Targeting millennials is a common priority for modern brands, partly owing to the sheer size and consumer power of this group.
According to the World Economic Forum, there are 1.8 billion millennials around the world (nearly a quarter of the global population), and they’re seen as the most educated generation.
If you’re looking to engage and build relationships with customers born between 1980 and 1994, there are many tactics you can try. One approach certainly worth considering is to appeal to the personality behind the demographic, instead of merely grouping together those of a similar age or income and assuming they will all be attracted by the same tactics.
This demonstrates to your audience that you’re willing to do the work required to connect with them on a personal, individual level.
If you’re looking for specific strategies to strengthen your bonds with millennials, here are four key things to bear in mind:
When it comes to building your buyer personas, experiment with increasing levels of detail until you’re targeting a very small group of people.
Create content with the specific needs and interests of that group in mind. Seek individual stories then reflect on how they could relate to your brand.
These don’t need to be monumental insights, but daily doses of unique information can go a long way.
Constantly look for ways to be innovative within your own area of expertise, but look for thought leaders and influential figures in other arenas as well for inspiration.
If someone’s doing something amazing in a completely different field, see if there’s a way to make it compatible with what you’re doing. Diverse content allows a brand to expand its network, knowledge and influence, while becoming a thought leader that inspires conversation and keeps it going.
The good thing about collaboration is that it can happen at any time, and can range in scope from small individual relationships to global projects. It’s really a limitless tool.
Younger generations may be fast-paced, but they still want depth. This doesn’t just mean writing longer content, but also writing content that explores topics by digging deeper into what’s already there.
Make sure your content has genuine, insightful depth and doesn’t merely scratch the surface of an intricate topic.
It’s worth the extra time and money because rich content like ebooks encourages loyalty and respect for your brand. Interest pieces can make more of an impact and allow for more meaningful interactions.
For many millennials, philanthropy and making a positive difference to the world are big subjects, but it’s not useful for a travel blog just to write about ‘charitable’ or ‘ethical’ travelling.
Someone whose primary concern is protecting the environment will engage differently to someone who is more interested in civil rights or social equality. Be clear about who you want to target at any given time and create content for that persona.
If you do want to speak to a specific group of Gen Y-ers, don’t make your intentions too obvious and avoid practices such as giving certain segments of your audience a specific label.
Many millennials embrace being part of diverse, overlapping communities that reflect their interests and passions, and don’t want to feel restricted to a certain group.
Keeping with the travel example, if you’re creating content for people driven by philanthropy and ethical habits, don’t make your tone so specific and exclusive that other segments of your audience feel ignored.
Digital platforms have allowed brands to reach more individuals without specifically targeting them or spending extra resources to reach them.
Designing content to connect to one demographic, while still remaining open to other personas, will help you maximise the benefits of digital capability by circulating content to more people.
Millennials have grown up and matured in the digital era, giving them access to a greater diversity of influences than any preceding generation. As a result, they’re more open to conversations and ways of thinking that enable them to connect with their fellow humans – and brands – on a deeper level.
Bottom line: Don’t speak to all millennials at once. You won’t get the results you’re hoping for and you might end up hurting your brand more than you help it.
If you’re looking for support with this aspect of your marketing, Axonn can help.
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