Millennials are a very interesting crowd from a business marketing perspective. On the one hand, these are the people who will make up the vast majority of your target audience. This is a huge group with a large disposable income and lots of free time to spend it! But at the same time, it’s also true that millennials are a little different from a lot of other generations in terms of their interests, their priorities, and the way they go about doing things.
In this post, we will look at some of the top ways you can go about marketing to millennials.
1. Have a Clear Brand Identity
If there’s one thing we know about millennials, it’s that they can tend to be rather cynical. They very often will see right through cynical marketing ploys and they really don’t like being ‘controlled’. Millennials are a slightly more sensitive bunch than generations past and if you try and shove your brand down their throats, they will reject it.
The best brands than are those that stand for something. That has real meaning and a commitment. The way you do that is to think of your mission statement and your ‘why’ (check out Simon Sinek’s excellent video on the golden circle). Likewise, avoid the temptation to try and appeal to everyone. Millennials aren’t one group, they are many different groups. Choose the subsection you want to appeal to and be genuine in your message.
2. Instagram
Millennials are something of a contrary group. On the one hand, they’re all about living life and seeking out authentic experiences. But on the other hand, they’re also all about going on Instagram and sharing pictures of even the most mundane activities they get up to.
But you should embrace that if you want to capitalize on your chance of success here. Instagram is a very powerful tool for marketing that lets you focus on your ‘value proposition’ – on your ‘why’. In other words, try to show what the product or service will do for them in order to improve their lifestyles.
3. Create a Relationship
It’s also very important when marketing to millennials that you build a relationship. That means that you take the time to listen to their suggestions and to let them be involved. One of the most important ways to do this is on social media, where you can create an active community around the topic.
Another great tip is to use old fashioned print media for your marketing. Flyering is a great form of acquisition marketing for instance that can let you target a specific audience in a very tangible way that will have a big impact on the recipient. Give them something physical about your brand, make it sound great and target people coming out of a related venue or business.
Similarly, sending a post can be a really good way to show that you value your customer and to give them something unique.
4. Go to Market
Using a go-to-market strategy is a very effective way to market to millennials. Where do they spend their time? How can you reach them in a way that understands the zeitgeist?
Again, the key is to recognize the subgroups within the larger ‘millennial’ category. BuzzFeed is very popular among some millennials for instance but doesn’t make the mistake of thinking they’re all like that! Likewise, you’ll find some millennials like travel, while others like anime and manga. Try to figure out what’s popular in your niche among the younger audience and strike up deals with those platforms and brands.
