cracking the code of 4 generations

Cracking the Code of 4 Generations: Understanding Their Behavior on Social Media

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Transforming Passion into Excellence

Today’s brands must be socially active and creative. They

also must have a deep understanding of their audience.

Brands need to develop knowledge about how their

customers behave, what they want, and how to best interact

with them in a satisfying and secure way. In addition,

the type and manner of interaction must be continually

updated to reflect the latest trends and preferences.

A social interaction strategy must be customized to

a brand’s specific social environment and audience.

A universal approach to social communication could

alienate some users or prevent others from engaging. If

users of different generations or different markets don’t

relate to the content and communication style, they will

likely remain disinterested in the brand. And that means

lost opportunities and lost business.

The social world is growing for brands, platforms

and users. Socially savvy companies are developing

refreshing, insight-based and customer-first social

strategies. Simply put, they are moving at the speed

of social. Companies that think carefully about their

audiences, and the diversity of those audiences, will win

followers, engagement, and ultimately, business.

Executive Summary

Traditionals

1925 - 1945

Baby Boomers

1946 - 1964

Generation X

1965 - 1980

Millenials

1981 - 1999

Social media users approach their accounts differently, based on age, cultural norms and many other variables. So, companies cannot apply a single interaction strategy and expect to connect meaningfully to a global audience.

To better understand how different generations in different areas of the world utilize social media, the Teleperformance Customer Experience Lab (CX Lab) conducted a sweeping study across five markets (Brazil, France, Mexico, the U.K. and the U.S.). In this study we interviewed active, daily social media users in each market. The results of the survey paint a meaningful picture of the differences between generations, and across countries and cultures. These differences should be considered carefully when crafting a social interaction strategy.

Social Media Use by Age Group and Market

Cracking the Code of 4 Generations:

Understanding Their Behavior on Social Media

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Traditionalists Baby Boomers

1 %less than

of traditionalists is active on social media.

2%

using Facebook™, Twitter™, LinkedIn™ and Google+™.

Traditionals

1925 - 1945

Baby Boomers

1946 - 1964

Generation X

1965 - 1980

Millenials

1981 - 1999

25 %

Facebook™

11 %

Twitter™8 %

LinkedIn™

11 %

Google+™3 %

Instagram™

Traditionalists, the oldest generation, have the lowest percentage of social media users. In Mexico and France, less than 1 percent of this generation is active on social media. Traditionalists are most active in the U.S. but with only slightly more than 2 percent of the generation using Facebook™, Twitter™, LinkedIn™ and Google+™. They are also the least likely to follow a brand on any platform.

Baby Boomers are significantly more active than their predecessors. While they show at least some activity on nearly every platform (Facebook™, Twitter™, LinkedIn™, Google+™, YouTube™ and Instagram™), Facebook™ is largely their site of choice. Boomers also look to Facebook™ most often to interact with brands, where they generally follow between one and five of them. Boomers follow brands to learn about promotions and prices.

Cracking the Code of 4 Generations:

Understanding Their Behavior on Social Media

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Latin American Gen X-ers are the most active across platforms, followed closely by Europeans and Americans

Generation X

They prefer a wider range of information across a wider range of platforms

Interact with brands on YouTube™18%

They post even more than Millennials on LinkedIn™ and Google+™

They are the most likely to post a positive review

Generation X is even more active on social media. They spread their activity across several platforms, including Facebook™ and Snapchat™. Latin American Gen X-ers are the most active across platforms, followed closely by Europeans and Americans. While they like to find out about promotions and price information, they prefer a wider range of information across a wider range of platforms. They post even more than Millennials on LinkedIn and Google+™. In fact, 18 percent interact with brands on YouTube™. Gen X-ers are the most likely generation to post a positive review on social media and fall just behind Millennials in posting negative reviews.


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Millennials

Brands should be particularly cautious about engagement of Millennials as this vocal generation reported the

highest and most frequent incidences of posting both positive and negative reviews.

“They are also the most likely to follow the most brands”

are following more than 10 brands on Facebook™.

27 %

60%

said that their perception of a brand or brand’s value is most influenced by social advertising1.

Millennials, the youngest generation analyzed, are digital natives. They have grown up the most tech savvy and are the generation most comfortable on social media. It should come as no surprise then that this generation is the most active and visible on every social media platform, regardless of country. But this generation behaves the least like the generation before them. Not only are they more likely to prefer visual and video based platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat more than Facebook™ and Twitter™, they also follow the most brands. For example,

27 percent of Millennials are following more than 10 brands on Facebook™. But brands should be particularly cautious about Millennial engagement, as this generation reported the highest, and most frequent, incidences of posting both positive and negative reviews. It’s critical for companies to understand Millennials' behavior and preferences. Social media heavily influences what Millennials choose to buy. Sixty percent of Millennials said that their perception of a brand or brand’s value is most influenced by social advertising1.

Traditionals

1925 - 1945

Baby Boomers

1946 - 1964

Generation X

1965 - 1980

Millenials

1981 - 1999

They are more likely to prefer visual and video based platforms such as Instagram™ and Snapchat ™ 7 more than Facebook™ and Twitter™


1. “Millennials: The New Age of Brand Loyalty. A Snapshot of Millennials and Their Views on Brands.” Adroit Digital.

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The CX Lab’s research clearly shows that social media users approach their accounts differently, based on age, cultural norms and many other variables. So, companies cannot apply a single interaction strategy and expect to connect meaningfully to a global audience. In order to create a more efficient strategy, brands must understand the different behaviors among generations.

Traditionalists and Baby Boomers, use social media less often than younger generations. Generation X is more active on social media than previous generations and members of this generation are the most likely to post a positive brand review on social media. Millennials are the most active on, and the most heavily influenced by, social media. They are also the most likely to post negative brand review.

While the wrong strategy can lead to dissatisfied customers and a negative social media footprint, the right one can boost more relevant interactions, increase customer engagement, give brands a bigger

Develop the right Social Strategy

voice and grow brand advocates organically. All of this leads to greater success for the brand and happier customers.

Teleperformance, a world-wide leader in customer engagement can help develop the right social strategy. With almost 4 decades of experience and deep research conducted by the CX Lab, Teleperformance is deeply knowledgeable about engagement and generational preferences.



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About TeleperformanceWorldwide Leader in Omnichannel Customer Experience

We are a people company with a people-centric strategy, interacting with people all over the world. It’s all about people. They are part of who we are and what we do. We analyze their behaviors. We understand their wants and needs. That’s why we deliver outstanding customer experiences through integrated omnichannel solutions to enhance customer experience results for our clients.

Transforming Passion into Excellence7

Transforming Passion into Excellence7

About

e-Performance

Our e-Performance solution is specialized in helping you develop effective social media strategies. We believe that social media marketing goes way beyond brand awareness. It has the potential to be a powerful customer experience tool that allows you to better understand your customers and to connect with them in meaningful ways.

We transform word of mouth data into insights by creating strategic reports and daily alerts about risks and opportunities with our Buzz Monitoring solution. We also empower each social media interaction with customers to be an outstanding experience by leveraging our Engage, Moderation and Involve solution.


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