Defining the target audience for your art products is only half of the work with this core element of marketing. You must also use the information you gather about your target audience strategically to fuel connections and drive sales.

There’s a lot of data about your target audience that you can use to your advantage in your marketing content and campaigns. Generational and demographic-based information, in particular, can significantly influence what you create marketing-wise.

Let’s dive into marketing strategies that artists use to connect with individuals of varying demographics and generations.

Marketing to Specific Generations

You’ll likely have multiple generations in your target audience or one that makes up the majority.

Each generation has unique qualities that, if accounted for, can help you create marketing content that resonates with so many of the individuals in your target audience.

For instance, let’s say you’re marketing to a primarily Gen Z audience. Gen Zers are especially fond of social media and user-generated content (UGC). On average, they spent 3 hours a day on social media platforms in 2021.

With this in mind, social media and soliciting video and other reviews from customers to turn into UGC should be a core part of your marketing strategy.

Here are a few other things to consider when marketing to the following generations:

• Baby boomers: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Baby Boomers' first impressions are always emotionally based, more durable and more difficult to reverse than younger generations.” Creating marketing content that evokes an emotional response is key.
• Gen X: 69% of Gen X adults own a desktop computer. Your Gen X audience should be able to enjoy marketing campaigns on desktop computers just as they would on mobile devices.
• Millennials: Millennials overtook baby boomers as the largest generation in 2019. This means there will likely be a large portion of millennials in your target audience. Cater to their need for authentic experiences and visual content.

What About Demographic-based Marketing?

Demographics are characteristics and statistics within a given population. Gender, age, marital status, and occupation are among the most common demographic data points marketers consider for a target audience.

The way you market to your target audience is highly dependent on their demographic information. Or, at least, it should be. Here’s how to make certain demographic information work for you in your marketing:

• Gender: Women are getting on YouTube regularly to watch how-to videos 50% more than men. If your audience is majority women, launch a YouTube video marketing strategy that consists primarily of how-to videos on your particular craft.
• Age: It’s no surprise that young people are more likely to use social media than older individuals. Rely on social media, specifically, to connect with a young audience.
• Marital status: The marriage and divorce rates have been declining over the last two years. You could conclude that people are staying single longer, which means fewer marriages and potential divorces. Creating content that resonates with singles in your target audience could be a wise idea.

Marketing Your Art Effectively to Any Generation or Demographic

Whether you want to speak to a specific generation or cater to a particular demographic in your target audience, effectively marketing to them depends largely on your ability to create community-focused content.

Brightspot defines community-focused content as “the practice of creating content focused on and for a specific community, whether that community is based on geography, background, interest areas or other demographics.”

In other words, you create content with your specific target audience’s needs, desires, and behaviors in mind at all times. You’ll attract a lot more people to your art business if you know who you’re targeting and the kind of content they like the most, and actually create it.

Of course, it’s important to leverage as much target audience information as possible when creating your overarching marketing strategy, individual campaigns, and pieces of marketing content. The generation they’re in and their demographic data give unique insights into people that make marketing success that much more attainable.

Katie Brenneman is a passionate writer specializing in in a variety of content. You can follow Katie on her on Twitter.