How to Appeal to Millennials Without Going to Extremes

It is often said that from a purely business perspective, appealing to millenials is hugely difficult. Which indeed it is, if you’re foolish enough to make the assumption that you will appeal to millenials by repeating the same marketing process you would use to attract other audiences. It is not that the millenials market is tricky to approach – it is just that you need to make the necessary adjustments. And it is not much different than it has ever been. After all, will you really expect a marketing campaign for 15-year-old girls to have much of an effect on 70-year-old retired men? If you wish to appeal to millenials, you will have to think about what precisely you can do to engage this specific demographic. Online Focus For instance, it is worth tailoring your approach to the fact that millenials do basically everything online. When they need some information, want to buy something, intend to get in touch with somebody, look for entertainment and everything else across the board, the Internet is really the be all and end all for millenials. Unless you focus on the smaller and less lucrative hipster market, you could likely forget about marketing to millenials by way of traditional communication channels and advertising. Assume All Customers Are Mobile Not only do millenials spend most of their lives connected, but they do so primarily or exclusively by way of their mobile devices. No generation has ever been glued to personal devices on a constant basis like millenials. Which naturally could be advantageous, as it means that you will have a constant means by which to reach your chosen demographic. If this is the audience you want to tap into, you will need to assume that basically all customers that come your way are mobile, rather than just catering to the mobile market as an afterthought. Consider Paid Ads on Facebook According to the latest statistics, the amount of time a typical user spends attached to Facebook each day is nearly 1 hour. Realising there are only 24 hours each day, it is a nearly frightening level of dependency. Contrary to the cries of some critics, the reach and power of social media is only growing at an enormous rate on a global basis. Facebook’s paid advertising offers you the unique opportunity to target your customers at the perfect time with the ideal marketing materials, making sure not a penny goes to waste. Develop Your Brand Story Last but not least, traditional advertising had basically no impact on millenials. They can’t stand the hard sell, aren’t fooled by discounts or deals and nor can you persuade them they want something on the merits of the service or product alone. By contrast, storytelling can have huge power over millenials. Rather than selling your services and products, try to sell your story as a brand – the classic method of selling without selling.