You don’t need a marketing consultant to tell you that the teenage market is big. I have outlined five key points to consider when investing your marketing dollars in the teen market. Do keep in mind that quality marketing endeavours will require time, determination, and a reasonable budget. A good way to start is to research your own teen prospects. Once you get to know your teen prospects, it will be easier to follow these five key points, which will give you a head start over your competitors.
Remember your brand
From Billabong to Adidas to Abercrombie & Fitch, this generation is very label-conscious. This brand awareness is not just for clothes, shoes, and other products, but it is also essential for your brand as well. One critical and often overlooked fact is that your brand matters. Be very conscious of how you are perceived by the teenage marketplace, and realise that your brand can and will change if you do not manage it effectively.
A phantom is a prospect that will never come to your store or website, no matter how hard you pursue them. If your brand is not top of mind, it will not make the teens’ initial shortlist. The only effective way to make the first shortlist (and, in reality, the final shortlist) is to get them to fall in love with the brand. It is your duty to manipulate your brand so that it makes teen prospects say, “I’ve got to have XYZ brand, and I will make sacrifices to do so.” The only way is to be consistent in your branding effort and to start early. I often say that brands are built with teens in the pre-teen years.
Know what to say and when to say
Messages get lost for two reasons. First, they are misunderstood. Please make sure the message is clear and understandable to the teenage audience. Second, the teen audience never hears the message because of poor timing. Don’t let your message get lost because of poor timing. Please make sure that you discuss your brand early on and then address price/feature/product later. You need to build brand awareness early in the process. You should emphasise the brand experience early in the actual engagement cycle. As your teen prospects move through the engagement cycle, three key elements emerge: results, pricing, and products. During the early stages of information dissemination, take some time to detail and create a picture of your brand and the overall brand experience. As you move through the communications flow, you should now become more focused on what you offer (products), how much it costs (price), and what benefits they will have (results).
Could you tell the teen influencers?
When dealing with teens, it is crucial to remember the “influencers”-those individuals providing counsel or advice to the teens. Generally speaking, during the early teenage years, friends and high school contacts are key influencers. Please make sure that you keep information flowing to these audiences, as they can play a critical role in your brand and position on the initial shortlist of three to five brands they will choose for a particular product. Throughout the engagement process, teen prospects begin to seek guidance from various individuals for insight. The closer they get to finalising the purchase, the closer they get to brand influencers. Peers are the influencers who will play a role throughout the engagement process. Indirectly marketing to peers can and has worked for several brands. I think it’s a good idea to ask your early-decision makers for the names of a few friends who may be interested.
Get real
Be cool, but don’t act like a fool. Remember that you represent a great brand. Try to avoid being too trendy and steer clear of phrases that are cool now but may be out of style in the near future. Be honest in what you say about your brand. Do you think what you say truly reflects who you are? Is it your brand? Often, it is a matter of expectations not aligning with reality. Marketers create an image of the brand through publications, advertising, or their website. This image is the one the teen grasps onto as an expectation. When they trial your product, they often find that the image they had in their mind doesn’t meet the reality. When expectations do not align with reality, teens will abandon your brand. For this very reason, I always suggest testing your marketing messages with a focus group to ensure that you are who you say you are.
Emphasise features, benefits and outcomes in your efforts
Remember one thing, with teens, it’s all about Me, Me, and Me. You will need to tailor messages to be personally relevant to the individual you are trying to influence. Most brands are very good at telling about their product features. We have this, offer this, do this, and so on. Brands fall short in two critical areas. Why are your features beneficial to me, and what will your products do for me? These are your benefits and outcomes. Teens want to see what you have to offer and understand its significance to them.
These five key points will help you reach your ultimate goal of building stronger relationships with your teen prospects and securing more quality customers.
Chintan is the Founder and Editor of Loyalty & Customers.
- Chintan Bharwadahttps://loyaltyandcustomers.com/author/chintan/
- Chintan Bharwadahttps://loyaltyandcustomers.com/author/chintan/
- Chintan Bharwadahttps://loyaltyandcustomers.com/author/chintan/
- Chintan Bharwadahttps://loyaltyandcustomers.com/author/chintan/
