Millennials. Those mystifying individuals born between 1980 and 1999. Once dismissed as a non-entity in the business world, Baby Boomers and Gen Xers have little choice these days but to sit up and take notice to this generation who now holds 20% of the management roles in companies – and, who recently surpassed Gen Xers as the largest generation in the U.S. workforce.
Where once, the way millennials viewed business could easily be brushed aside, it’s now more crucial than ever to understand how they relate to brands and what motivates their decision-making process.
After all, it now directly impacts your company’s success.
This 83.1 million-strong generation, is optimistic, busy, stressed and wants the opportunity to make a difference – but on their terms. Millennials place a lot of emphasis on a company’s values and how they relate to their own personal values. And if you can find a way to reach them and truly connect with them, you may have a customer for life.
But how can you reach this generation who spends nearly $600 billion a year? It all starts with the communication method you use, and I’ll give you a hint: It’s not the one you’re expecting.
And once you reach them, how do you know the content will resonate with this generation? Is it informative, educational, funny? Does it provide the value they’re seeking?
What about your website? Does it look and function like one from this century? Or is it stuck in a time when millennials were still wearing diapers as opposed to business attire?
But wait..there’s more than just gerneration
While it’s easy to group people by their generation and paint everyone in it with the same wide brush, let’s not forget that generation is just one key aspect of effective marketing. There’s also:
- Learning style (e.g., audio, visual, tactile), which is perhaps the most important of all because if the content isn’t in a format understandable to our audience, it doesn’t matter what we say. That’s why it’s important to create content in multiple formats.
- Point of view (e.g., where we grew up, our values, our experiences), which means we will each view the same content with a different lens and from a unique perspective.
- Communication style (e.g., face-to-face conversations, phone, email, text), which is often driven by whether we’re extroverted or introverted by nature.
To truly make a connection with current and prospective clients, all of these aspects must be weighed. And while each potential customer is an individual first and a member of a generational group second, it often makes sense to start with generational generalities before diving into each person’s individual learning style, point of view and communication style.
Download our free ebook on marketing to millennials.
Learn more about how to reach this ever-growing generation of senior leaders with the top five essential components for marketing to millennials today, including:
- Which communication method millennials prefer from companies
- Tips for creating content millennials value and will share
- Elements crucial to keep millennials on your website
- What aspects have to exist to engage millennials on social
- How your business values play an integral part in how millennials view and interact with your brand
Sounds good, right? We thought so. Go ahead and educate yourself.
Photo courtesy of Ambro
