Let’s play a sport: Inform me how previous you might be with out telling me how previous you might be.
Unsure methods to reply? Properly, likelihood is your content material consumption habits offer you away.
For example, I like Instagram and Netflix however have left my Snapchat stage behind and don’t perceive Roblox.
(When you’re scratching your head, don’t fear. By the top of this text, you’ll be capable of pinpoint my age, just like the label on a wine bottle.)
In a world pushed by content marketing, understanding how your target market prefers to eat info is crucial to getting your messages seen and heard. Nevertheless, the specifics can differ dramatically based mostly on age and technology.
Let’s break down a few of every technology’s most distinguished content material consumption habits based mostly on knowledge and methods to form your technique with them in thoughts.
Content material Consumption Habits By Era
To be actual, I don’t wish to put anybody in a field. Everybody’s totally different. Utilizing me for example once more, I truly love watching tv and community information, however that is unusual with others in my technology.
All shoppers are distinctive, however that stage of personalization as a marketer isn’t actually practical. Basic benchmarks and statistical knowledge, like these under, can inform a method you later check and refine.
Hold this in thoughts as we focus on:
Observe: Many of those developments are pulled from HubSpot’s 2024 Shopper Traits Report, based mostly on our survey of over 700 US shoppers.
You can download the full report here.
Gen Alpha Content material Consumption Habits
Members of Gen Alpha (born between 2012 and 2024) is probably not consumers proper now, however they’re massive shoppers.
They usually’re actually influential within the purchases of their elders. Right here’s what it is advisable to learn about their content material consumption habits.
Video Choice
Gen Alpha may be very younger. Its members have restricted independence and mobility, and over 50% own an iPad, so it’s no shock video is a well-liked medium.
In line with analysis agency Beano Brain, they assume YouTube is “the good model.”
Shopper analysis platform GWI also found YouTube to be the highest video streaming platform for Gen Alpha in 11 out of 14 markets, second solely to Netflix within the remaining three.
There’s one thing for each Gen Alpha on YouTube, starting from schooling to leisure. The youngest members are nonetheless in diapers, watching Ms. Rachel and Cocomelon, whereas older children are leaning towards Like Nastya and even MrBeast.
What are you able to do as a marketer? When you’re making an attempt to get in entrance of Gen Alpha, put money into YouTube Advertising and marketing or take into account partnering with YouTube influencers. We’ve received a complete YouTube Marketing Guide and a free course to get you began. You too can take into account YouTube Ads.
Gaming As a Pastime
Whereas on their iPads, there’s additionally a very good likelihood Gen Alpha is enjoying a sport like Roblox or Minecraft.
GWI discovered over 70% play digital video games day-after-day, making it their hottest pastime forward of watching TV/films, social media, or speaking to pals on different platforms.
These video games let gamers construct digital worlds they’ll discover with real-life pals who’re additionally enjoying. They’re additionally working to reinforce their worlds by buying new avatars, mini-games, skills, animations, or attire.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Most of the objects and experiences out there for buy in these video games mimic these into actual life; they’re typically even branded. You probably have the means, discover how one can create a brand experience in a game like Roblox, get featured in their marketing channels, or run ads.
For instance, athletic model Nike created Nikeland within the sport.
As Obsessar explains, Nikeland is “a everlasting digital area for followers to attach, create and compete, empowering customers to be their very own creator and design mini-games from interactive sports activities supplies.
Customers may compete in varied mini-games resembling tag, the ground is lava and dodgeball with their pals.”
“Nikeland leverages accelerometers on a consumer’s cellular gadget to translate offline motion to on-line. Customers may get signature Nike sneakers for his or her avatars from the digital store.”
Gen Z Content material Consumption Habits
With its oldest members getting into their late 20s, Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2009) is rising in spending energy day-after-day — and that’s with it already sitting with over $450 million in the US alone.
What content material consumption habits do it is advisable to know to get a bit of the pie?
Study much more about Gen Z buying habits and how to align as a marketer.
Social Media Dominance
In line with the World Financial Discussion board, Gen Z spends a mean of nearly three hours per day on social media. That’s greater than every other technology, and there’s little or no they don’t do there.
HubSpot analysis reveals social media is Gen Z’s #1 channel for product discovery, and 43% have purchased one thing through a social media app previously three months. In addition they flip to it for leisure, schooling, and socializing.
Our survey additionally discovered Gen Z’s high three social media platforms are TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, however according to Morning Consult, Snapchat will not be far behind.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Discover alternative ways to determine a presence on social media. In style choices embrace creating video content material (a favorite of Gen Z), operating paid adverts, user-generated content campaigns, and working with influencers.
Content Hub options like Social Inbox and Content Remix might help execute social methods to achieve Gen Z in HubSpot as nicely.
Trusting Influencers
With regards to buy choices, our analysis found that Gen Z finds suggestions from influencers much more vital than these from family and friends. And their impression doesn’t cease there.
Gen Z finds influencers and content material creators relatable and trustworthy. As The Drum defined, they observe them as a result of they “can supply connection, companionship, and aspiration.”
Due to this, they not solely affect a follower’s buy choices but in addition their private views.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Discover which influencers and creators your Gen Z consumers observe and should you can probably accomplice with them. Maybe you might ship them a free product to put up about or work on a bigger content material collaboration.
Study extra about your choices for influencer marketing in our final information.
Millennials Content material Consumption Habits
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) are distinctive amongst different generations in that they have been born in an analog world however got here of age in a digital one. This twin identification could be seen of their content material consumption habits.
Mingling with Social Media
Social media began to rise through the early 2000s, making it contemporaries with millennials. Millennials have seen socials’ many evolutions and been a significant participant in shaping the cultures of older platforms like Fb and X (previously Twitter).
Like Gen Z, social media is the #1 channel for product discovery for millennials, however their favourite is YouTube, with Fb and Instagram following.
45% of millennials additionally get their every day information from social media and over 60% their financial education.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Purpose to educate millennial audiences on social media. This is without doubt one of the simplest methods to showcase your experience and construct the trusting relationships wanted to ultimately make a purchase order.
Study extra about the most effective types of social media content.
Podcasts
Podcasts additionally got here of age alongside millennials. eMarketer discovered that 64.2% of the generation hearken to podcasts, whereas Edison Research found millennials and older members of Gen Z flip to them greater than every other age group.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Think about starting a podcast on your viewers or maybe sponsoring or advertising on a podcast you realize your viewers already listens to. Each of those choices will allow you to get your advertising and marketing message into millennials’ ears — actually and figuratively.
HubSpot has created a number of podcasts over time, together with Marketing Against the Grain.
However at this time, we even have a large podcast network that brings collectively many packages our viewers can be taught from.
Many podcast streaming platforms, like Spotify, additionally offer ads.
Talking of streaming…
Subscription Companies
A current Kagan US Consumer Insights reveals millennials spend 9 hours per day on digital leisure.
It could shock you, nevertheless, that extra of this time is spent listening to music (2.8 hours) and enjoying video video games (2.4 hours) than watching TV/video content material (4.0 hours per day).
That is regardless of having, on common, 6.1 on-line video subscription companies.
Sounds to me like one technology may have a subscription detox.
Out of those video subscription companies, the most well-liked is Netflix (77%), adopted by Amazon Prime Video (64%), with Hulu and Disney+ neck-and-neck for third place.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Now, after all, you’ll be able to’t get authentic content material in your favourite streaming platform — that will be cool although, proper? However increasingly more streaming services are offering ad-supported tiers, so you’ll be able to nonetheless promote your services or products to viewers.
According to a study by eMarketer, people of all ages watch video with ad-supported subscriptions at the very least as soon as a month, with 80% of Amazon Prime Video subscribers choosing ad-supported.
Relying in your millennial viewers’s preferences, these may very well be an excellent possibility for getting their consideration.
If these adverts are out of your price range, you may as well discover inventive methods to include widespread streaming reveals into your content material. Think about how HubSpot integrated the HBO collection “And Simply Like That” into its Instagram content material:
Gen X Content material Consumption Habits
Not like the generations that got here after them, members of Gen X (born between 1965 and 1980) aren’t digital natives. They grew up with extra conventional media earlier than being uncovered to the web once they have been already of working age.
Tv
Although total tv viewership is trending downward in favor of streaming, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found members of Gen X watch a mean of two.5-3 hours a day.
That’s about 87%, in accordance to Provoke Insights, making them the second largest viewer group behind solely child boomers.
Tv can be Gen X’s second favorite source of daily news, behind social media.
And this is smart. Gen X grew up through the preliminary arrival of dwelling tv.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Tv adverts is probably not probably the most “inbound” technique, however they’ll nonetheless be efficient for reaching nostalgic Gen X audiences. Study extra concerning the potential in our Ultimate Guide to TV Ads.
Affinity for Mature Social Media
Whereas of an older age when launched to social media, Gen X have additionally grow to be massive followers of the medium.
The truth is, it’s their second most-used channel for weekly media consumption (behind tv).
Like its youthful successors, millennials and Gen Z, our analysis discovered social media is the #1 channel for product discovery for Gen X. Nevertheless, they like Fb, adopted by YouTube (the identical as child boomers).
What are you able to do as a marketer? Don’t sleep on Fb advertising and marketing. Whereas waning in recognition with people beneath 45, the platform is simply rising with Gen X and Child Boomers. Listed here are some sources to get you began:
Child Boomer Content material Consumption Habits
Child boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) have been the biggest technology in america till millennials arrived.
As Investopedia explains, they typically stay “economically and politically influential due to their giant numbers and the relative prosperity of the U.S. financial system throughout their working careers.”
So, their content material consumption habits are price noting.
Tv
Child boomers dramatically choose TV to different content material mediums.
93% turn to it for almost all of their weekly media consumption, and whereas they’ve subscription companies, the quantity solely hovers around 2.5 per family, 4 lower than Gen Z or millennials.
However what are they watching? Other than embracing shows like Yellowstone and Dancing with the Stars for leisure, additionally they flip to community and cable information as their preferred channels for every day information.
46% report watching dwell, main different generations by 14%.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Like with Gen X, television ads could be the solution to go to get in entrance of child boomers, however you may as well take into account trying into a few of their favourite reveals and incorporating them into your content material.
Social Media Savviness
Whereas they didn’t develop up with it, baby boomers love social media simply as a lot as their generational successors.
Like Gen X, our report reveals their high platforms to be Fb (70% have visited the positioning within the final three months) and YouTube, with these two additionally main for his or her free video consumption, according to Kagan.
Not like different generations, nevertheless, our research found social media is their least most popular channel for product discovery.
What are you able to do as a marketer? Lean into long-form video content material on Fb and YouTube. With their love of tv and a few social media, experimenting with long-form video may very well be the key to leaving a mark on child boomers.
You too can strive going dwell on Fb or YouTube. Take a look at:
What content material consumption habits do all generations have in frequent?
Regardless of their variations, all generations appear to agree on three issues with regards to consuming content material:
- They love social media.
- They need video.
- Synthetic intelligence (AI) goes to be influential.
Our survey discovered that 87% of U.S. adults report utilizing social media, with 40% utilizing it to be taught new issues or get concepts. Maybe they’re utilizing it otherwise and frequenting different channels, however they’re all utilizing it.
So, no matter who your target market is, you’ll be able to’t ignore social in your technique.
Learn “How to Create a Great Social Media Strategy in 2024 (+ New Data)”
The identical could be mentioned for video. Throughout each technology, the choice for visible and auditory content material is clear, whereas written (i.e., newsletters and information websites) have gotten more and more much less frequent.
Plus, video is thought to be extra memorable and fascinating than static textual content alone.
All that mentioned, put money into video advertising and marketing — whether or not it’s a tv advert, Instagram Reel, YouTube Channel, or a bunch of different choices. Discover the platform your viewers is hanging out on and meet them there with video.
Learn The Ultimate Guide to Video Marketing.
Lastly, 72% of all respondents of our survey reported planning on utilizing gen AI-powered seek for purchasing sooner or later. 79% of those that have already used it admit it supplied a greater expertise than conventional engines like google.
So, keep apprised of those habits and how one can adapt your advertising and marketing to them.
Learn AI in Digital Marketing — The Complete Guide.
Are shoppers content material along with your content material?
Content material advertising and marketing is right here to remain, however how shoppers work together with it’s evolving. As mentioned earlier, no two shoppers are alike — even inside the similar technology.
However utilizing data-backed developments and content material consumption habits, like these shared right here, might help you create a sensible technique which you can check and refine over time.
Now, I simply have one query for you: Did you determine how previous I’m?
If not, I apologize. We millennials could be a little mysterious typically.