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Seriously, what’s up with Millennials?
I am a Millennial and I still have a hard time keeping up with what’s hot and what’s not. Every other day there is a headline shaming marketers for doing this or that to try and connect with Millennials – so what are we supposed to do? Well, according to research from Yahoo and Contently, we are supposed to be doing what we have been told to do, but better.
Why Millennials matter
I could write a novel about why Millennials matter, but these statistics from LeadsCon will tell you everything you need to know about why you need to create a Millennial marketing strategy:
- Numbering roughly 77 million, Millennials make up about one-fourth of the US population
- Millennials in the US wield about $1.3 trillion in annual buying power
- Five out of six Millennials in the US connect with companies on social media networks
- Millennials in the US are seven times more likely to give their personal information to a trusted brand than to any other brand
- 66 percent of Millennials in the US follow a company or brand on Twitter and 64 percent like a company or brand on Facebook to score a coupon or discount
- Only 6 percent of Millennials in the US consider online advertising to be credible
Content marketing, but better
Both the study from Yahoo and the one from Contently concluded with one big key takeaway – Millennials expect better. They don’t necessarily expect marketers to learn new things (although you should); they just want us to be true content marketers, not posers. They want us to be more relevant, timely, selfless and informative; all things we have been told to do before, but sometimes forget in the mayhem that is being a marketer.
Where are the Millennials hiding?
Now that you understand what Millennials want, the next step is to find them. And that is the real challenge.
Millennials don’t tend to stick to any one social media channel or app for too long – and who can blame them? There are constantly new social channels and apps popping up, and what makes Millennials so unique is their willingness to try something new everyday and easily leave behind what they don’t find useful. (I was talking about technology, but the same sentiment applies to brands).
The following are the social channels and apps worth your time and marketing budget. These channels and apps have passed the Millennials’ test and have staying power:
- SnapChat
- Vine
- YouTube
What you will notice about all these channels and apps is that they are visual and/or fast moving. To truly embrace these – and have Millennials embrace your brand – you need to be on these every day and connecting with customers in real-time.
Even when you know what they want and where they are, winning over Millennials is not going to be easy. They have grown up watching the marketing and advertising industries completely transform due to changes in technology, and thus, they know how the game is played. They can spot marketing BS from a mile away, so marketers all need to give it up and recommit to what they committed to years ago – quality content marketing.
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