The Mysteries of Marketing to the Millennial Revealed

The Millennial generation is thought to be confusing and is often misunderstood but the truth is that Millennials make up a large buying demographic.  Companies are targeting this generation of consumers, but they are quickly learning that traditional marketing tactics don’t attract their attention like it did for older generations.  Let’s look at some of the best ways to focus on your marketing strategy to attract the elusive Millennials. 

Mobility is Key

The Millennial generation, or Generation Y if you like, are more mobile than previous generations.  To really market to this generation, you need to make sure your content is mobile friendly.  Millennials have the assumption that desktop websites and mobile websites will be the same.  A large part of the Millennial generation shops and books online. 

Rather like the following iGeneration (Generation Z), Millennials are all about social media and sharing.  High pressure sells that worked in previous generations don’t work on Generation Y.  They more look to social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, reviews, and even word of mouth to research a product or service before they buy.  This generation has strong brand loyalty and will share, review, and post to all their friends and followers about products and services they love.  Harness the power of social media and mobile platforms to really reach this demographic.

Keeping It Real and Do It Now

Be honest about your product or service.  Millennials respond more to authentic videos and stories rather than staged ads.  They also expect quick responses.  With the ease of asking questions via posts or comments, Millennials expect and demand a timely response.  This interaction may require a team to handle your social media, but in the end, it will be worth it.  You will create a lasting customer that in turn does some of your marketing for you by sharing your social media profiles. 

Millennials love to have the latest thing to make sure your marketing stays up to date.  Keep it new and fresh to keep their interest.  Keep up with the latest trends and use that in your marketing.  Also, show how your company is making a difference.  Millennials are about making an impact and doing good in the world and look to purchase from companies with the same ideals.  Share your purpose with them, not just your product.

Be Smart with Your Marketing

Use the Millennial’s love of social media and social sharing to your advantage.  Instead of spending large amounts on getting endorsements, send out samples instead.  Millennials love a deal and by offering free samples they get a chance to try your product or service, which once they do they will social share their experience over and over.  This will lead to wider marketing without paying a bundle.

One powerful tool to use is the FOMO thought process.  What this means is that Millennials have a Fear Of Missing Out.  This can be used to create a unique advertisement that will entice them to buy now instead of waiting.  Make them a part of your strategy as they are great at telling you and others what they love about a product or service.  Generation Y is known for making the most out of their experiences and sharing their thoughts and opinions.  Use that to your advantage to round out your marketing campaign.

Take the time to get to know more about your audience for any marketing campaign.  Do research and testing and learn what will attract them and how they will react to your advertisements.  No matter what industry you are in you need to understand the characteristics of the audience you want to attract.  Millennials may be some of the hardest to understand but it’s worth it to learn more about them.  It will help you ensure that your marketing strategy is on point and will give you the results you want.