Marketing to the Millennial

“Millennial” is no longer a buzzword. In 2015, there were about 54 million Millennials ranging in age from 18-34. They account for one-third of today’s workforce according to Fortune, which is the largest generation at work. By 2025, Millennials, also known as Gen Y or those born in the ‘80s and ‘90s, will make up the majority of the workforce.

Millennials comprise a huge chunk of consumers, but not everyone understands them. We already know that marketers put a huge energy and focus into advertising towards Millennials, but have you ever truly understood what makes them tick? We know they’re smart, savvy, and super connected, but do you have what it takes to engage them? Ask yourself this:

 
• What motivates them to buy and eventually be loyal to your brand over the competition?
 
• What social media platform do they use and spend most of their time on?
 
• What intrigues them enough to share ideas, stories and posts with their friends?

Let’s take a deeper look into how Millennials have shaped the way we advertise. Their attitudes, views and actions are changing the face of the nation and will continue to evolve over the next decade. Here are some of the top things we need to know about Millennials in order to best advertise:

 
• Millennials are the most racially and ethnically diverse generation – ever. According to NBC News, about 43 percent are non-white. They are pretty unattached to organized religion or politics, but are strongly connected through social media. They are socially liberal. And though they worry about the economy, they are optimistic about what the future holds.
 
• Millennials are smart, but cautious. Millennials often invest in their future more than generations before them. They may not have the biggest paycheck, but set realistic goals and are the most educated generation in history. They look up to successful leaders such as Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg. Young adults are financially savvy, saving for retirement and use most of the income for activities and entertainment. They value and embrace life experiences over material goods. Millennials aren’t sold by “fake” deals, but appreciate authenticity plus a good deal.
 
• Millennials are easily distracted. The mobile-dependent Millennials can be different to engage and brands must battle for their attention. Attention can no longer be expected from advertisers; it must be earned. When using Facebook or other social media platforms to advertise your brand, you are not only competing with the new restaurant or retail store down the street; you’re competing with their best friend who just had a baby, their grandma’s 80th birthday celebration, engagement and wedding photos of their sister, or pictures from a bachelorette weekend in Las Vegas. Brands must prepare their advertising meticulously and deliver with passion and authenticity. So what social media platforms are Millennials using to stay connected? According to American Press Institutes’ survey of Millennials, they found that 88 percent of those surveyed get news and information from Facebook, 83 percent from YouTube, and 50 percent from Instagram.
 
• Millennials are inspired by people and brands they relate to. They support brands they believe in. As stated before, Millennials may not have the biggest paycheck, but they will spend a little extra with a brand that aligns with what they care about. According to an Androit Digital survey, 38% of Millennials will switch brands if a company is found to have bad business practices — ethics matter to Millennials. Outside of financial factors, a business found to have bad business practices is the number one reason that Millennials will switch brands. Brands must speak their language and be consistent across all touch points to keep their attention. If a Millennial genuinely likes your brand and is proud to associate themselves with it, they will be loyal. If you can create a “friendship” with these consumers, you really take your brand to the next level. They will go to great lengths to support you once they trust and believe in you.
 
• Millennials are into self-expression. According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, this generation masters self-expression, with 75% creating a profile on a social networking site, 20% posting a video of themselves online, and 38% with one to six tattoos. Looking a bit deeper reveals a method for young people to identify their passions and determine the most convenient path forward, rather than having others set a path for them.
 
• Millennials are the first generation to have an unlimited amount of technological platforms from which they can express themselves and are the most self-expressive, connected generation of its kind. And, regardless of what others think of them, this generation is the future. Don’t mistake their overly self-confident attitudes or high amount of selfies for being self-absorbed. They are more caring, community-oriented and politically engaged than previous generations.
 
• Millennials are naturally connected as social. Technology + Millennials = Social Connection. It is pretty clear that staying connected is what defines a Millennial. They have never known a world without technology. There have always been surrounded by televisions, computers, smart phones and the Internet. They are savvy, proficient and early adopters of the next great technological advance. Access to technology and devices is fueling Millennials’ ability to stay social 24/7. Millennials don’t just use technology to stay connected with friends and post selfies. They are using social and smart phone apps in many different ways including tracking finances, buying mutual funds, making purchases, and engaging in online banking.

After diving into some of the top things we need to know about Millennials, let’s look at how FabCom can use SEO, SEM, social media and online advertising to better engage with the Millennials and all other targets of your brand. As one of the top marketing and advertising agencies in the Southwest, FabCom ensures that your SEO and SEM efforts are projecting your brand to be in the right place at the right time, whether it’s #1 in a search engine results page or dynamically served at the exact moment when user variables align for the maximum tipping point of action that creates a lifetime of transactions and loyalty. Since Millennials are loyal once they believe in your brand, FabCom will position you in the right place in the minds of consumers. FabCom also has extension experience in marketing business intelligence to be able to get to know the Millennial on a deeper level and advertise to fit their demographic, psychographic and behavior.

Because social media is among the most powerful networking platforms available today, especially with Millenials, FabCom integrates social media with all campaigns and manages platforms to build conversations, reciprocity and relationships with followers, friends and subscribers. The agency drives concrete results when it comes to your social media, interactive media and mass media initiatives. Through deployment of real-time, integrated and automated technologies, FabCom is able to efficiently and effectively utilize Facebook, Google+, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, blogs (and whatever emerges next) to get you more from your marketing dollar.

How do we do it? Gleaning all the benefits of social media – and with pinpoint accuracy – is more than just knowing how to use it. Leveraging its power takes Neuromarketology™, a unique methodology (and book) pioneered by FabCom that defines and segments your target audiences and studies the reactions driven from the core brain based on the exposure to specific marketing messages, imagery and timing. It’s the science of knowing each of the target audience’s emotion connection points and configuring marketing messages to connect with each stakeholder in the most relevant manner for that specific target.

This Phoenix advertising agency also has been creating top-ranked websites for over 20 years and is widely recognized for developing dynamic, high value website and e-commerce sites that entice customers to visit and buy, while engaging them in a conversation with your brand that will bring Millennials back time and again.

Want to learn more about how to effectively market to the Millennial? Let FabCom show you how!