If you are not paying attention to millennials, you're missing out on a golden opportunity to grow your business. Millennials are the largest generation in American history—they make up more than one-third of the U.S. population, and they are all over social media. But if you have been overlooking them as customers or employees, it is time to wake up and smell the coffee: Millennials are here, and they are here to stay. With this in mind, we will cover six simple marketing rules that have proven successful in targeting the millennial generation.
- Go Mobile
When you think about the Millennial generation, there's one thing that comes to mind: technology. For this generation, everything is done with their mobile device, whether it be social media or banking. Your business can reach out to millennials by having a mobile application for them since they are always on their phones and tablets looking for new apps that catch their eye. If you're a restaurant, a food delivery app would be perfect for attracting millennials in your area. If you're a gym, an app that provides workout videos would be great because it's easy to use and gives them what they want quickly and easily.
- Utilize Social Media
Millennials use social media more than any other generation — this means they expect businesses to have a strong presence there as well. Don't ignore what they're saying on social media sites like Twitter and Instagram; listen closely and respond quickly when someone has something negative or positive to say about your brand or product offerings. In addition to monitoring your brand's reputation, you can also use social media to engage with customers, share valuable content and build relationships with influencers.
- Create Creative Content
The most effective content marketing is not always the most obvious or traditional. Why? Because there is a lot of untapped potential for companies to create fresh, original content that millennials actually want to interact with. The secret to making creative content is that your presentation must be unique, but the idea behind it must be relatable. If you can find that balance, then your chances of success are greatly increased.
- Provide Value
Creating content is a great way to build your audience and promote your business. But if you're just creating content for the sake of creating content, you may be doing more harm than good. There are so many reasons why people create content: they want to show off their expertise, they want to share a personal story with the world, or they want to make money by selling ads on their blog. Whatever the reason, it's important that your audience sees value in what you're sharing—otherwise, they're not going to keep coming back for more!
- Be Transparent
Millennials have been defined by their unique set of values and behaviors. One of these behaviors is a desire for transparency—they want to know what they're getting into before they get into it, which can make them seem less trusting than previous generations. If you want to market effectively to millennials, then you'll need to be transparent about everything from your product's ingredients to how much it costs. This doesn't mean that you should give away all of your secrets (unless you want to), but it does mean that you should be honest about what you're selling and why. For example, if your product has a high price tag, then explain why it costs so much so that consumers aren't surprised when they see the price at checkout.
- Support a Cause
Millennials love brands that support a cause. They want to know that the brands they buy from are helping to make the world a better place. And, in addition to being more socially conscious than other generations, millennials also tend to be more environmentally conscious as well. So, it makes sense that millennials would be drawn to brands that are doing good for their communities and the world at large. But what does this mean for you? Well, first things first: You have to start by finding out what your target audience is concerned about. Once you know what matters most to them, then it's time to show them that you're taking action. If you haven't already done so, now is the perfect time to start posting on social media about your new initiatives!
Millennial marketing does not have to be complicated. The key is to tailor your approach to appeal to the generation's unique set of values and preferences. And while these rules may not be everything you need to be successful in marketing to millennials, it is a starting point. All you have to do is get started!