Multigenerational Marketing for Divorce and Family Law Firms

It can be easy to think if you post the video with the most shares or the picture with the most likes that you are successful in your social media efforts. Sure, this might be a solid KPI approach for a beauty influencer, but is popularity on the internet the only thing your law firm values? I challenge you to think about your clientele as you develop your marketing strategy. Do you represent multiple generations of clients? Chances are you do or will at some point. It is important to explore the different ways your divorce and family law firm can market to multigenerational clients. 

The Different Generations 

By understanding the unique characteristics, values, and behaviors of different generations, it will be easier for your law firm to create targeted campaigns that resonate with your desired audience. 

Let’s begin by taking a look at the birth years that create each generation: 

• The Greatest Generation – born 1901-1924
• The Silent Generation – born 1925-1945
• The Baby Boomer Generation – born 1946-1964
• Generation X – born 1965-1979
• Millennials – born 1980-1994
• Generation Z – born 1995-2012
• Gen Alpha – born 2013 – 2025 

Right off the bat, some of these generations likely don’t make sense for you to market your divorce and family law services to – the Greatest Generation is likely too old, and Gen Alpha is too young. It is still okay to focus on just your target markets, but it is crucial that those target markets are reachable in your marketing medium(s). However, it is important for your law firm’s marketing strategy to consider all generations because every decade will see a higher percentage of clients from the younger generations. 

Consumer Behavior Across Generations

With marketing in the 21st century, the Baby Boomer generation tends to date back the farthest in conversation. Baby Boomers are categorized to be more financially stable and are often looking for products and services that will improve their overall quality of life. They also tend to be more loyal to brands and value recommendations from close friends and family. Law firms targeting Baby Boomers should focus on creating campaigns that highlight the quality and value of their services, as well as focus on getting referrals. Generation X, on the other hand, tends to be more independent and skeptical of traditional advertising. They are more likely to research services online or be influenced by social media and influencer marketing. Baby Boomers and GenXers are persuaded by very different marketing mediums.

Millennials are the largest generation currently in the workforce and are known for their digital savviness and social consciousness. They’re often regarded as being more open-minded, and more supportive of equal rights across the board compared to previous generations. However, they are also known to put more emphasis on extrinsic values and less emphasis on intrinsic values such as self-acceptance, group affiliation, and community. These characteristics may contribute to a better response from different messaging than how you’d target Baby Boomers. When marketing to Millennials, keep in mind that they spend over 200 minutes a day on their smartphones, compared to an average of 30 minutes spent on desktops. When your law firm is marketing to Millennials it’s essential to focus on the mobile experience. This generation is more likely to listen to an advertisement video on their phone than listen to an ad on their desktop or even a television ad. As Millennials take up an even larger proportion of the population, they will soon be every law firm’s biggest clientele. The ability to effectively communicate and market to Millennials will make your firm stand out amongst competitors. 

Generation Z makes up over 20% of the population and they are extremely tech-savvy. Approximately 61% of Gen Z prefers videos under one minute long and spends 24-48 hours each month on TikTok. Gen Z is typically associated with supporting a more inclusive society. Generation Z may be young, but they are currently between 10 and 27 years old. Unfortunately, divorce and family law matters likely already affect Gen Z. This is your chance to hypothesize and test how to be a leader in marketing legal services to Generation Z. 

Choosing the Right Platform to Market Your Divorce and Family Law Firms

When creating a marketing strategy for your law firm, ensure you have a defined target market and assess the most effective ways to communicate with them, not just what to communicate to them. Sometimes a generational characteristic overlaps with other aspects of your target market. Despite the overlaps, you probably won’t convert many Gen Z members using newspaper advertising. You probably won’t convert many Baby Boomers through Tik Tok. More clients will be converted if they are marketed to in a comfortable way that they trust. 

As the population ages, Baby Boomers will shrink in numbers and buying power, while Millennials and Generation Z will create a larger proportion of the population and economic buying power. Aside from buying power, Gen Z and Millenials also have more power in the market because of their abilities to promote and demote companies based on their brand image and company actions. 

Times and trends are ever-evolving, but here is what the research points to currently regarding reaching different generations via marketing: 

• Baby Boomers- Consider using more traditional advertising methods such as television and print ads, encourage word-of-mouth recommendations
• Generation X- Focus on creating campaigns that are more authentic and relatable.  Consider using digital marketing methods such as social media and email marketing
  • 76% of Gen X uses social media; 74% use Facebook and 72% watch YouTube 
• Millennials- Consider campaigns that are more socially and environmentally responsible
  • 87% of Millennials use Facebook, 86% watch YouTube at least once a week
• Generation Z– Prioritize keeping up with short video trends and staying in tune with the generation’s values. Performative actions and allyship is no match for Gen Z and they have the power to make the world know about your pitfalls. 
  • 88% of Gen Z uses YouTube, 76% use Instagram, 68% use Tik Tok, and only 49% use Facebook 

Market Your Law Firms Services Across Multiple Generations

Every law firm takes a unique approach to their lead generation and marketing strategy depending on their location, services, affordability, and availability. Often target markets are a continuous discussion that needs to adapt with time as your firm grows and changes. One characteristic resistant to change of each potential member in your target market is what generation they are a part of. Market research helps us understand how to communicate effectively with different generations and should be a big part of your law firm’s marketing strategy.

If your divorce and family law firm needs assistance marketing to various generations, Cardinal Concepts consulting services are here to help.