The millennial generation is one of the largest in history. While many people disagree about the exact age boundaries associated with the millennial generation, it is most often said that millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996. This means that there are around 75 million millennials today. The size of this generation gives them a degree of influence. When it comes to many small modern businesses, a large portion of their potential customers will be millennials. It is important that these businesses know how to reach this generation in order to be both relevant and successful.
While it's not possible for 75 million people to all have the same tastes, there are still clear trends when it comes to what millennials want and what businesses can offer them. This is a generation that has come of age during very difficult economic times. They care deeply about social justice and being ethical consumers. They also care about making the most of the time that they have. Marketers should be able to approach them from all of these angles. If your small business is having trouble appealing to the millennial crowd, consider these tips when marketing:
1. Engage on social media
Interacting with millennials on social media is a great way to connect with them on a deeper level. Meeting them where they spend their time is essential. Let’s face it, millennials are always on social media, so why not utilize that? It’s not enough just to be on social media, you have to engage with them and talk to them. For instance, millennials dominate the Snapchat and Instagram channels, so try creating a marketing strategy using those networks. Communicating with millennials may seem like a daunting task, but all they really want is to feel special and understood.
2. Be authentic
Millennials take authenticity into consideration when sharing content online. It's important to create content that will want to be shared and that they can relate to. Millennials will happily share many different forms of web content on various social media channels, giving them the opportunity to do passive marketing for businesses. Some ways to make your content more appealing to millennials are by writing articles using a list format and including animated GIFs, images, and trending topics within the content. Essentially, know how to speak their language and learn what they are talking about.
3. Optimize your website for mobile
Mobile friendliness is essential when it comes to marketing to millennials because they are constantly on their phones. General mobile expertise is extremely important.The first thing that people should know is that millennial marketing and mobile-friendly marketing really do go hand in hand. An estimated 40% of millennials spend more time on their phones than they do with in-person interactions. It's important for businesses to keep up with the latest apps and mobile trends in order to appeal to millennials. Small businesses can set up dedicated apps for their customers to use, and they should always make sure their website is mobile-friendly.
4. Positive online reputation
It's important to remember that millennials aren't just using their phones for entertainment. They're often doing research on them, communicating with other people and sharing information. For this reason, it is important for small businesses to stay on top of their online reviews and directory listings. Many millennials trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, so one bad review may make the difference in them choosing to spend money with you. Plus, many millennials will share these reviews with their friends, which means you may be losing out on even more business.
5. Offer coupons and promotions
Millennials are eager to save their hard-earned money. One of the most important things that any small business can do for acquiring millennial customers is offer them discounts. College graduates now collectively owe 1.3 trillion dollars in student loan debt, and those degrees often have not helped them secure stable jobs.
Offering them discounts, coupons, loyalty programs, and nearly anything else that will help them reduce their spending will make all the difference in the world for them. They are more likely to spend their money with your business if they know that they are getting the best deal possible.
The takeaway
Many aspects of millennial marketing reinforce one another. Emphasizing mobile-friendliness will help promote better reviews, and so will focusing on authentic business practices. Offering discounts to millennials will make them loyal, and so will reaching them on a more personal level. Millennials have consistent values for the most part, making it relatively easy to devise successful marketing plans that will relate to their interests.
