If you are at a loss as to where to start or how to go about marketing to college age humans, you are in the right place. Congratulations!

I would first of all recommend reading the previous blogs found here on this website. If you’re still frustrated and confused, read on.

Next, I would recommend that you put together a focus group. 10-15 guys and 10-15 girls, (the numbers are just a suggestion, but the more the merrier). Try to get a diverse group with a variety of likes and dislikes, backgrounds and experiences.
Testing out a new product, service, headline, or promotional campaign can be tough, but finding out what your target likes by simply asking them is a great way to get a rough idea. Everyone has opinions and you certainly don’t need to listen to everyone’s opinion because, lets face it, some people are just wrong. And if you start to listen to them and stray from your core values, brand and culture you’ll try to be everything to everyone and you’ll just end up being nothing to no one. *see previous blog post.

A good way to encourage students to come and to be willing to answer your questions is to provide food. Pizza and Coke is good. If there is free food, you can bet college kids will be there. A few pizzas is a small price to pay to get some quality feedback about your target market, don’t you think?

Multi tasking is that long sought after acquired skill that so many people think they are doing correctly. Generally, multitasking is when someone does multiple things at once and is able to accomplish a variety of activities whilst completing other activities at the same time. Often, I hear people saying, “Oh don’t worry, I’m good at multitasking.” or “Keep talking I’m listening, I can multitask.”

Multitasking is taken on with the intention of reducing the time spent on projects by working on two at the same time. Contrary to popular belief, multitasking isn’t really efficient. Take a look at this article for some interesting proof. (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95256794)

College students are some of the worst “multitaskers.” I can’t tell you how many of my friends think studying is watching tv, scrolling through Pinterest and Facebook, talking to friends and texting another friend, while glancing at a book and tweeting about it. Seriously.

College students are busy with meetings, hanging with friends, work and oh yeah, school and homework. They are busy, but not necessarily productive or effective. Even worse, they think they are multitasking and helping themselves, when really they are just switching between a couple things rapidly and not really spending enough time on either to accomplish anything. Many of us have Attention Deficit Disorder and are constantly moving or letting our minds wander; it is easier now than ever to get distracted, too.

We are constantly connected and looking for something else to do in tandem with an activity. We watch tv AND look at our smart phones, iPads, computers, etc.

What does this mean for businesses?

1. You need to  grab our attention quickly and it needs to be memorable. The key is brevity. If an ad, blog, video is too long and not exciting enough, you’ll lose our attention, interest and probably business.
2. You need to develop an online presence where we can find you. Be where your customers are. Everyone is online, but college students spend SO much time on the internet it is imperative that your business be visible online.
3. Depending on the relevance to your industry, you probably need a mobile marketing campaign. Whether that is a mobile app or SMS texting campaign depends on your target, resources and ability to implement that.

Consider ADD and short amount of time when marketing to college students. Success is within reach, you just have to reach quickly and effectively.

Do you agree? Comment below!

College age students are the epitome of eclectic taste. Now that the internet has made the world so flat and attainable, more resources are available. It used to be that whatever was close to you, (geographically) was where your interests stemmed from. Now whatever you can Google, Tweet, Post, Pin, or YouTube are the things that interest you.

Because there are so many options, varieties of style, and narrow niches available for viewing online, college age students can find anything they are interested in. And if there isn’t content available already, they can generate it themselves. So much choice, diversity and specialized knowledge has resulted in a generation that is interested in just about everything. Styles from the 70s, 80s, 90s and everything in between are making a come back and being incorporated into clothing, music, and art.

Many forms of expression borrow from some trend, fad, era, scene or popular idea generated in an earlier era. A lot style is just previous styles cycled back through.

Take sunglasses for example. Aviators were very popular in the late 1930s and then cycled back through in the 70s and 80s and now in 2012 they are cool again. In the 70s, the round, red colored sunglasses were popular and became an iconic hippie symbol. The 80s eyewear of choice included Buddy Holly style sunglasses and other crazy-shaped frames made popular by Hollywood stars and rock stars. Now, Buddy Holly style glasses are back in. In fact, it is cool to wear just frames in that style. I know some people that don’t have prescription lenses in their glasses.

The 90s brought the cool, tiny-lensed sunglasses that the cool guys wore. The bug eye look was really popular in the 2000s and any other type of eye wear was considered dated, uncool or nerdy. Now in 2012, basically any type of sunglasses worn are in style. It doesn’t matter because whatever you wear is retro and thus cool, hip, instyle and accepted.

As a result, college age students are fairly accepting of old, retro looks and even are proud to debut something that was popular when their parents were in college. Additionally, college students are striving to have the most “new” look by incorporating different eras of style to achieve an eclectic look that covers a variety decades and styles.

This isn’t just limited to sunglasses and clothing though. There is so much breadth within the music industry due to iTunes, music downloads and YouTube. No niche is unreached; there is something for EVERYONE. It is amazing the amount of music that is available for purchase, streaming or downloading because of the low barriers to enter the market that the internet provides. Also, 20 year olds are rediscovering old bands because of popular tv shows covering the songs or finding their parents old record albums. So there is a return of once popular bands and artists like the Beatles, Queen, and Cindy Lauper.

Overall, college students have a wide variety of interests and tastes. It provides an interesting challenge to businesses trying to reach that demographic. Companies must constantly be innovating and adding value and new features to their products and services in order to keep the attention and market share of the college age group. Take a look at things like Instagram, FourSquare, Pinterest and Draw Something to see 1) how quickly the market moves 2) how influential 20 somethings are with their peers 3) how the incorporate “old” tricks to show a “new” market how to really live. 

Thoughts on this topic? Comment below!

A very wise man (Dr. Steve Greene read his blog here [businessdean2go.com]) once said in a brilliant lecture, “If you try to be everything to everybody, you’ll end up being nothing to no one, so just try to be something to somebody.”

This is true in business and in life. People pleasers end up being so miserable. They run around trying to make everybody happy by doing everything. The reality is that no matter how hard we try, whatever decision is made or action is taken, someone somewhere will be unhappy or upset.

The sooner we can stop being everything to everybody and focus on helping one person, the more fulfilled and significant we’ll feel.

Isn’t this the essence of defining and owning a niche?

The 20 somethings are some of the worst offenders, for both sides. We are so concerned with how others view us that we try to make everybody happy, all the while making ourselves miserable. On the other side, we pressure others into doing what we want and throw them into this trap, too.

An economy like this is certainly customer controlled. But, that doesn’t mean that your business or product has to conform. Own your niche.

Before you add new product lines, change your prices or other radical “improvements” to your business consider who you are targeting. While its true that these changes may add a few customers to your herd, you might lose some faithful followers in the process.

It costs more to find and convert new customers than it does to keep the ones you have. Hello.

Don’t change yourself or your business to fit into some mold or someone else’s idea of what you should be. Do you. Focus on making a change in a few people’s lives and charge them for it! You’ll be surprised who they tell, then you can help those people find a change they want in their lives and the cycle goes on.

Just like Dr. Greene says, “If you try to be everything to everybody, you’ll end up being nothing to no one, so just be something to somebody.”

When it comes to reaching the 20 something demographic, social media is a must. Studies have shown that people today are spending more time on social media than watching tv. Or they watch tv and scroll through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, MySpace, etc, while watching.

According to an interesting article regarding social media, young adults (ages 18-24) are, “6 percent of this age group spend over 8 hours a day on social media.” So there is no doubt, that to reach my generation, social media is a must. (see the full article here: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/teens-prefer-facebook-twitter-to-television/15118 )

There is some dispute as to which social media platform to use however. Despite the fact that Facebook has the most minutes spent per user, I would not recommend using Facebook to reach this particular demographic, young 20s. Do not be deceived by these types of fancy infographics.

This infographic, while very nice, does not show WHO is getting on these platforms. Yes, Facebook may have the most time spent, but WHO is using it? My guess, Grandmas. Seriously. Grandmas and Tweens. If you want to target Grandmas and Tweens, USE FACEBOOK. Otherwise, steer clear.

Facebook is getting too cluttered. We now have friends that we don’t really know but feel obligated to be friends with online because we have class with them. Or we have so many irrelevant posts and pictures coming through the news feed that Facebook is becoming a bother to a lot of 20 year olds.

I talked to someone just today about Facebook’s Timeline feature, how much she dislikes Facebook now and the changes they’ve been making. Facebook is merely becoming a resource to keep up with long distance relationships and a storage space for all of our pictures from now to when we were 16 at prom.

My point is this. If you want 20 ish year old individuals to buy something from your company, DO NOT USE FACEBOOK TO GET THEIR ATTENTION. Mostly because, 1) you won’t get their attention. 2) the time spent on Facebook is going to diminish significantly for this age group.

Depending on your industry, target market and the product you are marketing, other platforms to consider may include but are not limited to, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest or Google+.

Good luck and happy socializing!

In promoting a product or service, it can be appropriate to use hype and excitement to persuade a buyer. However, there is a fine line, especially when targeting 20 year olds.

Too much hype and excitement will make us think that your company is compensating for something or the product isn’t that good. Or we’ll be overwhelmed by the enthusiasm of the product and check out and not buy it at all.

On the other hand, if there is no hype or promotion of any kind, how will the message get out? Apathetically telling people about the product is the polar opposite and not increasing the bottom line.

A lot of things in life require moderation and this is one of them. To reach the 20 somethings without turning them off to your product by seeming fake and over-the-top excited about it, you have to know first who you are targeting.

If you want to capture the attention of the hipster and indie crowd, you’ll need to stay local and use a lot of word of mouth, tumblr and blogging. Keep it low key.

If you want to capture a more commercial, mainstream group of young adults, use mediums like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and maybe celebrity endorsements. Be sure to use lots of energy.

Apple is a great example of how to reach the target market and create demand. They keep their promotional commercials concise and even a little minimalist. The commercials don’t have any call to action and they don’t drive you to a website or even a Facebook or Twitter page. The Apple commercials simply demonstrate the product and then leave you a little thirsty for more information.

Apple has found the hype balance too. Before the release, they let buyers know that they can pre-order a product so they’ll be sure to have one before everyone else. Not to mention the launch conference in California and the presentation showing off the new product; both of these engage the customer and hype the product. Apple knows it has a superior product and that the customers will hype the product for them.

To hype or not to hype? That is the question. Know who you want to reach and develop a plan to reach them. Don’t hype too much or you may turn them off, but also don’t hide your product under a bush.

What are your thoughts? Comment below.

In a time where everyone is panicking about global warming, the end of the world and frugality with precious resources, going green is certainly a trend worth taking a look at. In fact, a lot of companies have jumped on the bandwagon to not only help their business save money by using more energy efficient light bulbs or encouraging employees to car pool for their commute, but also helping the environment.

Businesses even go as far as advertising their good, green intentions. “We recycle!” or “We love the World!” etc. Pepsi partnered with Waste Management and launched a recycling campaign with their “dream machines” and rewards people with points to redeem prizes for recycling.

I think its great that so many people, companies, organizations are so aware of their own impact on the earth and our environment, but I wonder…are they doing this in vain?

It seems to me that many of these businesses are advertising that they are a “green” company, which is great, but does anyone care? Global warming chatter seems to have died down a little bit, or perhaps we’re all just anticipating the end of the world as we know it in 2012, according to the Mayans. Or maybe, people just don’t care about recycling.

And what about 20-something college age and yuppies? Do we care about the “green” movement?

Companies need to take a look at their strategies and determine if their target markets place value and importance on using natural, organic products and recycling and using more energy efficient practices, etc. If the answer is that the demographic doesn’t care at all about that, the company should probably still improve its cost structure by using more energy efficient materials, but not advertise or promote the fact that they do. However, if the demographic does demand a green and organic company, the company should evaluate the best ways to show that off and remain profitable.

Personally, I don’t think that many 20-something year olds care too much about saving the earth from ourselves. If anything it is innate. We’ve kind of grown up with recycling and organic options and pesticide free choices, so it is a little more normal and less radical to us than the switch must have been for our parents. I don’t really think twice about recycling, I just do it. I live on campus at my university so the option is there. I do know that there are some crazy hippies out there that will scold you for not recycling though. Know your market and plan from there.

Most people are familiar with the supply and demand concepts that run the world we live in, but please allow me to reiterate for accuracy. When supply is high demand is low and vice versa. This inverse relationship is applicable in other areas of life, not just business. If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “too much of a good thing” you know what I’m talking about.

For example, if you and a casual friend see each other on occasion and both seem to like each other, then your friendship is probably in equilibrium. You both want to spend X amount of time together and you both get to spend that time, supply and demand are fulfilled and all is well with the world. However, they invite you to go home with them for a week. This increases your supply of one another and drastically decreases the demand. Likely, when you return home you will not want to spend much time with them for a little while, until things return to equilibrium.

This careful balance applies to a lot of things; look for it in other aspects of life. We want what we can’t have and what is accessible to us isn’t attractive. So how do marketers keep their product/service in equilibrium, in supply and demand?

Steve Jobs was a genius at knowing when to build demand by hyping the product and making consumers’ mouths water. He also knew when to let the product flow and to flood the market with product. Build demand and withhold the desired item, then supply everyone with one.

My generation seems to like being the only one with a certain product/item/thing. They like the fact that they have something that you don’t. It’s selfish and silly, but it’s true. If your business can find a way to make what your company does have some degree of exclusivity, you’ll be successful in capturing my generation (early 20s). Be careful to find the just right place in equilibrium, not too much product, but just enough to make us thirsty.

The 20-something demographic is paradoxical in nature. With technology adaptations, such as smartphones and tablets, and most things available either instantly or within one to two business days, we have become pretty selfish. We are focused inwardly and consider only our own problems and concerns. Harsh, but honest.

Ironically, this generation also is very aware of the world and what happens therein. We are aware of and are striving to help people across the world in need. Organizations like World Vision (worldvision.com) and Feed My Starving Children (http://www.fmsc.org/) are, at the least, on the radar of a lot of 20-somethings.

Take Toms Shoes for example. Toms gives a pair of shoes to a kid in Africa when you buy a pair of shoes. People eat that up! We love that we can help someone in Africa by wearing these weird looking shoes. (toms.com). There are a lot of companies and organizations that have jumped on this bandwagon, as well.

There is power in partnering with an organization that supports the underdog, beggar, helpless person, single mom, poverty-stricken child. 20-somethings want to help somebody; we want to feel like we make a difference. Of course, not everyone can donate millions of dollars to an impoverished community, or send hundreds of pounds of food to a starving family, but we can help in small ways.

The thing is, people want to give back and we like other people, and companies, that also give back. If your company can show that you care about *insert cause, organization, issue, etc here*, you will of course receive the good feelings that come with helping someone out, but you’ll also gain this 20-something demographic that, oddly enough, cares about making a difference in the world.

Find a problem (should be fairly easy) and make an effort to make a change. The result will be changed lives, for your company and the people you touch and the approval and following of hundreds of yuppies.

The current twenty-something demographic has more control over the economic environment now more than ever before. Twenty-somethings drive consumerism. I am here to represent them. We drive the trends. We decide what is hot and what is not. If you want your product or service to sell now and in the future, we are the people to appeal to.

Design has worked its way into everyday business more and more. Designers are no longer just for decorating houses, designing clothes, or drawing blue prints. Design is an aspect of so many businesses. Now, graphic designers are in high demand. Everyone wants to give their organization that unique, sleek edge.

This generation grew up on computers. We’ve seen the original dot matrix printer paper with the holes in it that made sort of scary noises. We probably knew more about computers and Microsoft Office than our parents. I don’t know about you, reader, but I used to play on Photoshop and similar software for hours. Experimenting with effects and layers, messing with the saturation and contrast on photos of my family members. We know technology.

We have a deep appreciation for products that look good and very little tolerance for ones that look outdated and old. Apple is a prime example. Their designer, Jonathan Ive, was knighted by the Queen of England for his innovations for Apple in the design arena. Just for that! Sir Jonathan Ive.

Twenty-somethings buy things that look stylish, cool, sleek, sharp, classy, chic. Its where we’re at. The companies that get left behind will be the ones that are either too slow to change, unwilling to change or in denial.

If you’re looking for some ideas what is hip, trendy, appealing check out these links.

http://jimlepage.com/

http://www.allsparkinteractive.com/

http://illiam.com/

http://foundrycollective.com/

http://noteandpoint.com