Blog / How to reach boomers, Gen-Xers and millennial clients with content marketing

There's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all approach to content marketing. This is especially true when it comes to marketing to different age groups. People who grew up in different decades were deeply influenced by the mores, technologies and popular culture of their generation, and thus respond better to different marketing channels and messages.

There are three primary generations you may need to reach at any given time, depending upon the target audience for your practice area. These are:

• Baby boomers - born between 1946 and 1964

• Generation X - born between 1965 and 1980

• Millennials - born between 1981 and 2000

Let's look at the marketing channels most effective in reaching each group and how you can leverage this knowledge to acquire more loyal clients for your law firm.

Baby boomers

Baby boomers (early 50s to late 60s) are the most affluent generation of any that came before them and are working longer to maintain or regain their affluence - 60% lost value in investments because of the economic crisis, 42% are delaying retirement and 25% claim they will never retire.

Don't let their more advanced age fool you; baby boomers consume a lot of content, so content marketing will be effective. Be willing to invest liberally in content marketing of all varieties - it will bring the biggest return on investment. This group reads blogs, so be sure to post regularly. Longer posts are great, provided that they are conversational in tone and provide helpful information that's not overwhelming.

Most baby boomers have a Facebook account. Targeted Facebook ads and relevant content on your firm's Facebook page will catch their attention, even in the business setting. They watch informational videos, but respond to slower-paced videos. Use videos to pack in a lot of information and don't be afraid of using longer videos, posted on your website as well as your YouTube channel.

An active email marketing campaign will be effective in marketing to this demographic, as will paid search ads and paying attention to organic search engine optimisation in terms of your website and social channels.

Generation X

Generation X is small by comparison to the boomers, but it is powerful. According to Time magazine, the average age of an S&P 1500 chief executive is 50 and 68% of Inc 500 chief executives are Gen-Xers.

Gen-Xers want an empowering and engaging approach. They want to be listened to, not spoken down to, and want to be able to make their own decisions. If your firm's current approach is top down, consider a more collaborative approach with these clients. This can be difficult for attorneys, but Gen-Xers are not going to take your advice because of your education, credentials and wisdom.

This group is accustomed to having access to limitless information from the Internet, so provide them with website resources and email offers that will help guide their fact finding and decision making. Among them, 43.3 million use social media, 38.2 million are on Facebook and 37.3 million have smartphones - so test mobile advertising, remarketing and digital marketing campaigns as part of your marketing plan.

Video holds appeal across generations, but Generation X seems particularly attached to it: 79% of Gen-Xers download or stream video online at least once per month. They are active Facebook users and 9 million of them use Twitter regularly.

When blogging, the more valuable your content, the more you reap rewards when it comes to this demographic. Keep a sharp focus on their pain points and professional aspirations and deliver with your content.

Millennials (also known as Generation Y)

Don't underestimate the relevance of reaching a professional millennial audience. This demographic is still at a time of rising importance, but - depending on your practice area - there is business to be had, particularly in the areas of new business ventures and non-profit entities, and in technology-related firms.

Millennials are deeply affected by causes they believe in. In professional terms, this translates to issues related to the environment and corporate responsibility. Over 50% will purchase services from companies that support values they care about.

If your firm does pro bono work, contributes to charities or raises money through employee programmes and participation such as fun runs and volunteerism, it's wise to include information on your website, blog and in your social channels.

Unlike baby boomers and Gen-Xers, who haven't always been exposed to computers, millennials grew up with technology and have never known a world without the Internet. They would be lost without their smartphones and use them - and tablets - as their primary internet devices. It's no surprise that it's important to have a strong and positive online presence, so put plenty of effort into online branding and reputation management.

Mobile marketing and social media are your best avenues for content delivery. Millennials are three times more likely to be influenced by blogs or social networking sites. By tailoring content to these channels, law firms can target younger demographics more effectively. Ensure, too, that your website is mobile friendly and consider creating more mobile-friendly content such as videos, images and infographics.

The takeaway: The more you can target your firm's content marketing strategy to the channels and interests of these three generations of legal clients, the more you will gain their attention and keep it, garnering more loyal business in the process.