The Millennials are the generation of today. Even if they aren’t your target audience now, they soon will be. As a business owner, If you are not factoring your message to include them, you may be losing out a big chunk of your revenue.
The millennial generation was the first to grow up with technology at their fingertips. They are used to always being connected. The majority of millennials will be connected to multiple tech devices at the same time. Without constant access to the internet, they’re going to feel helpless.
Who is a Millennial?
According to Investopedia, a millennial is a name given to the generation born between 1982 – 2004. The term “millennial” is used in various forms to discuss and analyse issues relating to this segment of the population.
Millennials are so named because they were born near, or came of age during, the dawn of the 21st century – the new millennium. As the first to be born into a digital world, members of this group are considered “digital natives.”
Millennials constitute a huge chunk of Nigeria’s population, and so the online sphere is populated by millennials. They are the most active segment of the online population.
Also Read: Small Business Marketing 101 – A Guide to Growing Your Small Business.
How to market to Millennials
The secret to marketing to millennials is to remember that millennials are also people.
1. Social Media.
Millennials are perhaps most active on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram and Snapchat. As such, they expect businesses they follow to use these platforms, too. But being online isn’t enough for these businesses; to engage millennials, businesses must tell stories that resonate with them. Tip: your social posts must be both genuine and engaging. A brand that talks but
The most important tip to marketing to millennials on social media is to be genuine and engaging with your social posts. A brand that talks but do not listen, or one that automates everything it posts, will fail to gain both traction and engagement.
2. Inbound Marketing is King.
Millennials support businesses that are dedicated to improving their customers’ lives with informative content. Rather than product and service listings, Millennials want e-books, whitepapers, blog posts, videos, and other how-to information – and that’s inbound marketing.
They appreciate thought leadership and expertise, so this is your chance to provide killer content that ranks highly in Google and show young consumers that you’re the industry buff – especially since Millennials are 44% more likely to trust experts (who happen to be strangers); they are 247% more likely to be influenced by blogs or social networking sites.
Also Read: 3 unique ways to acquire customers for your new business.
3. Use influencer marketing to your advantage.
More than likely your online audience follows influencers. Who is an influencer? Someone with a significant number of followers in a specific niche. Influencers have the power to persuade other people what to think or do. Often, when they say buy, people do. Millennials are especially influenced by influencer marketing. What influencer marketing can do for your brand is huge.
You can find the right influencers for your brand directly on social media platforms or save time and resources by using a searchable influencer database that will allow you to discover your new brand fans in a matter of minutes. Your challenge, then, is to build a relationship with influencers that your millennial followers respect, so they can influence for you.
4. Mobile Revolution.
More than 85 percent of millennials own a smartphone. This is a generation that was born between 1982 and 2004. The fact that we live in a tech revolution has helped this generation adapt themselves more quickly than others. This is why 84 percent of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising. As mentioned before, this group of people doesn’t like when they are pushed to a product. It’s better to work around it and indirectly advertise. Try to create a post that seems like a native ad, or use brand placement discreetly.
Conclusion
Business Owners need to adapt to millennials making up the bulk of the online community. Learn what they respond to and what matters to them. It could just be the breakthrough your business needs to move forward into the future.