-subscribe and participate in e-mail discussion groups, online forums and newsgroups that deal with your target audience

-subscribe to e-zines that deal with your targeted audience

-note on your Web site or e-zine that you are interested in doing joint ventures

-search in your favorite web directories and search engines to find businesses to joint venture with online

Once you find a business simply e-mail them your proposal. Tell business owner benefits of joint venture. Explain to him or her why it would be a win/win situation for both of your businesses. Give them a lot of compliments about their business, Web site, products and services. Using all three methods above will greater your chance of constructing a profitable joint venture.

The Baby Boomers They are in their fifties. They still have a major impact on retailing as indicated by large amount of Ray Charles’ music being purchased on his untimely death.

This sector has money, but no time. They are in D.I.M (Do It for Me) sector and have driven new business sectors in landscape design, rent a “hubby” and chefs preparing meals in their homes. They have driven organic food movement and “slow” movement.

They are prepared to pay for someone to remove stress, yet also still want to be involved and are prepared to pay to indulge in fun part of task and to purchase fashion statements.

Greying Tigers This final group are over 60’s. Researchers, a few years ago suggested that this group would be an affluent, stay at home sector and as a result gardening and entertainment would boom,

The home improvement industries have reaped rewards of this growing group but not to extent they thought.

This group of greying tigers is not staying at home. The cruise industry, golf courses, theatre, restaurants and general travel industry have all grown rapidly by targeting this adventurous group.

They are most price sensitive and nostalgic sector of population, but give them a comfortable experience and they will be loyal.

Your Challenge The real challenge with generational marketing is that you need to create excitement and sanctuary for all these groups, often in same building. It’s not easy, especially when you try and mix Greying Tigers with IKEA babies, but get it right and business should blossom.

Ten Generational Marketing Retail Tips

1.Change music style during day to attract different age groups into your store at specific times of day. 2.Have Generation X style workshops on a specific day of week to attract that age group. 3.Have a “discount” day for Greying Tigers on one day a week. You may want to promote this via old peoples’ homes. 4.Use colour theming throughout store to distinguish different zones by use of colour. 5.Provide children’s activity days on a specific day of week to attract Jones Generation. 6.Display products in different combinations to attract different age groups eg: D.I.Y Package D.I.M Package D.I.W Packages (Do It With Me) 7.Promote services from your store to attract Baby Boomers. This may be a window cleaning service in a curtain category or a landscape design service in a garden centre. 8.Read magazines that are targeted to different age groups, so you’re aware of what they are being exposed to. 9.Make sure printed signs are in bigger print when targeting Greying Tigers. 10.Keep changing; your consumers are.