Generation C is the latest target market making waves, but what’s the best way for telecom operators to garner their attention?
Millennials, those born between 1981 and 2000, are the world’s first digital natives. With their always-connected lifestyles, they are at the core of service providers’ sales efforts worldwide.
What if someone falls outside of this age group but leads a similar lifestyle? Isn’t this a missed opportunity for service providers? Shouldn’t what customers exhibit in terms of behavior be more relevant than the year they were born, especially to those trying to sell to them?
According to Google, 35% of the people who are not part of the millennial age group still aspire to be connected and collaborative, are tied to different online communities and are constantly on the lookout for information from a variety of online sources.
It is becoming increasingly important for service providers to define a segment of customers based on behavioral attributes rather than age group. Connected by a way of life, similar mindset and attitudes, “Generation C” is such a segment. They are the connected generation and include millennials. Generation C want experiences that are screen tailored but connected across screens – anytime and anywhere. Sixty-five percent of them update their social profile daily and 90% create online content at least once a month rather than just passively consume.
While highly empowered by technology, they do not necessarily believe the network infrastructure and their network services need to be from the same provider. They evaluate network infrastructure and network services independently and place more emphasis on who provides superior service and meets their individual needs, regardless of whether the service provider owns the network or not. They see themselves as part of a community, care about social causes and make their decisions based on crowd sourcing. In fact, 85% of Generation C customers rely on peer approvals for buying decisions.
Tapping into Generation C
As a service provider, it’s imperative to understand the Generation C customers and how they can be influenced. Below are five key strategies a service provider needs to deploy to be able to tap into this lucrative generation:
Drive intentional customer journeys
Experiences delivered should not be accidental. Service providers need to be able to define the journey they want their customers to take to ensure a successful path to serve or a successful path to purchase.
Deliver personalized experiences
Generic landing pages and content are not going to drive engagement with Generation C customers. To influence this generation, service providers must be able to deliver personalized experiences regardless of channel. This also includes advertising campaigns – Generation C customers are not opposed to them with up to 39% wanting the advertisements to be relevant to them.
Foster ‘social oxygen’
Social media is a key engagement channel for Generation C customers. They see the world though a social lens and seek moments to share and use social media as a way to channel their thoughts and views. Service providers need to encourage social sharing by providing a platform for users to contribute their views and continuously engage these connected customers to be social ambassadors. Generation C customers are 1.8-times more likely to see themselves as influential opinion formers, claiming “people come to me for advice before making a purchase.”
Communicate your brand message
It is not sufficient to just have a great product or service. For service providers to make inroads and drive Generation C affinity toward their brand, it’s important that their brand stands for something, such as a social cause or a human movement.
The ‘we economy’
The dichotomy of this customer generation is that while they want to receive a personalized experience they also are aware that they are part of a community and will speak on behalf of others. As service providers communicate with them, it is important to address and communicate to them as a community.
Succeed by looking beyond age
Generation C is a powerful new force in the consumer culture. According to research, Generation C customers are up to 3.6-times more likely to purchase a product or a service that interests them and more than half of them will take action after watching ads for a product or a service on YouTube. Looking beyond just age will put service providers on the path to engage with this enthusiastic audience of consumers and drive opportunities.
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