America Online

Everyone’s online these days, but each generation has its own approach to their online activities.

By Brittany Edwardes Keil, Eileen Beard Last Updated: October 21, 2024
A girl looking at, and enjoying her phone

AMERICA ONLINE

Targeting Your Digital Communication
Strategy to Each Generation

By Brittany Edwardes Keil & Eileen Beard Last Updated: Oct 14, 2024


Technology is everywhere and ever-changing. Think of the leap from desktop computers to tablets, or from landlines to iPhones. In 2011, only 35% of American adults used smartphones. Now, it’s hard to imagine life without them, even for a few minutes while we eat dinner. And smart devices would not be possible if it weren’t for the technological change of all changes—the invention of the internet. 

In the following pages, we’ll explore how the most active adult generations in your school community—baby boomers, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z—engage with the internet. We’ll also explore what this means for you as a school leader, and how you can tailor your school’s online presence and digital communication strategy to work for everybody, no matter how they use the internet.

SMARTPHONES

If you’ve visited the DMV or any other waiting room in the past few years, you might have noticed that absolutely everyone, except (maybe) small children, were on their phones. If you didn’t notice, chances are you were on your phone. It’s hard to imagine approaching something that involves a lot of waiting, such as a dentist appointment or haircut, without having a smartphone to fill the time. 

Fifteen years ago, near constant smartphone use was a good indicator that the user was a millennial or perhaps a Gen Xer. These days, though, smartphones are popular across every generation. A 2023 Pew Research survey found that over 90% of adult Americans owned smartphones. Even in the groups that used smartphones the least, a majority of people still owned one; for example, 76% of Americans over the age of 65 reported being smartphone users.

What’s the point? If you’re crafting your district- or even your building-level digital communication strategy, you need to consider how your audience is interacting with you. Your website is a centrally located information hub. As we’ll discuss shortly, all other roads should lead back to it. Is your website optimized for smartphones or tablets? 

Keep in mind, too, that if your audience is visiting your website on their phones, they might be on the go, in a hurry or easily distracted. Make sure the most important information is top-of-page or easy to find. You might even consider scaling back the amount of information you provide. Coco Chanel is quoted as saying, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and remove one thing.” She was, of course, referring to accessories—but the principle might also apply to your website design. 

SCHOOL APPS

While most online content was browser-based a few decades ago, it now seems there’s an app for everything—including your school district. There are clear differences among generations as to what kind of apps they tend to use on a daily basis. Gen Z is most likely to download apps related to media, such as Youtube, or education (not surprising given how many are still in K-12 or college). Millennials tend to prefer apps that are “interest-focused,” such as those related to fitness or food. Boomers and Gen Xers usually prefer apps that are more utilitarian in nature, like weather or news apps. 

An illustration of app icons

The important thing to consider is this: What may seem natural and appealing to you may not feel the same for everyone else. When you’re considering how to set up your district app, keep user experience top of mind. For example, older adults prefer apps that are easy to navigate. Are you sure all of your links are working? Are they easy to find? And as we mentioned, boomers and Gen Xers tend to favor apps that give them need-to-know information—like the weather or the news. Are you regularly posting up-to-date district news? 

Meanwhile, younger adults tend to prefer apps that provide visual stimulation. They are also more likely to consume videos than other forms of media. Try adding high-quality photos or videos to your posts to keep your feed full of fresh, visually appealing content. The goal is to ensure that your app works for everyone who uses it—students, guardians and so forth. 

SOCIAL MEDIA

We can’t talk about smartphones and apps without talking about social media. When social platforms were first launched in the early 2000s, they were clearly targeted toward teenagers and young adults. But this is no longer the case—in 2023, more than two-thirds of all internet users reported using social media. 

The most common type of apps among all generations are social networks, with 81% of people under 50 years old having at least one social media app installed on their phone. A separate study found 55% of people aged 50 or over use their smartphones for social media. Still, there are clear differences among generations when it comes to their social media preferences and which marketing strategies are most effective for each group. 

Depending on which generation dominates your audience (which you can often figure out through your social media analytics), here are a few pointers:

Gen Z prefers to interact with brands that have strong customer service. They appreciate when brands interact with them and respond to them directly on social media. 

Millennials prefer to interact with brands that provide original content and facilitate community on social media. 

Gen X, which is the fastest growing generation on TikTok, prefers brands that demonstrate a level of creativity and originality on social media. Gen X doesn’t typically see themselves as responding to traditional advertising. However, they are among the most loyal customers once they find a brand they trust.

Baby boomers enjoy social media but are the least likely to join a new platform to interact with a brand. They prefer to find brands on platforms they’re already familiar with and enjoy when a brand’s messaging is clear and to the point. 

This may seem like a lot to consider, especially if you’re one person monitoring your district’s extremely busy social media presence. However, there is plenty of overlap between generations as to what makes appealing content when considering social media for schools: strong customer service, clear messaging and originality.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS AND EMAIL

One final digital space we want to cover is email, specifically newsletters. While you might think that newsletters appeal mostly to older folks who are more tied to their inboxes, this isn’t the case. A recent study reported that 90% of Americans subscribe to at least one newsletter. And according to data from Similarweb, almost 13% of users on the popular newsletter platform Substack are under the age of 24. 

An illustration of an envelope

Done well, school newsletters can help districts increase community connections in a way that is direct and—compared to daily social media posts—takes less time to create. Because of the long-form nature of most newsletters, they also allow room to dive into nuances that don’t always translate to social media, be it the story of a beloved school employee or an explanation of a major district policy change. Newsletters are also uniquely personal; many public figures, including superintendents, use them to connect with their communities in their own voices.

Based on the data, school newsletters will most likely appeal to every generation in your school community. That said, you might consider creating targeted newsletters for different sectors of your audience. Many districts across the country are finding success with specific newsletters for families, alumni and even retirees in their communities. And with each of these audiences, you can write to appeal to their unique media consumption preferences. For example, baby boomers and Gen Xers might prefer their newsletters to be straight to the point and informative, while millennials might prefer more heartwarming stories from the classroom.

BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUR DIGITAL COMMUNICATION STRATEGY

The data on internet use among generations and across various devices and platforms might seem like a lot to take in—because it is. That’s why we want to leave you with some tactical steps you can take to ensure you’re casting a wide net with your online presence—and that you’re communicating in spaces the majority of your stakeholders are already using. 

Ask your audience their preferences.
Even though trends like these can help you understand what different generations like, there’s no substitute for knowing what members of your particular community prefer. For instance, people who use phones as their primary internet source would probably prefer a phone-friendly app to your website—which means having a symbiotic relationship between your website and app is essential to reaching them. Some stakeholders would prefer to receive all messaging via a single communication channel in order to better keep track of updates, while others may prefer a two-pronged approach, receiving messages via text and email to ensure they don’t miss anything. 

It’s a hard balance to strike—pleasing most without alienating some, not to mention breaking through the electronic noise without becoming a part of it. The truth is, you can’t cater to every single individual’s every need, but you can certainly get a better picture of what most members of your community prefer—and if you can break those preferences down by demographic, even better.  

Don’t underestimate video. 
Even though video is most popular among younger audiences, it’s still consumed widely across generations. YouTube, now celebrating its 20th anniversary, is one of the largest content repositories of all time. Recent research shows that one in three baby boomers use YouTube to learn about products and services, while a whopping 80% of Gen Zers say they use YouTube to learn more about something they’re interested in. These studies show that different generations look for different types of videos just like they prefer different types of apps. It’s helpful information to have if you want to tailor your videos to specific audiences. 

No matter the age of your audience, video should have a place in your digital strategy. Think of it this way—older generations like baby boomers and Gen X love videos, so don’t be afraid to use them. However, if you want to appeal to Gen Z and Gen Alpha, video is practically a requirement.

Monitor your reach and adjust accordingly. 
Trends and preferences change. Where once Facebook was a space exclusively for millennials, 78% of baby boomers are now on the social media platform. (In an unscientific poll of our magazine staff, we discovered that every single writer has at least one parent who uses Facebook and some of us have grandparents on the platform as well.) But in all seriousness, to keep your marketing responsive, you need to consistently monitor who is responding to what kind of content and where—and focus on the channels where your audience engagement is either consistent or growing.

Position your website as your most authoritative space.
Your website accomplishes what no other avenue can; it serves as a single, branded space for your most up-to-date messaging. And though websites used to be quite cumbersome to update, it should be a breeze now—as long as you’re using the right tools. Appealing apps and effective newsletters are important parts of your communications strategy, but your website is your central hub. Make your website the definitive source from school news, from snow days to special events, and design your communications to always lead your audience back to this single, authoritative and (hopefully attractive) space. 

An illustration of an abstracted gload with connections

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