Millennials (also known as ‘Digital Natives’) have the biggest online spending compared to other segments of the population. Research indicates that more than 80% of millennials own smartphones, and also spend a significant part of their day on social media. The heavy presence of millennials on the internet and social media is something that digital marketers should leverage on to market their goods and services to millennials. (Source: MediaOne)
Any business that intends to have a successful digital marketing campaign cannot ignore millennials. Even though marketing to millennials is quite tricky because they are more tech-savvy and informed compared to other segments of the population, penetrating this market is the surest way of succeeding in your industry. So how does one market to such a large and diverse group?
In today’s article, we look at a few tips on penetrating the millennial market.
1.Create engaging and creative content
Millennials like to express themselves. In today’s dynamic digital marketing industry, self-expression is akin to branding your business. They should be able to relate to your products in a way that matches their style and personality. Companies should find content that is relatable which means that whatever content that you choose must resonate with them besides communicating the exact message that they want to hear. Your posts should be engaging in the sense that it allows them to provide response and air their feelings about you. When chatting with them, make it a point to mention your brand. Millennials often want to be occupied with high quality and engaging content. They tend to find themselves immersed in a pool of entertainment. This means there are numerous opportunities that you can explore to put together engaging content for your marketing campaigns.
2.Target specific groups of Millennials
Millennials are connected and highly-informed shoppers. Therefore, you can only market to them by anticipating their future needs, converting them into browsers, and thereafter, converting them into buyers. When selling to millennials, you must know what exactly they seek and enjoy. They are more likely to like, follow or pin a company on social media than any other generation. This will help you drive loyalty thus enabling you to penetrate this lucrative market. So it is imperative that businesses conduct in-depth market research to map the purchase journey and specific digital usage patterns of millennials.
3.Focus on their needs and wants
When engaging with millennials, keep your content short yet precise. Millennials don’t love reading long content since they find it boring and have short attention spans. Often, millennials desire to feel connected and involved in their purchases. Millennials are more enticed by and demand personalized and customer-driven campaigns. Therefore, you must avoid company-focused and impersonal campaigns since, in the minds of millennials, these are void of substance. Use a mobile-first approach since most millennials use their mobile devices to make their decisions.
Millennials are likely to buy from brands whose campaigns promise spontaneous and unique experiences. They are also likely to work with brands that fulfill their desire to look sophisticated before their peers. You can entice them using branded VIP parties, particular influencer-only events, and exclusive sneak picks. Such events make them look and feel like trendsetters among their peers besides appealing to their sense of fun and adventure. Incorporating such strategies in your marketing campaigns will go a long way in helping you penetrate the millennial market in Singapore.
4.Get on social media
Millennials define themselves by the type of product they use. Often, their purchasing decisions are influenced by their peers, influencers or online reviews. They want to be sure that the To attract Millennials, companies should try to get them to like, follow or pin them on social media platforms. Companies are bound to be more successful with an omni-channel strategy in place. One of the most important channels is social media. Leadscon says that around 65 percent of millennials like a company or brand on Facebook and Twitter, but it also spreads the word to his or her social media contacts. Considering that the average Millennial has 250 Facebook friends, this type of word of mouth endorsement can significantly boost your brand. (Source: Entrepreneur)
5.Give them an active role in your brand
Millennials value transparency. They cannot trust businesses that tend to ignore feedback or companies that are secretive when it comes to their business dealings. You can only gain the trust of millennials if you are open about whatever you are trying to market to them. Since they also love being heard, the surest way of gaining the confidence of millennials is through direct engagements with them. Make them feel like they are part of your business process by keeping them in the loop which will make them feel like they are partners and co-creators rather than just spectators. Hence, you should strive to create a relationship that goes beyond the business engagements that you have with them. Whether it’s brands or people, millennials value the connectedness that comes with relationships.
6.Offer experience-based shopping
Millennials have changed the way brands do business. There has been an industry-wide shift in such a way that e-commerce businesses have replaced outmoded retail models. Technology-driven modes (such as Virtual Reality) of selling, which are experimental, have also gained popularity over the past years. As a result, you need to indulge in hosting events, workshops, offer coupons and discounts since it will help increase your customer loyalty as well as build your brand awareness.
There we’ve summed up your roadmap to marketing to Millennials. Marketing to them can seem like a daunting task as they are highly unpredictable but remember that Millennials are consistently shaping digital marketing today and the future of it. Those who pick up on their research and buying traits quickly will be the ones who reap bountifully, having figured out this market generation, adeptly.
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