By Traci Smith
"To get started on our journey of Marketing Leads Club to “Gen Y”, it’s probably best if we understand a little more about each of the modern day generations:
1946-1954 (8 years)
The Baby Boomers (Boom Generation) were the generation born just after World War II, a time that included a 14-year increase in birthrate worldwide. Baby Boomers in their teen and college years were characteristically part of the 1960s counterculture, but later became more conservative. Have also described as self involved or yuppies.
1955-1964 (10 years)
Generation Jones was the heretofore lost generation between the Boomers and GenXers, which has emerged now as a bona fide distinct generation. The election of Barack Obama to the U.S. Presidency created significantly increased awareness of this generation as many prominent sources referred to Obama as specifically a member of Generation Jones.
1965-1979 (14 years)
Generation X is the generation born between approximately 1965 to 1979, and connected to the pop culture of the 1980s and 1990s they grew up in. Other names used interchangeably with Reagan Generation, Generation X are 13th Generation and Baby Busters. Most of this generation are children of The Baby Boomers and The Silent Generation. Also know as the “Slacker Generation”. Those born before 1973 spent most of their teen years in the 1980s.
1980-1995 (14 years)
Generation Y or "Millennials" are the largest generation in American history. Born between 1980 and 2000, they are 95 million strong, compared to 78 million Baby Boomers. Generation Y. Also known as the “Trophy Generation” They have been nurtured and pampered, programmed with a slew of activities as children, high performance, high maintenance and “tech” savvy. They believe in their own worth.
Have you figured out which generation category you fall into? Ok great! Now you may be saying to yourself, well what the heck do I have in common with a Gen Y? How can I easily communicate with someone that is so much younger or different than me? Well, you probably have a little more in common than you think, especially when it comes to technology.
Take the following test and add up your points at the end. You will see that you may have actually “moved up” a few generations and hopefully this will make you feel a little more comfortable with approaching a Gen Y with regards to becoming a part of Leads Club and also marketing your products or services.
The Test
based on a test by Martha Weigel, Harvard & MIT
- Do you have your own web page? (1 point)
- Have you made a web page for someone else? (2 points)
- Do you IM your friends? (1 point)
- Do you text your friends? (2 points)
- Do you watch videos on YouTube? (1 point)
- Do you remix video files from the Internet? (2 points)
- Have you paid for and downloaded music from the Internet? (1 point)
- Do you know where to download free (illegal) music from the Internet? (2 points)
- Do you blog for professional reasons? (1 point)
- Do you blog as a way to keep an online diary? (2 points)
- Do you communicate with friends on Facebook? (2 points)
- Are you on Twitter? (1 point)
- Do you use email to communicate with your relatives or business associates? (1 point)
- Did you text to communicate with your relatives or business associates? (2 points)
- Do you take photos with your phone? (1 point)
- Do you share your photos from your phone with your friends? (2 points)
Now add up your points and find your NEW GENERATION!
What’s Your Score?
Tally your points and find out what Generation you are really a part of now!
- 0-1 point - Baby Boomer
- 2-6 points - Generation Jones
- 6- 12 points - Generation X
- 12 or over - Generation Y
How did you do? Did you surprise yourself with the amount of technology you use? It’s impressive since most of us did not even have a computer in our home growing up, which is completely opposite of Gen Y in most cases. Well give yourself a pat on the back if you jumped up a few generations, you are doing a great job at moving yourself and your business forward with use of modern technology.
Speaking of marketing, don’t forget to check out Lisa Bentson’s “Focused Networking” book, available on the this site and learn the eight principles of 21st Century Marketing. This book will give you great information that can be used when marketing to anyone, including Gen Y."
Traci Smith
Young Professional Liaison & Chapter Consultant Los Angeles
traci@traciwithatoolbelt.com