How to connect with cynical, impatient social media audiences

Delivering key messages to a social media audience can be like talking to a bunch of kids with short attention spans, says communications counselor Gerard Braud. The users of social media “want instant gratification and want it now,” says Braud. They’re also, he says, far less receptive to marketing messages than traditional media consumers. “Their respect must be earned,” he adds.

• The “video game generation” that understands technology

• Want instant gratification, and they want it yesterday

• Short attention spans

• Less respectful than the baby boomer generation—respect must be earned

• Invented, and are very active in, social media

• More cynical than all previous generations

So how do you connect with an audience that will give your message only a scant few seconds before moving on to someone they think is more compelling? Braud says it all begins with a “genesis statement,” which is important for all forms of communication but particularly crucial for social media consumers.