Millennials, or rather Generation Y, are individuals who were born anywhere from 1977 to 1995. This diverse group of consumers reaches nearly 80 million in size and is also regarded as the generation that has been advertised to the most. With that said, you can bet they’re tired of hearing traditional ads that simply scream at them to click here or call now. So how are marketers supposed to reach this massive audience? Glad you asked. In this post, we tell you why traditional marketing doesn’t work with this crowd and uncover how to properly market to millennials.
Everything You Need to Know About Marketing to Millennials
Here are 7 things to keep in mind when crafting a successful millennial marketing strategy:
1. There Are Two Types of Millennials
Since millennials are born anywhere from 1977 to 1995, they can be broken up into two groups.
The first group relates closely to baby boomers. This is because they are still meeting the same checkpoints of adulthood but just later in their lives. They also differ from baby boomers because at this point in time, boomers are spending less while Gen Y is spending more as they enter their wealth accumulation phase. Moreover, they’re at the point in their lives where they’re starting to establish lifelong careers, build families, and develop households.
The second group consists of a younger demographic. One that has benefitted from their baby boomer parents’ resources such as automobiles and estates. This group also grew up before and after smartphones were invented. So even though they’re involved in social media today, they still remember life before the digital age.
2. They Communicate Differently
As we said, these millennials were partially raised in the digital age. That means they’ve not only had access to cellphones but also smartphones. Because of this, they naturally communicate differently. Where baby boomers would make a phone call, millennials would send a text. Not only do they text, but they also tweet, comment, and write blog posts. Why? Because they’ve had access to various social media platforms that all provide instantaneous communication. For marketers, this means they should look to social media marketing strategies to best market to millennials. Things like posting creative Instagrams displaying your product or working with influencers on YouTube to create videos centered around your product are great ways to reach this powerful generation.
3. They’re Visual Buyers and Learners
Millennials no longer rely on printed instruction manuals or recipe books. Instead, they turn to YouTube to learn how to put a bed frame together or search Pinterest to find a video showing them how to bake a cake. Social media platforms like Pinterest, Facebook, and YouTube all allow millennials to easily access the information they need in a format they’ll listen to. That’s why when it comes to purchasing, millennials look for videos of people they trust reviewing products.
Who are these people? They’re influencers like lifestyle vloggers, beauty gurus, and crafty bakers that share their trade through social media outlets. When marketing to millennials, marketers should work with influencers to create sponsored content that will engage this generation instead of just talk to it. Millennials are even influencers as well. Therefore, by working with a millennial influencer you can market your product or service in the language they best understand aka tweets, blog posts, and YouTube videos.
4. They Don’t Like the Term ‘Millennials”
Most people tend to use ‘millennials’ in a degrading sense that gives a negative connotation to this generation. So when you design your millennials marketing campaign, leave out the actual term ‘millennials’ but keep the generational appeals like creative social media marketing strategies. Moreover, brands that use social media to market their product will successfully reach millennials because of this subtle approach. However, subtle doesn’t mean this less direct approach isn’t effective. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: millennials would much rather engage on social media than over the phone. With that said, look at your current millennial marketing strategy and see how you can incorporate social media platforms to best market to millennials.
5. They Follow Trends
Whether it’s a new style of clothing or popular hashtag, millennials love to follow trends. They’re easily exposed to new trends because their idols post new content daily on social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. Who are these idols? Influencers! Otherwise known as the beauty gurus, health fanatics, or crafty bloggers of the social media world. These individuals work with brands to post creative YouTube videos, Instagrams, or tweets which they use to persuade their large audience. This marketing strategy bodes well with millennials because they’re gathering insight about products from people they trust. Moreover, since millennials have already built a relationship with these influencers, they’re more likely to trust their opinion about new products.
6. They Have More Than One Source of Income
Millennials are entering their adulthood later which means their baby boomer parents are continuing to provide financial support until they’re possibly in their 30’s. This means even if millennials don’t have the money themselves, they can still get it from mom and dad. Because of this, millennials have more spending power than previous generations. Not only that, but they are also more willing to the better quality product even if it’s more expensive. With that said, it’s incredibly beneficial for marketers to take the time to create campaigns that accentuate the details of their products.
7. Think About Their Life Stage
Millennials are all grown up and are now settling down into careers and starting families. So when you design your marketing campaign, think about this life stage and the necessities that come with it. However, millennial parents are unlike previous parents because they turn to the internet for the parenting information they need. Moreover, they’ll search YouTube for videos on how to build a crib or find blogs reviewing the best baby products. This encourages marketers to work with influencers to create campaigns on social media platforms because they naturally appeal to millennials. For example, if you want to promote a new diaper you could work with a mom blogger to write a post reviewing your product. This authentic-sounding feedback will easily resonate with millennials. The great thing about influencers is that come from all walks of life. So we guarantee there’s an influencer in our network of 90,000 that’s perfect for your product, brand, or service.
