By the year 2020, millennials will command more than US$1.4 trillion in spending power, and represent over one third of the population. Ignore them at your peril!
To attract millennials, marketers need to create concise, insightful campaigns that enhance the hectic lifestyles of this target audience. While trust, price and quality rank highly in the list of millennials’ priorities, there is a lot more work involved to reach this complicated niche than meets the eye. Maximize the effectiveness of your content marketing by employing these strategies:
Tap into Millennial culture
Newscred research found that 64% of millennials respond positively to content that is tailored to their age, location and - most importantly - cultural interests. To reach millennials in today’s fast paced society, brands have to harness the power of big data. Every like, view and swipe demonstrates unique demographic and customer preferences, so tailor your content for individual readers. Brands become an everyday part of millennial conversation by subtly introducing gripping stories, product information, updates and special offers that make readers’ days more lively and interesting.
Ride sharing company Uber shares incredible stories, customer generated reviews and culturally specific content across their social media networks, for example “Spotlight on Uber cities” and “Behind the Wheel.” This level of customisation gives audiences first-hand insight into drivers’ lives, and other Uber users’ experiences from all around the world.
[Top-rated New Jersey Uber driver Suzanne always gives her riders a treat – literally!]
Crack a joke
A recent Yahoo! Study claims that comedy is the most watched genre online. Millennials are also 73% more likely to share content if it’s funny. But it’s not all about the laughs; it’s about establishing an emotional connection with your audience. If you build an emotional connection with your consumers, you build trust. Don’t fall into the trap of producing content that is too information heavy and humorless, because millennials will just switch off.
Millennials demand new and more adventurous content. Deodorant brand Old Spice stepped up to the task when they rebranded their entire content strategy to attract millennial males. By creating a series of slapstick GIFs on Imgur and 180 YouTube responses, Old Spice received more than 40 million views within its first week, making it the fastest growing campaign in history.
[Old Spice spices things up by creating streams of goofy Imgur content, directly appealing to millennial males]
Listen, don’t interrupt
Push advertising and inbound marketing used to dominate the content industry, but interruptions aren’t cutting it anymore. Marketers have to sit back and listen to understand consumers’ needs. User-generated content and reviews contain a gold mine of customer data for every marketer. Listen, learn and adapt your messages so that customers not only share your content, but also become avid spokespersons for your brand.
Marketers should never underestimate the importance of the brand influencer generation. Nick Blunden, Global Managing Director of The Economist, said in an interview with AdWeek, “If you engage with them in the right way and accept that they’re going to want to customise, curate and remix that content to make it their own and pass it on, then that’s a really interesting opportunity.” Taco Bell has become a marketing powerhouse because they speak their customer’s language. “Millennial word of the week” has become a staple part of their content management, and it works.
[Taco Bell’s “on fleek” content starts conversations with millennials all over the world]
Commit to a cause
Far from being egotistical, millennials care about giving back to their community. In fact, many millennials go beyond tweeting updates and signing online petitions to become actively involved in charitable activities – with 74% of them more likely to pay attention to messages that show transparency and commitment to a global cause.
Outdoor clothing company Patagonia introduced its “Worn Wear” campaign, which focuses on reducing CO2 emissions, waste output and water usage by showing consumers how to extend the life of their clothing. Engaging audiences through user generated content and How To guides, their anti-growth mantra of “reduce, repair, reuse and recycle” actually increased Patagonia’s sales by a third in less than one year.
[Patagonia’s Responsible Economy campaign encourages consumers to fix their tired, well-loved clothing to save the environment]
Marketers may find themselves working a bit harder to satisfy the endless and constantly evolving needs of millennials. But when you create that connection, they’ll reward you with repeat purchases, positive user-generated content and lasting customer loyalty.