 and 1979/80, and make up
25% of the US population.
It is also important to note that this generation earns
31% of U.S. income.
As this generation is around 41 to 56 years old, they are relatively tech-savvy and spend
two hours on social media daily. The best platforms to reach this group on are
Facebook (of course), Instagram, Pinterest and Youtube.
Gen Xers are huge on nostalgia, and if you’re looking to tap into this market, it would be smart to capitalise on that. You could do this by running a PR campaign with an influencer that helps this audience to relive those memories.
Adobe is an excellent example of using nostalgia to reach older markets as it used 1980s artist, Bob Ross, in its
campaign for the Adobe Photoshop Sketch application for iPad Pro.
*Image courtesy of Fabrik
As Gen Xers are peaking in their careers, juggling families and possibly caring for elderly parents, they desire value for their money. For this reason, your client could partner up with an influencer to promote any deals, specials or sales.
Lastly, this generation favours socially conscious brands. You could use an influencer to show how your client’s brand is making a difference. But be sure that this is
authentic as this generation knows how to sniff out phoney PR ploys.
3. Influencers and millennials
Ah, millennials. This generation was born between
1981 and 1994 / 6, making them between 25 to 40 years old.
Millennials grew up alongside the Internet and are
extremely social media savvy. This means that there is no limit to which platforms you should use to reach them, as they probably have profiles on
all of them anyway! They are also known to use these platforms across multiple devices.
Although they are often the butt of the avocado toast joke, they
make up half of the world’s workforce. For this reason, they have serious buying power and influence over PR and marketing trends alike.
Many believe that this generation is the reason that influencers became a thing in the first place, as they were the first to champion social consciousness over economic drive.
For this reason, if you are trying to connect with a millennial audience, your brand needs to partner with trusted influencers that genuinely convey brand messages.
The influencer also needs to
actually use the product or support the brand as this
generation doesn’t stand for anything that isn’t truly authentic.
The millennial will be more receptive to the influencer if they present more as a friend or peer, rather than a celebrity.
4. Influencers and Gen Z
Gen Z is the youngest generation, born between
1997 and 2012 / 15. This group is the easiest to reach with influencer campaigns as they have grown up with the Internet.
55% of these ‘digital natives’ spend around five or more hours on social media every day. Visual platforms like
Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok dominate most of their time spent online.
Similar to millennials, Gen Z is interested in engaging with influencers on a more personal level.
They tend to find micro-influencers, with 1 000 to 100 000 followers, more relatable than celebrity influencers. This is key to take into consideration when choosing an influencer that you want to gel with this audience.
Gen Z is also similar to millennials in the sense that they want brands to stand for something.
For this reason, you should use campaigns to put a face behind your brand that conveys its values in an authentic way.
All in all, integrating influencers into your PR strategy should be something to consider if you want to build consumer trust, increase brand awareness and generate conversations around your business.
What are your thoughts on influencers? Be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
*Image courtesy of Pixabay