The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Millennials

Millennials outweigh the Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers both in terms of numbers and how they think and shop. They spend, interact, and make family decisions that marketers aren't used to targeting. This subset of individuals like to be more independent in their decision making, especially in purchases. Advertising pitches that worked for Baby Boomers and Gen X-ers might not work for them.

Who are the Millennials? 

Millennials are the largest living generation born from 1981-1996, and every brand wants to appeal to them. Attracting and maintaining their attention is the first step toward earning their allegiance, which is no easy task given that these younger consumers are less inclined than Gen-Xers and Boomers to respond to traditional advertising or marketing strategies. Take note of the following ways to reach millennials for your next marketing project:

6 Ways to Market to Millennials

• Let the Audience Take Center Stage

The best way to market to millennials is to make them the center of attention. This demographic enjoys seeing themselves reflected in the media they read, and you must capitalize on this understanding by relying on user-generated content to help communicate the brand story. Your marketing message goes a lot further when your consumer can relate to your content in a real way — in this case, honest insight into the brand experience.

• Be Fun and Experiential

The act of researching and browsing for purchases is growing more appealing to young customers than the transaction itself. Millennials are more interested in the experience of shopping than in making a purchase. To put it another way, online shopping is becoming more than just a means to an end for many young shoppers, who see it as a sort of pleasure. The term "Fauxsumerism" has been coined to describe this occurrence. Pinterest is a great example of how purchasing can be a form of personal expression as well. This social platform, which allows users to create wish lists of products they want to buy by curating groups of items of interest, appropriately reflects the reality that 40% of Millennials generate want lists of items they want to buy. This is the type of marketing millennials respond to.

• Go To Their Location

One of the most effective marketing strategies to reach Millenials is to participate on social media sites where they often browse. Nine out of ten Millennials use their computer to surf the web while watching TV, and they watch 5 hours and 49 minutes of online videos every week on average. Consider producing short, useful films and tutorials and using them to develop a YouTube presence. Consumers in their twenties, according to Advertising Age, switch between communications devices and platforms 27 times each hour while they are not working. People should be monitoring social media from all angles and responding quickly and in a conversational manner. Create an online community for your business.

• Highlight User-Generated Content (UGC)

Effective marketing to millennials also includes user-generated content (UGC) to aid Millennial decision-making. Millennials are more than three times as likely as Baby Boomers to seek advice on which things to purchase via social media. And they place significantly more trust in and heed advice from other people – even strangers – than they do from brands. Millennials like advice for online items equally whether it comes from real-life friends and family or user-generated content on a corporate website. Request feedback from your customers and make it easy to locate online.

• Social Groups, Not Life Stages, Should Be Targeted

One of the expert tips for marketing to millennials is that they do not progress through life stages in the same way that other generations do. They marry later, buy fewer homes, and don't stay in jobs for long periods of time. Marketers must adapt to Millennial buying habits or risk losing this massive audience. Rather than marketing to a certain life stage, a better strategy is to target a subset of Millennials who share the same social identity. Consider marketing to members who live an unconventional lifestyle, or those who support a social cause or a particular social media celebrity.

• Make a Statement

This may be the most distinct factor to achieve success in millennial marketing. With Millennials, being socially aware, altruistic, and environmentally conscious goes a long way. They also want the products they buy to reflect their values, as well as their style and personality. In a survey, forty percent of Millennials said they are willing to spend more for a product that represents the image they wish to project. When asked how brands may engage people, the top two responses in the survey from Millennials were "being honest" and "rewarding loyalty with promotions and discounts." They will invest in your product if you can help them believe in your brand and its messages. 

Want Expert Digital Marketing Help?

Even if you have the best intentions and goals to market to Millennials, sometimes it is still very hard to do so. Millennials follow new trends that make it hard to pinpoint what appeals to them. For a generation-savvy strategy, you can contact a digital marketing service provider in the Philippines to help you appeal to your chosen demographic.