Marketing to Millennials: The Do’s and Don’ts

Years ago, to get your content read by the masses, you would take out an ad in the local newspaper, or set up a radio announcement. This would ensure that the vast majority of the population saw your information. Unfortunately, the number of channels we use to communicate has exponentially increased, making it incredibly difficult for this approach to be effective. And if it is effective in the slightest, measuring ROI is absolutely impossible. With so many channels to choose from, users hardly ever get all of their information from the same place.

This is why the Super Bowl is such a big deal for brands to capitalize on, it’s one day a year that a giant percentage of buyers engage with the same program and channel. With the amount of informational gatekeepers rising by the day, and the distrusting nature of millennials, marketing to the Y Generation has become no small task.

According to Calgarian, Rita Michaud, advertising executive for FLIPP Advertising, “when it comes to milennials, (people under 35), the traditional advertising model is not something they’re used to; they want something that relates to them personally, they want to become a personal advocate of a brand, not a customer; ie. they’d prefer to be identified as the type of person that uses a specific brand – Lulu Lemon customers are a perfect example of this.”

According to Nielsen, millennials are defined as those persons born between 1977 and 1995, and account for about 24 percent of the U.S. population. That’s around 77 million people and $1.3 trillion in annual buying power.

Because the Net Gen comprises such a large portion of the consumer population, understanding how to market to these buyers is incredibly important. Here are our tips for tackling the millennial market.

Know The Audience

In a recent article, Forbes outlined the latest findings concerning millennials and their consumer habits: Non-responsive to advertising, review-heavy, stubborn and authentic. These words are just a few that can be used as descriptors for the Y generation consumer habits.

In order to engage millennials, businesses need to be straightforward with their content, be up-to-date with new tech, and be conscious of their community impact. Once brand loyalty is won with this group, it sticks. The more you invest in the relationship, and take part in conversations, the more steadfast your connection will be.

Also, keep your content consistent across all platforms. Be transparent in terms and conditional agreements, and clear in your messaging. Muddled intentions will spawn doubt and subsequent distrust more quickly than you think.

Be a Mobile Mogul

Make sure mobile marketing is seamless. Regardless of the fact that some 85-90 percent of millennials use smartphones, making responsive sites should already be a priority. This is basic digital marketing.

Keep in mind the optimization of your landing pages, and the size of your CTAs. If your page is too intensive with graphics it will make for longer load times on pages. Consider native advertising.

To make things more convincing, millennials are not the only mobile-shoppers in today’s market. More than 25 percent of shopping app users are 55 and older. 40 percent range from age 25-44.

Market Smart

Get the Y-Generation talking about your product or service. Create brand evangelists. Millennials claim their friends to be the most credible source of information when it comes to a product or service. Keep in mind however, this doesn’t always mean their local buddies, it could just as easily be the collective group of online influencers with which they interact daily.

If they are met with relevant and engaging content in each stage of the buyer’s journey, Millennials will be sure to make it known. Avoid being a part of the noise that litters the digital current. Try building a community while you share your information with new leads.

Remember segmentation – millennials form a diverse generation. Identifying buyer personas is crucial in determining how to target your marketing. Labeling a persona as “Millennial” isn’t enough. Start a conversation and utilize social content. Social media and email usage are intertwined in today’s world.

Cater Your Content

Millenials are socially tech-savvy. Sixty-two percent of millennials claim that if a brand chooses to engage with them through social networks, they are more likely to become a loyal customer. If informational material isn’t professionally relevant, they are not as likely to use email to communicate.

The Y generation defers to social media for these personal interactions. Not only is it important to segment by buyer persona, it is vital to know where you intend to catch the attention of your audience. If your product or service caters to their personal life, consider social advertising. If it will help them in their work life or will are more likely to buy in the middle of the day, try email.

If you want a diverse strategy, consider a cross-platform campaign catering to both groups. The frequency with which millennials use social media is undeniable. Though most platforms offer notifications for email, some Y Gen users neglect their email for weeks at a time.

A Quick Wrap-up:

• Be honest with millennials and they will respond positively, misstep or stretch the truth, and they will never let you forget it.
• Don’t lump all your millennial eggs in one giant marketing basket, they are as distinct as they are influential.
• Slang is a beast all its own, default to authentic communication and watch the new opportunities roll in.
• Utilize strong graphics, images and video
• Simple well-written content, engaged communities, and straight-forward messaging drive millennials to their favorite websites.
• They trust their friends more than you, but read online reviews before making a purchase.
• Speak the language, but don’t go overboard.
• User generated content is a plus: millennials can tell the difference between a staged photos and something organic.