With new technology being introduced every day, marketers are being increasingly challenged with finding innovative and unique ways to get through to consumers, and the millennial generation is one of the most important groups to reach. The Millennial generation consists of U.S. consumers born from 1981 and 2000, and currently they are aged 15-34. This group of consumers is extremely comfortable with social media and new technology, and over 93% claim to be avid Internet users.
Unfortunately for advertisers, the millennial generation also tends to have a short attention span. They are constantly multi-tasking, carrying on conversations while surfing the Web or navigating several text discussions at the same time. This can be a real challenge for businesses, as it can be difficult to find a way to grab the attention of a group that is constantly in many different places and spaces. Fortunately, there are several considerations and steps that you can take to try and better market your business to the younger generation.
Improve Your Mobile Marketing
The Millennial generation doesn’t care much about TV, and instead, they will get most of their information on their smartphones and other electronic devices. Since about 85% of U.S. Millennials own smartphones, it is essential that you are improving your mobile marketing strategy to target this generation. There are a few steps you can take to excel with your mobile marketing strategy:
- Ensure your landing pages have been optimized for mobile
- Verify that your pages aren’t too bogged down with graphics
- Create a clear call to action
- Integrate advertising into mobile gaming
- Use an app or other program in order to better reach your audience, especially if it is styled like a reward
Focus on Social Media Engagement
Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are a second life for many Millennials, and since they are constantly connected to these sites with their smartphones and other digital apps, they will be constantly influenced by the messages found on them. Therefore, when you are targeting Millennials, social media should be a major part of your marketing strategy. This will involve developing an eye-catching profile and sharing engaging posts and information with your followers.
When you consider that Millennials are much more likely than other groups (Baby Boomers, for example) to have their purchasing decisions influenced by other people, it is easy to see why having a strong social media presence is important in targeting this demographic. Millennials are most commonly influenced by family and friends when it comes to making a buying decision, and social media is the primary way that they share tips about products and services.
Authentic Content is Essential
Millennials will spend about 25 hours per week on the Internet, and they crave media that is driven by content. These consumers are constantly browsing social media, blogs, and websites because they feel driven and empowered by the content and new information that they are able to discover. They are also commenting on, forwarding, and liking the things that they share, giving them a sense of empowerment in a greater online community.
This means that if you want to engage with Millennials, you’ll need to speak their language with authentic content. People in this age group will be interested when they read words or hear opinions that could very well have come from their peers. Offer your audience content that they would be proud to share with other people they known, and you’ll be creating a strong brand-customer relationship.
Be Sure to Consider Your Security Measures
Targeting Millennials will require you to utilize your technical smarts in order to reach a global audience via electronic devices. This means that you’ll need to keep cyber security in mind in order to keep the information of your clients safe and confidential. You’ll want to invest in virus protection software like Avira, Immunet and other safeguards in order to protect consumer data. If your millennial client base doesn’t feel safe doing business with you, they won’t, and it will be difficult to come back from this setback.
Make it Fun
Young consumers aren’t just concerned about finding the right product, as they will also be interested in the shopping experience itself. In other words, shopping online for the millennial generation is actually a form of entertainment. You can use social platforms like Pinterest as a way to reach out to your younger customers in a fun and interesting way, as about 40% of Millennials will use this site to make wish lists of items that they want to purchase.
Are you part of the millennial generation? Do you have tips on how marketers could better connect with you? Share your thoughts!
