As we enter 2020, it is vital to understand how to market to millennials. Millennials are thought to be one of the largest and trickiest groups of consumers to appeal to.
As of 2018, all millennials, who are defined as being born between 1981 and 1997, are well into adulthood. This demographic of adults is so large that the number of millennials even surpasses the number of baby boomers!
Millennials make up a large portion of consumers and it is becoming increasingly important to know how to appeal to this group of consumers. Many companies complain of being unable to attract millennials, noting they are always in search of something bigger and better.
Millennials have been frequently described as disinterested and selfish, unsatisfied, unfocused and lazy, and comprise a group of adults entering the workforce with less security and value than previous generations. With the emergence of social media, millennials have turned to a world of immediate gratification, living a “post-worthy” and filtered life, and have changed the way we market.
With all the stigma surrounding millennials, appealing to this demographic seems like an insurmountable task, so we asked a Digital Marketing Specialist to help us figure out what to do to appeal to this audience.
Screen Media Group is an innovation and disruption agency helping Latin and Hispanic Companies entering the American Market. The Digital Media Specialist and CEO at Screen Media Group, Neron Meiler, stated,
Millennials are just like any other group of consumers. The only difference is that millennials respond to marketing in different ways than previous generations. This is because of the rise of online shopping, social media, and an overall sense of immediacy.
Marketing to young adults shouldn’t be daunting. If you educate yourself on who millennials are and what they want, it is simple to implement marketing strategies that will get you great results. Here are a few recommendations and tips that you should take in consideration.
Appeal to Instant Gratification
We live in a digital era where nearly everything is available immediately and millennials love this. We don’t even need to leave the house to go shopping, watch a movie, get food, or talk to friends and loved ones. Jumping on this bandwagon is absolutely vital to marketing success.
In previous years, we may have had little to no interaction directly with our consumers. But with emails, private messaging, and commenting, we have to maintain correspondence with consumers to build rapport and trust. But this isn’t a bad thing!
You are building brand trust when you maintain contact with your consumers. If you become a company they believe in and trust, you can easily grow your success.
Bonus: You can use all this instant feedback from real-life customers to know what they really want and deliver that to them! It’s like having a focus group all the time.
“Implementing a marketing strategy and creating funnels to target each person with their personal interests is fundamental,” said Neron Meiler.
Be Authentic
Millennials want to buy products they believe in from companies they have faith in. Marketing used to be heavily focused on what we said about products. If a company put a great advertisement in a print publication, they would often get an increase in sales. Millennials don’t care about the catchy phrases and features used to describe products – they care about authenticity.
It would have never been acceptable in previous generations to speak out on political stances or social justice, but these two things can actually help you connect more with your consumers. If your values align with a customer’s, they are more inclined to support your company and buy your product.
Tip: Have a cause you believe in? Donating a small portion of profits can show your dedication!
Be Post-Worthy
This trick is a simple one. Make your product something that people need to talk about. What is going to make the average consumer want to post a picture of your product on social media? What makes it stand out?
If your product stands out, millennials are going to want post pictures all over their Instagram accounts. It gives you free advertising, and gets them the “likes” and comments that give them instant gratification through feedback from their followers.
It’s a win-win situation!
Tip: Make your packaging pretty!
Dare to Be Different
Some of the most successful new-age companies built their success on disrupting the way we live life.
Warby Parker offered prescription glasses online. Uber created the idea of ridesharing. Amazon made online shopping easier than it’s ever been before. All of these things made life easier and provided an innovative solution to problems in daily life.
If you can create a product or concept that’s unique and stands out, you’ll have better luck with marketing and gain success. So you’re making a shoe company – what makes the shoes different than any other shoes you can already buy? This is a nearly sure-fire way to launch a successful product.
You should work closely with a Digital Marketing Agency in order to create a winning digital strategy. Is just not possible in todays’ complex market to simply spread the word and expect to sell online.
Bonus: You’ll be a trendsetter!
Inbound Marketing is the New Marketing
A few years ago, companies rely on SEO, Media Buying and Digital Campaign using banners and rich media. While this proves to attract people to your website, conversions as decreased enormously. The heavy use of phones over desktop as also made an impact in the way you have to communicate your message.
Millennials want simple information, ebooks, blog post and useful fun videos. They appreciate leadership, expertise, and follow influencers. You have 45% more chances to appeal to them using these techniques than communicating your product stating just facts.
Using the proven digital methods such as the ones we implement daily to our clients at Screen Media Group, your company can attract this audience and be able to connect with them. We can help your company increase sales and get useful information about what their potential customer want.
What Should I Do Next?
Millennials have disrupted the way we market. Gone are the days of print catalogs and newspaper adverts. Millennials want real, authentic brands they can trust.
You can build successful marketing campaigns, too. With the help of a trusted marketing agency, such as Screen Media Group, you can be well on your way to your next success with expert knowledge on millennials.