Did you know that millennials are currently the generation with the largest buying power? Together with the boom of the internet, having access to products is no longer a problem. Instead, millennial consumers can choose whatever they want whenever they want right in the palm of their hand. These technological advances directly impact how to target millennials, which in turn will affect the ultimate success of your brand.
Who are the millennials, you may ask? Usually describing those born between 1981 and 1996, the millennial generation is a diverse and innovative crowd. Instead of pursuing marriage, buying a home, or committing to a workplace, many millennials are held back due to large student loans. For some, they may not find those traditional stages of life necessary.
Say Goodbye to Traditional Advertising
Traditional advertising methods found in outbound marketing just don’t work anymore. If you want to sell a product or service to millennials, you can’t simply list the features and benefits. Millennials could care less about your newest product. In reality, there are probably twenty other products available online that can do the same thing. In a media-driven culture, millennials have marketing messages thrown at them all day, whether they ask or not.
Magazine ads, direct mail campaigns, radio spots, and pop-up ads are mostly ignored by millennial consumers. It’s less about what products you offer and more about what makes your brand different from the others. Stop pushing your own agenda. Understand how you can make millennials’ lives better, make the consumer the goal, and you’ll begin to get the trust you need in this economy.
Pro Tip: Facebook ADs are a great way to share content that won’t be ignored. Narrow down your audience and retarget your content toward those who actually care about your product or service.
Special Note about Gen Z
Marketing to millennials isn’t the only way of the future; it’s important to keep the next generation in mind, too: Generation Z. Compared to Millennials, Gen Z isn’t just growing up with technology, they’re being born with it. From tablets to smartphones, they are one of the most tech-savvy generations and your content has to keep this in mind. With all of the information being whirled at them, Gen Z has one of the shortest attention spans. To further your marketing strategies for future generations, your content marketing has to continue to be easily digestible and authentic. Both millennials and Generation Z will thank you.
13 Marketing Tactics Worth Following
- Be authentic – Millennials crave transparency and can usually spot a sales pitch from a mile away. Keep your content simple, real, and honest to garner their trust.
- Share user-generated content – Gone are the days of paid actors. Millennials prefer content from people just like them. Reshare content created by real users or use influencer marketing to jumpstart your campaigns.
- Optimize your landing pages – Nearly 85% of millennials use their smartphones. Make sure your landing pages have designed with clear call-to-actions and fast loading speeds to make the mobile user experience flawless.
- Listen to your audience – Social media listening is key to finding relevant content, especially with millennials. Find out what’s trending and center your content around it.
- Promote the purpose, not the product – Compared to baby boomers, millennials don’t care about a product’s features or benefits. It’s important to sell the experience or overall impact of your product, not just the nuts and bolts.
- Give your brand a personality – Traditional marketing can be seen as cold and impersonal. Humanize your brand with appropriate language, graphics, and communication that’s friendly and inviting.
- Write engaging blog posts – Millennials love valuable content they can learn from and share with their friends. Write blog posts with information that can hold value such as graphics, tables, lists, or how-to instructions.
- Monitor your reviews – There are more products on the market than ever before, which means the next generation of buyers has options. Thus, reviews and ratings are usually the first places millennials look to verify a brand’s quality. Monitor your reviews to gain creditability.
- Target social groups and causes – Millennials’ life choices look different than previous generations. It’s important to direct your content towards social groups, not just whether they’re married or having kids.
- Create shareable content – Especially within social media marketing, it’s important to create content worth sharing, pinning, commenting, liking, and saving. To make an impact, all of your content should be valuable.
- Spotlight things that matter – Almost 40% of millennials want a product to reflect an image they want to convey about themselves. Focus your content on things that matter not just for your business, but for the consumer.
- Use social media networks to your advantage – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube are entirely different from one another and millennials are keenly aware. Make sure you’re using each social media network most effectively.
- Stick to your promises – Don’t overpromise or underdeliver. Millennials can see right through traditional marketing strategies. Be honest and prove that your brand is worth their trust.
Marketing for Millennials
Without the millennial generation to back your products or services, the future success of your business could be hanging by a thread. Instead of pushing your company’s agenda, listen to your target audience. What do they value? What causes do they care about? Start partnering with millennial customers to find purpose and meaning in this busy world of commerce. Once they see your brand as a worthy investment for themselves, they’ll make sure all of their friends and family jump on board, too.
Did we miss any millennial marketing tactics? Share with us on social media.
Ashlee Visser is the Content Manager at ITVibes, Inc. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from Thomas Edison State University. With a strong focus on organization, she excels in content management and website writing. Ashlee’s passion for writing is evident in every project she undertakes. When she’s not busy managing content, she enjoys spending time with her husband and their growing family.
