4 Secrets of Marketing to Millennials

We’ve all seen and heard the stereotypes about millennials – that they’re entitled, vain, addicted to social media, overly brand-conscious, job hoppers, avocado toast munchers who can’t afford to buy houses…and so on and on, ad nauseaum.

How can you maximise your marketing strategies on real facts, without falling victim to stereotypes and wasting your budget?

1. Get to know the marketplace

In 2017, there was a lot of talk about the “Retail Apocalypse”. Some pundits thought they could blame millennials. After all, millennials are big on strong self-identity, as opposed to seeing themselves as part of a group. They’re more brand-conscious, and less likely to shop where the offering is generic.

But how can consumers be blamed if some brands aren’t living up to their expectations? In an increasingly diverse market, businesses need to up their game and stand out from the pack. Your web design and online marketing strategies need to match consumer needs, not the other way around.

2. Get to know your buyer

There’s no real shortcut to this step – you have to dive into what makes young adults tick these days.A good way to do this is follow trends on all the usual social media channels and join forums like Reddit and Imgur (even just to lurk). Check out YouTube and young adult-oriented shows on Netflix and local TV.  Never stop surfin’!

If you’re a millennial yourself, don’t assume that your own behaviours, needs, desires and problems reflect those of everyone else. Craft buyer personas that will hit your target markets more specifically, and you’ll get more bang for your marketing bucks.

3. Change up your strategies

Just because you’ve always done things a certain way, and it’s worked, doesn’t mean it will work across the board. A 21-year-old and a 31-year-old might have some similarities in tastes and behaviour, but their buying patterns might be completely different.

Don’t be afraid to adapt your marketing approach to your audience. But also, don’t think you have to push your brand on Snapchat just because you think that’s the medium all the cool kids are using.  You have to test your ads and other content on various media, and see what’s getting through to your target audience the most. Your web designer needs to be clued up about the latest in design trends and web design features.

4. Use facts over feelings

Sometimes, your ads, email campaigns, and other strategies are going to let you down. They’re going to underperform – that’s life.

The only way you’ll know if your efforts are paying off is simply to measure the results. Learn to track your clicks, conversions and cost per acquisition for every effort. Then, use this data to compare your campaign performance so you can determine which to trash, which to revamp and which to keep.

In all honesty, this is not an easy process. Online marketing experts take years to master the ins and outs of ad campaigns and lead generation.

Related: let us show you how we can get you more customers through lead generation!

So once you recognise millennials as a key consumer demographic for your business, thanks to their tech savviness and ability to consume web-based content, make sure you do your homework when you pitch to them. Don’t expect them to conform to all the old tried-and-true ways!