Get Ready for Gen Alpha

Speaker 1: 0:00

Gen Alpha is forecasted to become the largest generation in history, reaching about 2 billion by 2025. So these kids are growing up really fast, right Way faster than even Gen Z that came right before them, and by taking the time to really understand their thoughts and behaviors at this really early stage of the game and really speaking to them with authenticity and respect, you're going to have a chance to resonate a lot sooner and quicker and build a connection with them that will last for years to come. Welcome to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo, where we're all about mixing tried and true strategies that actually work with the magic of manifestation and the science of programming your unconscious mind so that you walk away feeling integrated, inspired and aligned. I'm Renee Bowen, certified Life and Business Coach, professional Photographer, middle-aged Wife and Mom to now three grown kids. I've built two multiple six-figure businesses with zero business training by digging in, learning the methods, and now I'm here to pass them all on to you, from photography and business strategies to energy healing, human design and the basics of manifestation we cover it all here. I'm here to help you embrace your multi-passionate brains and lean in to the fastest and most efficient ways to reach your goals, whatever they may be, whether you're a season pro or just starting out, or maybe you're just here for the woo-woo, let's dive in and explore all the exciting ways to take your life, business and self-improvement to the next level. Thanks for joining me and get ready to be inspired. Hey, hey, welcome back to Tried and True with the Dash of Woo. I am your host, renee Bowen.

Speaker 1: 2:00

Today, we're going to talk about Generation Alpha. Now, a lot of y'all who listen to this podcast are high school senior photographers, because that's what I do and this is going to be relevant to you guys, obviously, but also to anybody who is any sort of creative who wants to reach and speak to Gen Alpha, and I know that this generation is getting a really bad rap on social media right now, and sometimes rightly so. But here's the thing If you are marketing to teenagers, you really need to understand this generation as soon as possible, because I've been speaking about Gen Z since probably like 2014. 2014 is like when I started blogging about them and talking about them on social media and coaching other photographers about Gen Z, because that generation was super savvy, very different than the millennials that we had been working with as high school senior photographers for years and I saw all these changes coming. It definitely helped shape the way that I formed my model team, my influencer team, and now I call the same thing a creator team Again. That's because I always want to be thinking about the evolution of my client and who they are, who they're growing into, how they're changing, what their buying habits are. I geek out on all this stuff, so I have been collecting data on Gen Alpha for months and months and months now, and so those of you guys in my coaching groups and Elevate, and if you're in one-on-one with me, you know that this is one of the main things that we talk about.

Speaker 1: 3:49

If you're a high school senior photographer because you really have to know who your client is and anybody who tells you that, well, you're a high school senior photographer, you should just be marketing to the parents, or anyone, for that matter, who tells you that. If you are trying to sell to teenagers and they tell you to only market to the parents, that is not valid advice anymore, because these parents are allowing their kids so much more freedom and so much more agency in you know having a say so and who gets hired and also what gets purchased in general. So you have to be marketing to the parent, yes, but you absolutely need to be marketing to that teenager and our Gen Alpha clients are coming up really fast and they're going to be teenagers really soon. And the other side note to this, too, is that if you are a high school senior photographer, the best advice I could give you as far as like marketing well, some of the best advice would be to start younger right, because you get a chance to really foster those younger teens and lead them into your high school senior clientele, and especially if you run a senior team, so you could start a junior team or a teen team or, you know, you can call it lots of different things, but if you start marketing to younger teenagers, then you can lead really nicely into your senior team. I talk about this a lot in the creative team method and specifically how to differentiate those teams, because they should be different. They really shouldn't be the same exact thing, because why would they feel, you know, any sort of aspiration to lead into a senior team if it's the exact same thing they get every year? So, yes, there does need to be some differences and I talk about that in the creative team method. But this podcast is going to be all about who Gen Alpha is, all of their buying habits, all the latest data that we have on them, and then talking a lot about, obviously, how you can reach them and market to them and really start of connect with them, just in general. So, again, I say this a lot.

Speaker 1: 6:02

I don't intend for this episode to be super long. I do want to try and keep it bite-sized, but we'll see how I do so. Real quick, who is Generation Alpha? Born between 2010 and 2024. Okay, that's technically the years that we're looking at. As far as, like the actual generation, they are way more digitally savvy than any other generation that has ever come before them.

Speaker 1: 6:31

Obviously, experts indicate that because they're growing up with technology and technology is changing so quickly, so much that they are often called iPad kids they're really more likely to willingly back away from screen time in exchange for time outside. I mean, I can definitely see how that's a thing I've seen it with. You know, I don't have kids this age, but I see friends with kids this age, and also my nieces, so I definitely can see that. And experts also indicate that GenAlpha consumers are emotionally intuitive and really focused on fundamental values, including, you know, continuous learning and advocating for other people, embracing diversity, expressing their opinions, because, also, their parents are, like I said, giving them the agency to do that. You know, they really do feel like they have a voice. They're really motivated by this profound sense of purpose, right? So most GenAlpha's aspire to make some kind of positive impact.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Now, again, they're young. So when you are young, just in general, sometimes you do have these ideals, you know. I don't know about you, but I remember being that age and, even though I'm GenX, I also, you know, had those thoughts. So I think some of this is, you know, due to the fact that they are still young teenagers, and a lot can change, as we know, between the ages, especially of like 13 and 16, right so? But in general, they really do have a heart for others and seem to be other person centered. They really want to contribute to, you know, the environment and the well-being of the world.

Speaker 1: 8:29

Basically, you have to also take into account that GenAlpha has been digital natives from birth, right? So they're really the first generation to be entirely born in the 21st century and they've really grown up in a world where technology is just a part of their daily life in many different ways. Recent surveys indicate that a significant majority of GenAlpha kids have access to smartphones and tablets from a really early age. That's why they call them the iPad kids. Often even before they can walk or talk, they're, you know, super savvy about the tech, obviously, and screen time, and reports show that GenAlpha spends a substantial amount of time on screens. So by the age of three, it's said that many kids have already are already really proficient at navigating apps and digital devices, and this early exposure to this tech really shapes their cognitive development and social interactions. So it's going to be really interesting to see what the ramifications of that are, because we've never been here before, right? So yes, we've, definitely.

Speaker 1: 9:37

You know, genz is very tech savvy and digital, but not like GenAlpha. They also, like I said before, they are one of the most diverse generations because that's just how the world is growing and, you know, changing, and they have a higher likelihood of being exposed to a multitude of cultures and backgrounds. So recent studies highlight the fact that they're more globally connected than previous generations, in lots and lots of different ways, obviously, and that's thanks to social media and the internet, and obviously COVID was a really big, big factor for them in their development. It really accelerated this adoption of online learning. You know good or bad for GenAlpha, so the recent data about that reveals that virtual classrooms, educational apps and online resources have really become just an integral part of their education now, and this experience has further increased their digital literacy and comfort with these online tools. Also, like I mentioned previously, they're really environmentally conscious, even more so than GenZers. They're more likely to be, you know, thinking about the environment. They're growing up in a world that's increasingly focused on sustainability, and so they really are very conscious about their family's choices, pushing for eco-friendly products and sustainable practices in and outside of the home. So this is all super important stuff for us to be thinking about.

Speaker 1: 11:15

Again, I talk about our target client a lot like knowing who that target client is. This is all part of it. You really got to dig deep, so obviously we're going to be talking about you know, a generalization of GenAlpha here in this podcast, but your homework is to go even deeper with that, okay, so another hallmark of this generation is that they're really influenced by kid fluencers. Okay, so this is a fascinating trend the emergence of kid fluencers, basically kid influencers, on social media platforms. So recent reports on that indicate that GenAlpha often sees their peers as influencers and really looks to them for inspiration. They admire young creators and content makers, which really shapes their preferences and aspirations. And if you're on TikTok you've probably seen this. There's a whole slew of GenAlpha kids. Who are these kid influencers? And, yes, they are sort of fueling the frenzy in Sephora for skincare and all of these you know consumer products right that a lot of people would argue that they're probably too young to be using.

Speaker 1: 12:33

We're not going to go into all of that in this podcast. Everyone is free to have their own opinions, but I want to just highlight the fact that it's happening right, because, whether you approve of it or not, it is happening and it is something to be aware of if you are going to be marketing to these kids. I'm not saying that you have to jump on that bandwagon. I'm saying that this is data and maybe your particular ideal client isn't that type of GenAlpha, but it's really important to understand what your target client is exposed to on the daily, because it shapes how they feel and how they think and ultimately, how they're going to act and react basically to your marketing right and your messaging. So it's all really important information and you know, I highly encourage you to lean into the neutrality of it and try and just see it as what it is and not good or bad. But how can you work with this in this information right Now?

Speaker 1: 13:39

The other fact of the matter, with the whole kid fluencer situation and the creators because you know that word is very much in line with you know who they are. They're sort of natural creators because of social media. That's one of the other reasons why I changed the name of my model team, my influencer team method, the way that I teach teams to high school senior photographers, to the creative team method, and so I use that whole you know positioning, if you want to say it that way. But, yeah, I use that positioning as, yes, you could be, you could step into this role of being a creator and an influencer. You know to your peers If that's something you're interested in doing and it doesn't have to look like you know doing. You know halls on TikTok and you know creating frenzy and to become like a huge, huge creator. It could just be like you know talking about some of the some of your favorite products, and TikTok has definitely made this easier for people. So that's another reason because anyone can really kind of sign up to sell their products from TikTok shop and make a really, you know, decent little side gig amount of money. Again, like or not, tiktok has changed and so a lot of it is about TikTok shop now. Anyway, that's just part of it, but I want you to realize that they are on social media and they are being influenced by other peers, their age, which is another phenomenal reason why you could be doing a team so that they could be influencing their friends to come to you.

Speaker 1: 15:25

Okay, so the other hallmark of this generation, before we sort of move into some of the marketing pieces, is that you know, the data shows that Gen Alpha's parents often millennials or, you know, really really tech savvy people actively introduce their kids to tech and digital devices. Right, they embrace it. So this parental involvement in the guiding and monitoring these online activities is a really big key aspect of Gen Alpha's upbringing, because, remember a lot of the Gen Zers that were dealing with this you know, sort of onslaught of tech or more and more social media their parents were mostly Gen Xers or Xenials, which is the generation between Gen X and millennials. So Gen Z was mostly raised by people who did not grow up with social media, and I myself I'm really really tech savvy. But I'm Gen X. I'm tech savvy because I like it. You know, it's something that I really enjoy and it's also part of what I do is help other people learn how to embrace it and how to use it effectively for marketing. But that's kind of rare.

Speaker 1: 16:45

You know, I see most people my age either not on social media very much, and if they are, it's mainly just Facebook, and they do it to keep in touch with family and they really just don't really care or want to be a part of it. So they did not have this sort of parental involvement with the tech. So a lot of Gen Zers grew up sort of unsupervised online, which could be really bad, and I think a main hallmark here is that Gen Alpha is growing up with parents who know about the text. So I do feel pretty good about that. For the most part, I feel as though their millennial parents are a lot more involved, let's say, than a lot of the Gen Zers that I've seen with their parents, because their parents just really kind of don't know, and I even see a lot of photographers who are marketing to teenagers who don't understand how to use social media, which I love teaching them, but it's a thing. So it's definitely just something to understand about this generation.

Speaker 1: 17:53

But, in general, gen Alpha is, I think, super unique, a really diverse generation that has grown up with tech as just a part of their lives. It's just a thing. They're exposure to screens from a really really young age. Combined with global connectivity, right, and how social media makes the world seem so much smaller and a focus on this sustainability, the environment. It makes them a generation to really be fascinated with. If that's something that you are interested in and if you are obviously marketing to, it really would be who view to learn as much as you possibly can about them. So I really believe that we need to understand these characteristics, to really connect with them, because this generation is really socially conscious and they crave connection, and that means in-person connection. So we'll get to that in a second.

Speaker 1: 18:50

Okay, so, as someone who wants to work with Gen Alpha or will be working with Gen Alpha, how can you connect with them? Because connection is key, right? You know we've been hearing about that for years. I talk about it a lot anytime. I'm talking about social media, you know, just in general, storytelling and authenticity and really being yourself and, you know, being your true self right as a representation of your brand that's important. So what does that really mean?

Speaker 1: 19:25

Well, reaching Gen Alpha effectively really is gonna require a thoughtful and strategic approach. You know, especially in the digital realm and you guys hear me talking about digital marketing and marketing strategies for your photography businesses a lot and how important a strategy is, but your strategy is going to be very unique. So keep that in mind as we sort of work through some of these things this generation is very active online, right? They're on YouTube, they're on Roblox and they're on TikTok and they're very, very engaged on these platforms. So one of the first things that I think is extremely important is to leverage your visual storytelling okay. So Gen Alpha responds really well to this and they use platforms like Instagram and TikTok, where you know images and stories can really take center stage and especially if you're a photographer like this is a fantastic opportunity for you because we have the content. Okay. So create really great visuals to get their attention, but that also resonate with their interests and their preferences.

Speaker 1: 20:44

So, again, you're gonna have to go deep into who that target client is for yourself. Those of you guys in any of my coaching programs know that we go deep into this. I'm actually almost done with a new target client a deeper dive into really honing your target client. I already have a lot of content inside of like Elevate for my group coaching members and also the one-on-one clients that I work with, but I wanted to create something that was going to be a lot deeper, a lot more specific, with, you know, gen Alpha also in mind, because they're coming up fast, and also the client journey, because it's so important for you to know. You know all these touch points. How do they find you? How are they going to come into contact with your brand? And then what are all the little pieces throughout that process? What are all the touch points along the way with you Right? How are you gonna serve them? How are you going to guide them? So I'm creating something for my coaching students.

Speaker 1: 21:52

So this is super top of mind for me and again, you've got to make sure that you do that work, because if you're marketing to everybody, your marketing is not gonna hit anybody, it's not gonna resonate. So you really have to understand your target client's interests and preferences. So, yes, these are all generalizations, but in your area, what are these kids doing? And yes, we are still marketing to Gen Z right now. So, you know, let's not, you know, whisk them away just yet. But I talk a lot about that. So you already have heard me speaking about Gen Z for years.

Speaker 1: 22:27

I do think that there's a lot of overlap, you know, especially now with the most recent Gen Zers, like, let's say, class of 2024, class of 2025. You know, we're seeing it's gonna have this like evolution, right as it shifts into. Okay, here's Gen Alpha and I really do think that, just like every generation, there's like a few years of overlap that are gonna kind of become their own little sub generation, right, like the Zeneals. So all that to say understanding how they appreciate and how they resonate with their own experiences and what their aspirations are. We can use that in our visual storytelling. So that's a really big part of it. You gotta know what's gonna like, get their attention as they're scrolling.

Speaker 1: 23:25

The other thing, obviously, is gonna be short form video. This has been a thing for a while. Like you know, it's not going anywhere at all. It is changing. There are some things that are shifting, like, for instance, one of the newest TikTok not trends, but I guess it is a trend. Basically, one of the things that's working on TikTok right now that is very different than what it has been in the past is horizontal video. So we've kind of been hearing murmurings of this for a little while, because TikTok really kind of wants to be YouTube in a lot of ways, and so a lot of people have been saying, okay, it's just going to be a natural evolution that horizontal videos are going to become preferred in the algorithm. So if you're listening to this, you know when I'm publishing this podcast. This is the January 31st podcast 2024,.

Speaker 1: 24:27

If you're not using horizontal video yet, experiment with that on TikTok specifically, because they're saying that those videos are getting pushed out more. So play around with that and let me know how that goes. I'm definitely going to be experimenting with it as well, and it's something I'm going to be talking to my Elevate members about tomorrow on our call, in fact. So, okay, short form video definitely is not going anywhere, and you really need to be considering, if you're not creating this content yet, engaging short videos that really highlight who you are, what you do all of these little different moments that make up your business and that resonate with your messaging. Because, again, you don't want to photograph everyone. Some repelling marketing is not a bad idea as well.

Speaker 1: 25:23

But you could also, like I said before, lean into collaborating with some Gen Alpha influencers or people in your community who seem to be positioned. I'm not saying like, okay, only work with the popular kids. No, there's a lot of these kids who they're very entrepreneurial. A lot of them already have businesses. A lot of them already have, like, money saved. A lot of them already have their own YouTube channels, whether they're, like you know, a lot of subscribers or not, they're doing the thing and they're kind of excited about collaborating with other people. So thinking about your business with that in mind is going to be important, I think, moving into Gen Alpha and as they grow, which is why, if you have a senior rep team, you really should be considering using it as a creative collaboration, like I teach in the creative team method, and using it to your benefit, because that's the whole point you want them to spread the word about you and if you do it in a way that feels really good to them, it's going to just be really natural and that's where the magic happens.

Speaker 1: 26:37

Another important aspect that we touched on is the authenticity right. So they're really. They have a finely tuned radar for bullshit and they can smell it a mile away. So being really genuine and transparent with your online presence is necessary. It just is straight up necessary. It's not even optional anymore. So, you know, sharing your journey as a photographer, talking about your actual evolution and being as authentic and vulnerable also as you feel comfortable doing, can go a long way with this audience truly, and the whole point to that is building trust, and we really do need to embed as much as many touch points to build that trust as we possibly can. So that's why creating a decent amount of consistent content with a consistent messaging is so important. You know they really can become quite enamored with your brand, right, if they find you online with, like you know, your top of funnel, like reach marketing, and then you bring them into your world by creating marketing that is going to educate them, entertain them, make them feel good, make it, you know, feel like fun and play and that working with you, showing them that working with you is fun, and you know you want to get them excited about that.

Speaker 1: 28:13

The other thing, too, is to engage them in conversations. So social media is social. I say that a lot, but it's a two-way street. If you're just like posting and not actually engaging, you're not really using social media the right way, okay, and that could be why you aren't seeing the result that you possibly want. You have to engage with your audience by not just responding to comments. That's definitely important, but, you know, enticing people to actually comment, to direct message you, that kind of thing, and, yeah, responding to them, as you know, quickly, as you can.

Speaker 1: 28:55

I'm not saying you have to be on your phone all the time. There's a lot of different tools now for automations. I use many chat and I think it's pretty awesome. To be honest with you, I don't think it's. I mean, I think it's very affordable as well for all the things that it actually can do. So I'll link it in the show notes if you guys are interested in checking it out. It's definitely an investment, but again, is it going to save you time and actually convert audience into paying clients? It has for me. I've definitely seen it firsthand and I've only been using it a few months, so I definitely want to dive into that in a specific podcast later, after I have more data for you guys.

Speaker 1: 29:41

But in general, engage with your audience, ask them questions, run polls, encourage discussions related to, obviously, your business, but also like brand adjacent content, right? So if you're a senior photographer, you don't have to be just talking about your business and how you you know why I provide makeup and why I do what I do or whatever. That's all good content to have out there. And ideally you want to start with a blog like I talk about in my little mini course repurpose but and then, you know, break it up into pieces so you're not recreating the wheel all the time because your blog is a fantastic long form piece of SEO that can just live on forever and get you clients repeat repeatedly.

Speaker 1: 30:27

But my whole point to this is create brand adjacent content as well. That, you know, is going to catch attention. Catch their attention and then bring them into your world. So that could be anything like you know the most. You know the five most things, the five most fun things to do, your senior year or you know, if we're talking about Gen Alpha, even kind of go younger, like that you can even talk about. You know your own experience with skincare or makeup as a young teen or what you're using, and that you were influenced by Gen Alpha on TikTok, like making content about that, about how you're actually think it's fun to watch younger TikTokers and to see what's on trend, because it keeps you on trends, it keeps you in the know and makes you feel young, right? So when you're making that sort of brand adjacent content, that is going to be something that is fun or, you know, entertaining to that audience.

Speaker 1: 31:41

Then they just will naturally sort of look at some of your other content and see what you do. It's a great way to bring them into your universe, right, but you've got to be engaging with them. I have this whole document that I give my coaching students about story prompts, because there's a lot of different things that you can be using in your stories that a lot of people just aren't. You're just kind of like posting the content, but ideally you want people to be responding to the stories and you want people to kind of stay engaged with them, because that's where you can really foster the people who are following you. So Jennifer really is primed to appreciate brands who engage with them and who actively interact with them right. They like that, they like to be a part of it, they like to feel a part of it and they have a very collaborative spirit. So it's super important for you to be doing that.

Speaker 1: 32:43

Another way to connect with your Gen Alpha audience is to actually collaborate with them, like I was talking about before, as either starting a team or maybe even just like a little VIP program If you don't want to commit to a whole team. There's so many different ways you can do this. But Gen Alpha really does value their peer recommendations, so it would be a great idea for you to somehow leverage that so that you aren't doing the marketing all by yourself. And again, I also talk about working with other brands in your area, whether that's boutiques or hair salons, or maybe there is a brand that really wants to get in front of that generation as well. Find them and work with them. I'm telling you, that is a fantastic way to get at footholds in your market. And then, obviously, you want to be harnessing the power of what we call user-generated content. So encourage your Gen Alpha clients to share about their experiences with you, with their friends, like even if they're not on a team with you, you can definitely still ask them to share about that, because, again, it's very natural for them to want to do this, and I know that we've seen Gen Z really pull back from posting a lot and kind of wanting to step into that, but that's really not the case so far. With Gen Alpha, again, things might change as they get older, but right now we have a really good opportunity to get a lot more traction online, especially from this younger generation. So user-generated content, meaning content that they make about you it not only provides social proof for you, but it also just is going to tap into their network, obviously, because their posts go directly to their peers and then beyond, especially if they're making reels and TikToks, and there's a lot of potential there. So that could be, you know, that could look like you doing a shoot with one or two or three friends who are Gen Alpha right, who are super excited about you know, doing a shoot. Maybe you can come up with a theme for it, something very different. Obviously, you want to be standing out in your market, but think about how you can actually get them to create content as well.

Speaker 1: 35:09

One of the things that I do with my team is that I take a lot of BTS video, right, I mean just a lot, and I don't even use a lot of it. I just take it because I want it, because I never know what I'm going to use it for, right, I just kind of put it in a folder, organize it and I know where to find it, so that when I am creating videos I have it handy. But I also send that video all the clips that I have to them, because I want them to make their own content, because when they take ownership of it first of all, you know they're probably going to create different types of videos and they're going right to their friends Like that's what we want. Of course, I am very specific about asking them to tag me and in the way that I do that is really intentional. So that is a very, very big, powerful way to get your name just directly in front of their friends.

Speaker 1: 36:00

The other thing is to stay up to date with trends. Okay, so, social media trends change really, really fast. We've seen that a lot in the last few years and it's going to continue to just move very quickly. So I know that I can feel really daunting, because you kind of feel like, oh my God, I can't even keep up with it like how it is now, but staying informed about you know, the latest platforms, the features of them, these viral challenges and all the viral trends that are happening in popular with Gen Alpha is important. If you're marketing to them, you have to know. I'm sorry, but you do, but that's why people like me exist. Okay, so one of the things that I do is I send trends to my groups and my coaching students every. I like to do it every week, but sometimes it's every week and a half or so, because I like to collect a lot of them and then send it to them so that they have TikTok sounds that they know are trending, as well as Reels the sounds on Reels that are trending, because we know that using trending sounds is going to help your video go further. It's going to get bigger reach if you pair it with a trending sound. So, yeah, I know you don't have time to do all that. That's why I do it for you, but it's so important that you keep up with these trends and adapt your content and your marketing strategies to align with these trends so that you can stay relevant and appear relevant with this younger generation.

Speaker 1: 37:31

The other thing is to create interactive content. So I kind of touched on that briefly. But polls and quizzes and challenges can really get Gen Alpha's attention and keep them engaged. They're very big into gamification. Their attention span is really really short. It's getting shorter by the day. So you got to sort of catch them with these activities and make it entertaining and fun, but also provide opportunities for them to express themselves, because they really do like having a voice. So find a way to weave that into your marketing content in a way that's going to be fun for them. Don't make like a five minute video about it, but something fun and quick and engaging.

Speaker 1: 38:12

Yes, I know it seems like a daunting task, like I said, but again, it's important and staying up to date on this stuff is important. That's why I'm constantly talking about it with my clients, because I know that it's a huge pain point with us. It's such a juxtaposition, right Like we're super drawn to work with teenagers and yet a lot of us feel very intimidated by them and also have a hard time feeling super comfortable just getting out there and being ourselves. But honestly, that's the best thing you can be doing truly. And then just a little note about strategy. Obviously, you want to be monitoring your analytics and your feedback. Okay, so pay close attention to your analytics and the feedback on your social media accounts, analyze what content performs well, and that way you can adjust your strategy accordingly.

Speaker 1: 39:10

Okay, so GenAlpha's preferences might evolve very quickly, so staying agile with this is really really, really important. You can keep your analytics in a spreadsheet, like. There's a lot of different processes and, I guess, platforms and apps and things like that. You have to find something that works for you. But the idea is that you have to experiment and then you also have to look at the data to see what's working. You can't just, you know, if you keep just kind of throwing stuff out there and not looking at what the data is telling you, that's pointless. You have to know, like, what is actually engaging your clients, and so when you do have a video that goes off and does well, do it again, just like, maybe switch it up a little bit or actually just do the exact same thing and see if you get a similar result, because it's very possible that you will, and then you'll know where you sort of are landing with that. Okay.

Speaker 1: 40:08

And then the other thing I wanted to just mention as well, as far as like, how to connect with this generation is to build a community. Okay, build a sense of community around your brand. Gen Alpha really values belonging and connection, and they I don't think this is going to go away anytime soon not from anything that we see. So encourage them to share about you know, their creative endeavors, their entrepreneurial endeavors, or you know photography, tips or experiences related to, like what you do within a community that you create. Maybe you want to even create a group of some kind, whether it's on, you know, instagram or Snapchat group or something that is going to encourage them to be a part of something. Obviously, if you run a team, that is a fantastic way to create that and to nurture that. But if you don't run a team or you're just not quite there yet, maybe you can just do like a little VIP program. So you know, it's kind of like a modified version of a team, but they still feel a part of it. Or maybe you can even do something in person where you go into the schools and work with the yearbook advisor on something, or maybe you go in and speak to them about what it's like to be running your business and from there you can speak to maybe some of the people at school, like the teachers or coaches, or someone that you can talk to about creating a program that would benefit, you know, your clients, whether it be like a community service project where they can actually earn community hours, or an internship program with you. Get creative with it, think about how you can, you know, really help your community and step more into this role of a leader you know to your clients and your community, but also form these connections right. Create your own little community within your brand, because that will foster this sense of trust, like I was talking about before, and really help you leverage your business over time. It's just a fantastic way to really be connected to your audience.

Speaker 1: 42:25

The other thing I wanted to mention in relation to how you can encourage Gen Alpha clients to want to work with you. You know, outside of everything we just talked to, is the actual idea of embracing easy. You know, like the tech all right, so like offering online booking. Like, if you're not offering an opportunity for people to just easily book with you. Like remove the barrier to entry right, so make it easy for them. You know, use your CRM, whatever you use to create automations to make it easier and faster for you to get back to them. So if you get a lead, you want an automation to be able to go out to that person immediately so that they get an instant result, you know a response from you, and make it easy for them to book with you. Click here. You know, see the dates that I've got available. Just grab one here.

Speaker 1: 43:26

Yes, I know a lot of us who are high touch, full service boutique photographers, for instance. I know a lot of us prefer to Get people on a phone call first before we want to, you know, sort of book them. I don't do that, I never have. You are welcome to run your business however you want, but I really do believe that it's possible to book very high-end clients by creating Great automations and resources for them that they can digest on their own time, quick and easy, and then if obviously I always leave it open for them to hop on a call if they need to go deeper with me, I'm always available for that, and even in person and I do have some people take me up on that every now and then I've got a parent that wants to come by and actually look at my albums and all of that kind of stuff and that's totally fine. But 99% of my clients want to just get it done right.

Speaker 1: 44:20

That's one of my target clients biggest pain points is that they're busy. The kids are busy we see this already with our Gen Z clients, so it's even gonna get more intense with Gen Alpha, I think and the parents are busy. The parents are working you know my target client parents. Usually both parents are working and they're really busy, or the mom works and also does a lot with the kids, and so there's a lot going on and I want to make it really easy for these people To get what they want, because if I have to make them jump through a lot of hoops, if they feel like they've got to get on a call with me, that's a barrier and I do realize that I am selling a high-end product and it is a higher cost. But I'm telling you right now it can be done, because I've been doing it for years. So I would say you know, look at your processes and see what works for you, how you feel about it, what feels good to you is going to actually Resonate with them, because if you feel good about it. You know it's more likely to work and you're more likely to do it.

Speaker 1: 45:26

But my whole point is that you really need to be embracing the tech. Okay, if you're not embracing tech and you running a business, you're actually shooting clients and charging decent money and you don't have like a client management tool To keep track of things like a CRM. You need to get on that, and I will list a couple of resources for you in the show notes. One of them is Deb Mittsall. She is a 17 hats like expert. I don't use 17 hats, I use TAV a and I will post my link for TAV a as well. But if you have 17 hats and you don't know how to use it, you need to go and see Deb because she's freaking amazing. So, side note embrace your tech and then you know.

Speaker 1: 46:10

The biggest thing I can actually reiterate to you guys is to just stay active on social media. I know it's really a lot. I get it, but it doesn't have to be. It can look however you want it to look. You can also schedule a lot of your content. If you are, you know, organized about it and you've got a plan and a strategy in place, you can actually do this without working 24-7. I promise.

Speaker 1: 46:34

But consistent and active presence on social media. It's kind of essential if you're trying to reach teenagers. It just really is. You know, you've got to be engaging with them and you've got to be, you know, going out and engaging with them too, like in your yes, in person, but also going and finding them online, right? So this is one of the things that I talk about a lot, and one of the things that I teach is how to actually Find those clients on social media platforms, how to engage with them without being creepy, obviously. But I always tell people if you're not creepy, you're not gonna come off as creepy. Okay, so that's usually, that's just all in your head. Second of all, you just got to go out there and do it, and If you are trying to Mark it to these teenagers, you've got to be on social media. You just do, especially if you're just building your business. So it's it's really essential. It's not the only way to market, but it's very important. So you got to be engaging with them on their terms.

Speaker 1: 47:36

And before we wrap up, I just want to touch on this really quickly because I think it's fascinating. You know, jen alpha is set to be the most entrepreneurial generation. Yet New research is totally revealing you know the expectations for this like world of ultimate convenience led by Jen alpha. So, basically, what they're seeing with all this new data is Jen alpha's expectations for a workforce that's World apart from what is known today. Right over three quarters, which is like 76% of them, aspire to be their own boss or to have a side hustle right their words Versus only 13% who want to work for other people. This is a really huge shift. So over three quarters of Jen alpha, which is 78%, have earned money in the past year, with almost half of them Using technology to help them do so. Okay, again, a lot of them are online YouTube, they're making ad revenue or they're, you know, working with brands. So 40% of Jen alpha think that AI, virtual reality and smart assistance will be integral to their future careers. So you better be sure that they're using that and learning how to use that.

Speaker 1: 48:58

Once, something I saw said that visa is searching for a junior chief innovation officer as part of its call for businesses to innovate fast to get ahead of rising expectations. So, like all of these really big companies are, you know, they've got their eyes on Jen alpha. They really do so. This is going to be really important for us to understand and also it could be really great for us as Opportunities, right. So think about how you could use your business as an, a gateway or an you know a pathway for them to Step into their own Business of some of some kind, you know, whether that is photography or social media or anything like that.

Speaker 1: 49:51

There's a lot opportunity for you to maybe take on interns or Even hire them to help you like. There's a lot, a lot, a lot of different create. You can be creative with this, right, but they really really are Looking more to work for themselves. This is the mindset that they have. Again, it lines up perfectly for those of you who run teams or want to run teams. But, in general, think about how you can leverage that for your business. I'd love to brainstorm with some of you guys about that too, so definitely hit me up in the comments on Instagram. Let me know if you come up with anything fun and some fun ideas, because I'm always, always so interested to hear that. Okay, so I really hope that this episode lights a fire under you to get creative with your business and lights a fire under you to think about how you can shift your marketing.

Speaker 1: 50:52

If you've definitely been seeing a dip or if you've been feeling a little uninspired, maybe this inspired you to maybe reach a different audience, a younger audience. So, if you feel like it's harder to reach your seniors, look younger. There's a lot of opportunity to create teen sessions or a teen team, like we were talking about. There's a lot of different ways you can do this and that would lead really nicely into a senior client, right? Because really, at the end of the day, like, what I do as a senior photographer is not necessary. You know, like it's nobody needs what I do.

Speaker 1: 51:34

It's not food, shelter or water, it's photos. It's a luxury experience, it's an experience, and everything that we're seeing, by the way, with the data, shows that Gen Alpha is still very, if not even more so, primed for luxury experiences than Gen Z is, and so, again, you don't need to be marketing to every single person. You need to be marketing to your Gen Alpha client, your Gen Z client, and they do value these luxury experiences. So how are you embedding that luxury experience in your brand? Right, if you're a photographer, you know there's a lot of different ways. You can do that, especially if you've been listening to me for a while or if you're in my coaching. We talk about all of these little different touch points that you can add, and that is why it comes at a higher price point, right? So I'd love to continue this conversation. Again, it is an ever-evolving conversation because we're going to see how this all shakes out with Gen Alpha.

Speaker 1: 52:41

They're really just kind of hitting the scene as far as consumers and being on marketing radars, and so I have a bookmarked folder, by the way, of articles that I've been collecting for the last several months. I've got hundreds of articles that I collect data on, so this is kind of where all of this information is coming from. I sort of just wanted to summarize all of it for you guys in as most a concise way as I could, and so hopefully it was helpful for you, but please let me know. I always want to hear your feedback and I really I can't wait to see what you guys do with your Gen Alpha clients. So have an amazing week. I will be here next week with another awesome episode for you guys, and I can't wait to connect with you guys. Then you can find all the information that I talked about in the show in the show notes and find me over in the DMs on Instagram at Renee Bowen. I hope you guys have a great week ahead of you. Love you guys. See you soon.