Guest Blog – Millennial Marketing: The Way to the Future
By: Jacqui Stewart
Millennials are the wave of our future. They are joining the workforce, moving out on their own and shopping for their own products. They are the driving force of most technological advances that are coming out today. Whatever they are doing at any given moment in time, they want what they need at their fingertips. Companies recognize this and are stepping up to the plate to the newest generation controlling the marketing vector of our society.
There are 75+ million Millennials between the ages of 15 and 35. This population is the largest of any generation before them. They are moving in to replace the Baby Boomers in work and as a consumer. There are several things you need to know about the Millennials that will help you stand out in the blurred sea of shops that they can pick from.
You’ve never seen what you’re seeing now.
The Millennials? They are not even on the same radar as Baby Boomers or Generation X. If you are looking to get them to shop with you? You need to dig WAY down into your bag of tricks to get their attention.
The diversity amongst the millennials is huge. You’ve got coffee shop start-up entrepreneurs, stay at home moms to career minded professionals and everything in between. If you can think of a personality? The millennials have got that person too. So, companies and shops must gear marketing to any personality that can be thought of.
Tablets and Phones are an extension of their arm.
They are the first generation born and raised with technology in front of them every day. iPhones or Tablets, they learned by the age of two. They can order dinner for the family with an app by the age of five.
Growing up with technology at their fingertips, this generation is used to instant reaction. They don’t typically keep to the old days of asking for answers during “regular” business hours. So, companies now need to be available at all times of the day. The old days of leaving the office at five are gone. If they want an answer at two in the morning and your business isn’t there to answer it, they will go to the next business. And they don’t need to stay within state lines anymore. Previous generations primarily had access to local companies only. Pull out that phone book and you’re good. For the Millennials? The world is now local.
Your product is the best out there? Prove it.
Millennials don’t need salespeople calling and telling them they just HAVE to try their product. These calls are a joke with this generation. They don’t want to hear someone working for the company telling them how great the product is. They look up reviews. Whether it’s product reviews on the company’s website or reading online influencers opinions of a product.
Think Blogs, YouTube and Reddit to name a few.
With caller id now calling out telemarketers, surveys, or my personal favorite, “scam likely,” popping up on their phones? You can bet they are going to hit that red button and send the call to voicemail.
They want to keep things real. So, companies must find new modern ways to reach this generation if they want their business. Authenticity is a key word in their vocabulary.
Loyalty? Yes, they have it. But you must earn it.
With the world literally at their fingertips, the Millennials can pick and choose and leave who they want. Just because you are in their hometown doesn’t mean they’re going to shop with you. If they don’t feel like they’ve “connected” with a company they will move on.
Yes, even now, where technology is there separating people at the dinner table, Millennials demand that they feel the company they are shopping with values THEM. That the company hears them. Companies show their value in the Millennials by being authentic. Don’t give them a canned response because they can spot the “I’m just doing my job here” feeling a mile away. Be real with them.
Social Media
This is where companies shine to Millennials. This group spends a minimum of 25 hours a week online. Either reading or shopping. If they find something they like? It’s guaranteed to be posted online to their followers about how great the product is.
What’s better? The company, in some way, shape or form acknowledging the customers’ praise. They are looking for a connection with the company who made the product they fell in love with. They want to know the company listens.
Informational
Millennials love to learn. They want informative posts or videos. How-to guides, eBooks, and Whitepages are part of their daily screen time. They value this content more than anything else. MAC Cosmetics is a prime example of what Millennials look for when they look up how to do something.
So, if you’ve got content that you want Millennials to know about. Get it out there in ways they will look at. Blogs, YouTube, Reddit, Tumblr and Flipboard are perfect sites to get your information in front of them.
This list is just six ways of marketing to Millennials. They are technology experts and aren’t afraid to use it. If you’ve got something to sell, get rid of the old methods and stay with the trends. Make sure your company is online and ready to mingle because Millennials want to see what you’re offering. They want you to respond and be interactive. Talk and connect with them. Show them you are in the here and now with them. That you are listening to what they want and you can and will deliver. Otherwise? The world is a very big sea and there are a lot of fish in it.
About the Guest Blogger:
Jacqui Stewart is a Freelance Writer and Virtual Assistant. She talks travel and lifestyle on her blog, Flights of Fancy Mom. She is the published author of Cavern Cove and hopes to travel the country in an RV once her son graduates high school and is settled in at college. Jacqui went back to college later in life and obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Organizational Management from Wilmington University. It was during that time she discovered a later in life love of writing and hasn’t stopped since. As a Virtual Assistant, Jacqui enjoys working with others in making their visions a reality. She is continually educating herself to help others.
To read more of her work or consider her for hire, click here.