// WIDSIX WRITTEN WORD //

Marketing to Millennials, Made Easy

A lot of people use the term “Millennial” as a buzzword to encompass people under the age of 30. In fact, many sling around the term to describe teenagers. But actually, the oldest Millennials are turning 39 this year, nearing their 40’s, and the youngest are 24. Not only is the term so often misused, but it also encompasses such a wide range of people. Those pushing their 40’s are in a completely different stage in their life than those in their mid-20’s, so it can be difficult to nail down the most effective tactics to appeal to this group. The thing about Millennials is that traditional marketing methods don’t work on them nearly as well as they did on Gen X-ers and Boomers. So what’s a marketing whiz to do?! 

In this article, we’ll cover the best methods to appeal to this generation. You’ll be speaking their language in no time.

Build your brand on a message, and promote that message.

With the billions of products and services out there to choose from, younger people have started to base their decisions more on the brand’s message and culture. Millennials value memorable experiences and social identities more than just a simple material object. This generation is motivated to let their money do the talking by investing in brands who are ethically and socially conscious. Plus, having a solid message will help you out as a brand. Having a cause to represent will allow you to better communicate with your audience and provide them something of intangible value. 

Be authentic and transparent.

Millennials are doing more research than previous generations before following through with a purchase. They are also being much more cautious when it comes to making decisions on which company to support. But once they become loyal customers, they will go all in on promoting something if they truly believe in it. This is why you must provide as authentic of an experience as possible. Be honest about how your product works, and provide opportunities to sample or discounts to gain their trust.

Engage with your audience.

Engagement is a huge deal to Millennials. They greatly appreciate when a brand takes the time to respond to a comment or answer a question. As we mentioned earlier, this generation craves that authentic connection, and you will reap major benefits if you earn their trust. However, you need to provide them with value in return, and the perfect way to do this is to acknowledge their support of your brand. 

Optimize your content for social media.

According to Emarketer, 90.4% of Millennials use social media. Yeah, if you wanna market to Millennials, you would be an absolute fool not to pour your resources into optimizing for socials. Focus a hefty portion of your budget on driving traffic via social platforms. Also, make sure to do some research into how to optimize your posts in a way that gets them seen, shared, and liked more often. 

Harness the power of your audience.

Like we mentioned earlier, once Millennials are sold on your brand, they are highly likely to begin posting and sharing with their friends, family, and followers. They may also post photos of them enjoying or hyping up your brand and tag you in them. This is a perfect opportunity to engage with your followers by asking if you could share their post to your own page. Not only is this providing them with a value by promoting their content, but you’re also building a loyalty with them and others who see the post. 

Make sure your product or service is “Instagrammable.”

Because social media is so important, and because a lot of your most valuable advertising will come from audience-curated content, it is crucial that your brand is “Instagrammable.” What does this mean? Products that are revolutionary, interesting, unique, and aesthetically pleasing are going to do better in garnering buzz on social media. However, all is not lost if you don’t sell a product or if your product is relatively commonplace. Use creative photography and graphic design to your advantage by creating pleasing, interesting images that showcase your brand.

Just be cool

Don’t think too hard when it comes to marketing to Millennials. At the end of the day, they’re a simple bunch. They want the brands they support to be authentic and engaging. As long as you can do that, the rest will come easy.