Published On: Wed, Oct 22nd, 2014

Evolve Your Business for Generation C

Gen C is composed of people who care about creation, curation, connection and community, claims Think with Google. Millennials make up 80 percent of Gen C and have unique needs. They were raised on digital connection, hyper-fast technology and baring all on social media. As this generation of consumers evolves, so will business. Without a plan for adaptation and evolution, companies risk getting left behind. Here’s a look at how to evolve your business for the next generation customer.

Upgrade Your Technology

Your number one priority with Gen C should be upgrading your technology to better meet and anticipate their needs. But the point isn’t just to look the part when marketing to Gen C. Meet them where they want to connect and learn about your services, whether it’s on Snapchat, the Apple Watch or the iPhone 6.

Today’s consumers do much of their online shopping on their smartphones, as well as surf for prices and reviews while browsing brick-and-mortar stores. Create a store app, offer mobile coupons and have referral rewards, and start accepting Apple Pay that can be used from the oversized screen of their iPhone 6. Offer an immediate discount if they snap a photo of themselves with your product and post it to their favorite social media platform.

Anticipate Your Customers

The Harvard Business Review makes a compelling point to look at 20-year-old consumers today if you want to anticipate the 40-year-old customers of tomorrow. Too many companies make the mistake of looking to the current generation to develop their products for the following one. If your target audience is 30-year-old women who use wearable technology, start there. Hang out wherever they are, from Facebook groups, online forums and Tedx Talks. Make tweaks to your business to anticipate their needs, wants and desires, and understand where they hope to be in 20 years. The only way to truly anticipate your customers is to evolve with them.

Stay Connected

How many stories have you heard lately about brands that were torn apart by legions of disgruntled social media followers? Staying connected online means engaging your fans and being there when it counts. Anticipate a social media crisis happening at some point where an unhappy customer starts spreading the word with fervor. Use the negative attention to own up to the issue, work to resolve it and turn angry customers into loyal fans who praise your willingness to fix their issue. Sign up for Hootsuite, and create filters that search by who’s talking about your brand or product to stay current on exactly what’s happening.

Empower Your Customers

The next generation customer wants more control over their choices, but not necessarily more choices. For example, a survey by Accenture discovered that healthcare consumers want more control over their information (like medical records), they value the ability to talk to their physician and they like using online scheduling tools. Send a survey out to your customer base with a tool like GetResponse to find out exactly what they want in terms of personalization, control and convenience instead of assuming you know what they want.

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