If your business is focused on millennials – young adults ages 18-34 – you are likely joining many others wondering how you can appeal to this diverse, untraditional group. Here are 5 Tips to Online Marketing to Millennials.
The old ways of doing business don’t seem to apply to them: they dislike “corporate,” and they dislike traditional advertising. Yet, they’re highly committed to green ethics and sustainability, and they love DIY.
5 Tips to Online Marketing to Millennials
- Be Real
- Go Mobile
- Play Games
- Be Green
- Engage Interaction
It may be time to upgrade your website and online marketing strategies to connect with this energetic group.
To start, here are some quick tips from marketing aficionados:
1. Be Real
Millennials are more than a demographic you’ve pulled out of a hat: your product or service is inherently designed to appeal to them, their wishes and needs. Know your customers’ wants, needs, and ideals.
2. Go Mobile
Most studies show that millennials are deeply connected to mobile marketing, an estimated 85% use smart phones. Your first step is to make sure that your website is attractively optimised for mobile viewing. It is likely that mobile marketing is how your young customers will learn about you and compare you with other companies.
3. Play Games
Mobile gaming apps are tremendously popular, and offering incentives, such as rewards for completing a game, introduces your product or service to a broad spectrum of new customers.
4. Be Green
Millennials are among the most committed and idealistic generations. Your company’s use of recycled materials, non-toxic solvents, and organic ingredients says a lot to this group. Your support of green projects, or sponsorship of health-related activities or your solutions to global problems gets attention from this generation.
5. Engage Interaction
Millennials don’t respond to static web pages or social media sites. They like to be responded to and they want to know they matter. Chat buttons on websites are a great idea, as are all social media tools that enable them to personally engage with your company.
How do Millennials Differ from Previous Generations?
As a little background, the millennial group is the largest in memory, even larger than the baby boomers. They are a very mixed group. They are seen by many as a “selfish” generation (also called the “selfie” generation) and by others as one of the most globally-aware and environmentally conscious generations ever. An article in Forbes discussed the challenges in marketing to young adults, because their purchasing behaviours are so different from previous generations.
For many years, traditional marketing was “life marker” based – brands sold products and services around going to college, getting married, buying a home, starting a family – because those events are what drove older generations’ purchasing. Millennials do not seem to be following this lead, but instead are making purchases according to social groups and personal interests. As an example, instead of a large wedding, millennials will often opt for a vacation to an exotic locale. Rather than buy a home, millennials often prefer to travel and experience new places.
Katie Elfering, a CEB Iconoculture consumer strategist explains how to reach millennials: “First, understand and speak to the values that drive them – happiness, passion, diversity, sharing and discovery. Second, understand their realistic lifestyles and experiences and find ways to amplify their reality. And, finally, make sure they feel informed and involved, not just marketed to. By following these three strategies, brands will find more opportunities available to them to gain this generation’s affinity.”
Sponsoring events such as music festivals or exotic food fairs are examples of experiential events that can be shared with friends and thus associated with your company or brand. Sponsoring “how to” sessions, lectures, or activities are all ways to introduce your company to customers and their friends.
Do these ideals relate to your product or services?
The way your young customers will relate to you correlates directly to how your product or service honestly and authentically meets their ideals and values: happiness, passion, diversity, sharing and discovery.
To make changes to your website or social media pages, to increase search engine optimisation, and to enhance your digital media as a way to improve your business with millennials or any other group, contact us.
Further Information
Being Authentic In Business And Why It’s Critical To Your Website
How to Optimise Your On-Page Content Using The Yoast Plugin
7 Top Ways E-Commerce is Changing for Business
How to Set Up A YouTube Channel For Your Business
Why Google My Business Reviews are Important and How To Ask For One
