Meet the Linksters

By Meagan Johnson Credit unions are well aware of the importance of attracting Generation X and Y consumers to develop a younger clientele that will fuel growth into the future. There is another prime target market on the horizon that will soon populate your membership base and employee roster: the Linksters. No, “Linkster” is not a synonym for “golfer.”  Rather, it describes those born in 1995 or later (sometimes called Generation Z) who have almost always known a world that is linked together via technology. While Gen Y (those born between 1981-1994) was the first generation to embrace technology and social media, Linksters take connectivity to a whole new level. Technology dominates their lives, and as a result, many Linksters:

• Are growing up in a house with no landline (family members all have cell phones)
• Attend a school with no textbooks (everything is online)
• Have never learned to write in cursive (school assignments are typed)
• Are not dependent on brick and mortar or in-person interactions (anything can be done online, including shopping, banking and interacting with friends)

There is a common marketing approach known as “market of one” that refers to creating a level of customization so your consumer feels unique and valued. For Linksters, customization does not go far enough—they want personalization and enjoy expressing their personal brand in everything they do and have. The difference between customization and personalization may seem like nothing more than semantics, but if you can grasp the subtleties you will gain insight into what motivates Linksters. One way to think of customization is choosing from an array of options offered by a company. For example, if you are buying a new iPhone, you can choose white or black, how many gigabytes and which service provider you prefer. That is customization. When you get home with your purchase, you can set the sounds and signals to your preferences, add photos as wallpaper, choose which alerts to display and decorate the outside with a case, stickers or other embellishments. That is personalization. The oldest Linksters are just turning 18, giving savvy businesses time to develop strategies to attract this group as they move into peak earning, borrowing and saving years. For example, you might already offer a choice of designs for your debit and credit cards. This level of customization is probably appreciated by a lot of members, but what about adding a personalization option? Could members design their own cards through an online program or by uploading photos or artwork? For employees, could you allow latitude in dress code (including piercings or tattoos), music played in the branches or access to social media during slow times, to name just a few ideas? Here’s the litmus test: if what the young person does bothers you for some reason, ask yourself if it is negatively impacting cost, quality, safety or member service. If not, consider letting it go. As with any generation, Linksters have unique wants, needs and desires. Companies that can tap into the mindset of this group will benefit in terms of productive relationships and loyalty in the years to come. Meagan Johnson is a Partner at Johnson Training Group. Learn how to maximize employee and customer relationships across multiple generations from Johnson at Directors Conference, Dec. 8-11, in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii. Register now.