AHF Products

The digital world today offers everyone the opportunity to engage with people electronically through many different touch points. There are digital ads, social media, streaming, email marketing, display advertising, search engine marketing, etc. It is important to understand your market, the customer journey and what motivates a buyer to purchase your product. It’s also important to understand your own purpose as a business and why someone would purchase a product from you. Lastly, as you continue to gain knowledge about your local or regional market’s need for flooring, you will also need to understand how different generations view the world, their values, and motivations. This will help to better position your product or service for better engagement and ultimately a flooring sale.

What Is Your Purpose?

Why do you do what you do? Is it because you like working and making money? For some, yes, but for others there’s a passion that drives them to do what they do.  People buy from companies or people with a purpose. Customers don’t always like to buy products for the sake of buying. They buy them because they have a need. For the residential flooring industry, the need may be because they are building or renovating a home, adding more space, replacing an old floor, building an in-law’s quarters, or just simply because they are tired of the floor they have and want something new.

This is where your purpose meets their need. You’re a local retailer that is part of the community. You’re raising your family there; participate in activities, a part of the community. Your purpose is to help people live a better life in your own hometown. You need to exemplify that messaging and integrate it into your communications and advertising to better reach and engage prospective customers.

Who Are You Selling To?

It’s best to know your audience before doing anything in life. You wouldn’t stand up in front of a crowd and speak about just anything, would you? You probably wrote a speech on a specific topic and when writing that speech, you probably thought about the audience. You thought about their wants and needs and how would you reach them through your words. It’s the same with advertising. Digital advertising is ubiquitous. It’s everywhere. You can’t avoid it in today’s world. You need to better understand your market, who lives in it and what needs you are able to fulfill.

To do this, you can work with a local marketing agency or a consultant who already knows the area they serve. They can pull demographics of the town, region, and state and gives you a basis for who you’re targeting in the direct marketing area (DMA), or you can use the internet to pull census data. The most recent census data from 2020 is available just by searching. Use this data to your advantage to better understand what percentage of the population in your area are over 55, under 35, living with a family, living alone, their income, etc. There’s free data out there. Use it!

Selling to Different Generations

So now you know who you’re selling to in your DMA. Now what? Here’s where knowing your audience comes into play. You need to know what motivates them to act. What are their likes and dislikes? What are they doing at their current stage of life? How likely is it that they can afford the product you’re offering? This is where understanding the generations will help you position your messaging appropriately.

Matures: born before 1946

This aging generation is looking forward to retirement and relaxing. Within this generation are two segments. The first segment is referred to as the tried and true (47 percent). This segment is low risk as they’ve learned what keeps them safe and secure. They think that things have really changed, and they want everything go back to the way it was.

The second segment is the golden agers (53 percent). This segment really takes the bulls by the horn, so to speak, and likes to extend beyond their comfort zone. You may want to target this segment as they are looking for adventure and may want to remodel their space. However, both of these segments grew up with hardwood in their homes, so the nostalgia of hardwood floors is engrained in them (pun intended).

Boomers: born 1946-1964

This generation really is the movers and shakers. Think about all that this generation has seen and experienced. The end of WWII, the roaring 40s, growth of the middle class, Elvis, the Beatles. They’ve experienced quite a lot.  They are segmented but equal in their motivations. Twenty-two percent of them are considered full throttle and are busy all the time. While 59 percent are smooth sailors and are enjoying the fruits of their labors. And yet, 20 percent are out there making a difference. They’re hoping to help make the world a better place.

Gen X: born 1965-1978

This generation is a bit set in their ways. Their parents were the movers and shakers, so they’re likely to be a bit more refined. Fifty-eight percent are considered pragmatic pathfinders. They want to make the most of their life. While the other 42 percent are more about their home. They find comfort in making their home the center of their life. (Hint: this is who you may want to target with new flooring.)

Millennials: born 1979-1996

Millennials are the most diversified generation with many different segments ranging from “old souls” to “free spirits”. As a result, there are four different segments that bring diversity to this generation. Twenty percent are new traditionalists who are family oriented and living their life to support their family. Thirty-seven percent, the largest segment, are ambitious realists who are looking for everything, but not sure if they’re able to handle it. Trail blazers makes up 25 percent of millennials who like to stay one step ahead of the crowd and take risks. These are the people who are out there living their best life. While the last segment (18 percent) is out there fighting for a better world. In general, though, this generation has money to spend and are willing to pay for the finer things. However, they need to identify with a company’s purpose, so keep that in mind when marketing to this generation.

Gen Z: born 1996-2010

This generation is all in, out to make a difference, and not afraid to take risks. They see a world filled with opportunities and want to be  part of the solution to multiple causes. They’re tech-savvy and connected having grown up in an on-demand, mobile phone in hand environment. When making a decision, they need to be connected digitally, so having visualizer tools or virtual reality experiences are key for them when making a purchase. They also want quick response, so be prepared to act quickly when providing them with a product or service.

Generation Alpha: born 2010

This current generation is our “up and coming” generation of purchasers. Not quite at the stages of making home improvement purchases, but we can gauge their current activity and make assumptions of their future shopping habits. They’re strong willed, determined, have a strong conviction in beliefs and resilient. They’re confident, work hard and desire to be in control while seeking out challenges. They’re considered the “richest generation” both in wealth and knowledge and are spending on all things from technology, gaming and streaming services to food delivery, fashion, and hobbies. What the future holds for this generation is unknown, but they are a combination of all the generations that came before them.

Customer Journey, Digital Engagement & Content Marketing

When developing content to engage specific generations, there needs to be a specific strategy to really stand out. There is much clutter in the world today with social media, advertisements, influencers of all types and videos. There’s so much to look at and absorb in the digital world around us. Having a clear focus on the generation you want to target, knowing their needs and wants, likes, and dislikes, and the stage in their lives, can be valuable when creating a marketing campaign. Truly understanding who you are creating content and advertising for can pay off in dividends to your business. Knowing that customer and their path to purchase is key to understanding how to sell to them.

Flooring is not an everyday purchase. For some generations, it takes time to truly weigh all the features and benefits. For other generations, they may react on impulse and not care about the durability or upkeep. They may only care about the look. Being able to target your audience based on research -- and more importantly -- the insights you gain from research, is key to a successful marketing program. Know your audience. Relate to them. You’ll find they’re more receptive to purchasing your product when making that final decision.