Millennials: they’ve made headlines for years, but how do you reach them? Millennials are individuals who were born between the years 1981-1996 and have grown up with the technological advancements that occurred during this window.
Millennials have money to spend! They’re expected to spend upwards of $600 billion each year – so they’re a great target market if you can reach them.
Millennials have grown and are no longer exclusively young 20-somethings living in their parents’ basements due to the economic recession. A lot of them are now approaching middle age and are well on their way to shaping the world in their own way. So what can you do to market to this valuable group? Read on to learn some suggestions we heard from millennial marketing pros!
Meet Them Where They’re At
Where can you find a millennial? On the internet of course! Millennials are known for being avid internet and social media users, so it’s no surprise that advertising through these mediums is likely to bring great success.
“Millennials access social media constantly, so updating platforms on a regular basis is an absolute must,” says Woody Sears, Founder of Hearhere. “Businesses that promote how they improve lives with information rich content, such as videos, blogs, e-books and white papers, will grab their attention, keep them engaged and increase sales.”
“The best way to ensure that millennials take notice of your campaigns is to target them toward their specific demographic,” says Marc Atiyeh, CEO of Pawp. “This not only means the actual content itself, but where you opt to advertise. Look into more trend-worthy social media platforms, such as TikTok and Instagram. Meet the audience on the platforms they are on.”
Show Values
We don’t just mean value for your dollar: millennials are looking to see their own values reflected in your brand. This means standing for a mission statement or goal or donating to charities that they can connect with.
“Millenials get a bad rep for being self-centered individuals because of their love of social media and posting so much about their lives,” says Vino Jeyapalan, CEO and Founder of Kabo. “In reality, they’re actually driven by a desire to make a difference in the world. They want to feel like they’re a part of making the world a better place. Show how your organization is working towards these goals too.”
“Millenials look into a brand to see what they see of themselves in their brand,” says Justin Chan, Growth Manager for JuneShine. “Show what your company stands for and the ideas you support through your social media platforms. Make your mission and values visible on your website and live out those statements through the actions of the brand.”
Be Responsive and Accessible
Millennials (and likely any future generations) have grown up around technology and now expect things to be instantaneous. Make sure your company can meet these expectations through interactions and access to your products.
“They say millennials are one of the more impatient generations and I can definitely see that,” says Daniel Patrick, Founder of DANIEL PATRICK. “They don’t want to search for anything on your website – it needs to pop up right in their face and shouldn’t take more than a few clicks to finish their purchase or find that piece of information they wanted. If you aren’t linking things within your ads in a way that takes them where they want to go, they won’t stay.”
“It’s so important to be responsive to this group,” says Sheereen Price, Co-CEO and COO of Hardpops. “Millennials want a brand that cares about them and they value timeliness – especially when it comes to messaging or emailing your brand. You need to make it personal and quick if you want to keep them engaged and prevent customers from walking away feeling like they’ve been snubbed.”
Free Advertising?
Millennials LOVE social media, so why not use their love of the platforms to grow your brand? User generated content is one of the richest marketing strategies because it can promote your brand through the profiles of other millennials who already love the brand.
“One of the best ways to market to millennials is to utilize user-generated content. User-generated content (UGC) helps to establish social proof and boost sales. It’s likely that your customers are already raving about your brand by sharing photos, videos, and reviews. Using these pieces of content, with consent, can easily show your target audience that your brand is well-loved by existing customers,” says Rachel Roff, Founder and CEO of Urban Skin Rx. “This is likely to continue to be a social media trend into 2022, with brands utilizing Instagram and Facebook Stories, along with TikTok, to showcase their happy customers. Millennials find this kind of marketing more memorable and are more likely to trust this kind of authentic content from a brand’s customers rather than other traditional marketing tactics.”
“Even in the digital age, word-of-mouth is still the most impactful way to show your brand,” says Dylan Trussell, Co-Founder of Culprit Underwear. “People are more likely to buy something if they hear their friends talking about it. Today, we have the advantage of utilizing social platforms where people can promote and share their favorite brands with their friends. Creating a social media giveaway that incentivizes posting about your brand and sharing it with their friends is a great way to get the word out about your brand through the mouths (or the keyboards) of the demographic you’re targeting.”
Learn To Adapt
Millenials love things that are made for them – so make your product appealing by adapting to their preferences for marketing! We understand that not every product or every marketing campaign will be exclusively for millennials, but if you’re trying to target them, you may need to learn some adaptable strategies for success.
“One-size-fits-all no longer works in marketing. While your current offering may be selling well with boomers or Gen X, it’s essential to determine whether your products resonate with younger consumers,” says Dino Ha, CEO of Kaja Beauty. For this reason, eCommerce businesses may need to adopt a multi-brand and multi-product strategy. We believe in building products around what people want and around the audience that we want to serve. Doing so creates a portfolio of indy brands geared toward specific audiences rather than a mass brand that serves all people.”
“Taking a survey to learn what about your product specifically appeals to millenials is the first step in creating an adaptable campaign,” says Chris Vaughn, CEO of Emjay. “If you can single out that feature or that draw that they feel to the product then you’ll be able to adapt your campaigns to show millennials that you know this is what they’re looking for.”
Conclusion
Millennials are a valuable group of individuals worth making some adjustments to specifically market products for. This group is largely available online, but they’re often blind to traditional advertisements. Utilizing some of these tips and tricks will hopefully make your brand scroll into their lives and bring you a valuable base of customers for the future!
