How To Get Millennials Excited About Your Brand

Millennials are one of the most populous generations living in the world today. According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s population estimates from July 2019, there are over 72 million millennials living in the United States alone.

This generation — consisting of individuals born between 1981 and 1997 — is now becoming a driving force in the world’s economy. By 2025, they are expected to comprise three-quarters of the global workforce.

This is why companies all over the world are looking for new marketing strategies targeting this specific age-group. First of all, however, it is important to understand the differences between millennials and the generations that came before them.

Why Are Millennials Special?

No other generation engages in media the same way as millennials do. They are considered to be “digital natives,” which means they grew up surrounded by technology. This gives them a level of technological literacy unrivaled by their parents and grandparents.

Taking this into consideration, it is not surprising that social media has become a huge factor when it comes to marketing to millennials. However, that doesn’t mean that a simple profile for your business on one of the popular social networks will be enough.

One of the most important tasks for marketers is creating brand loyalty among its customers. With so many channels that tech-savvy millennials can use to explore their many options in today’s world, it is becoming increasingly difficult for marketers to achieve brand loyalty.

The traditional brands that were considered huge a couple of decades ago, may not resonate that well with this younger generation. The millennials still obviously recognize big brand names of the past, but they might not put the same stock into their heritage.

Companies and brands that wish to be successful nowadays must make themselves relevant to this new generation. This is as true for traditionally successful corporate giants, as it is for small emerging businesses.

Let’s look at some marketing strategies that can help keep millennials engaged with your brand:

TAKE A STAND

Millennials are interested in knowing that whatever brand they choose to support is not driven by profit alone. Businesses that use their position to make changes, whether it is through giving back to communities and changing lives of people, or supporting the planet, always get recognition from millennials.

Brands weren’t always expected to have a position on economic, political or social issues. In fact, it was almost unheard of, as businesses were generally worried about alienating significant portions of their customer base.

Neutrality in marketing, however, seems to have seen its final days, at least as far as millennials are concerned. If you can effectively communicate what your brand stands for, you can expect support from this demographic.

Brands with a purpose find it easier to make an emotional connection with their customers, especially millennials, and that can go a long way toward establishing brand loyalty.

FOCUS ON UGC MARKETING

One of the hottest strategies when it comes to marketing to millennials is known as user-generated content marketing (UGC). There’s a very good and simple reason why it has been so popular lately — it works.

User-generated content marketing utilizes content that web users, unaffiliated with the company, create. This marketing strategy only really became viable with the rise of social media, which makes its impact on millennials hardly surprising.

In fact, an incredible 84% of millennials say that user-generated content has influenced their decisions regarding online shopping, according to research from Gartner.

Given the fact that millennials are largely considered not to trust branded messages, they put a surprising amount of trust into user-generated content. A good UGC marketing campaign is almost guaranteed to be a success with millennials.

USE SOCIAL MEDIA

As we explained earlier, millennials have a connection with social media that is unrivaled by any other generation in the past. According to research done by Retail Dive, as many as 72% of millennials have bought beauty or fashion products after seeing them on Instagram, with the most-purchased categories being jewelry, shoes, makeup and clothing.

Millennials tend to share their opinions about brands through social media, and according to HubSpot data, 90% of consumers are more likely to purchase a product or service online if it has been recommended by friends.

Successfully marketing to millennials means using the methods of communication they prefer, and social media is one of them. Marketers should also not underestimate the influence of peers and even celebrities when it comes to social media marketing.

This is a generation with an inherent distrust for traditional advertising and big-name brands, so finding a way for your customers to speak for you is imperative.

Be Creative

Millennials are changing the way we think of marketing. The days when brands could simply rely on TV commercials, billboards and newspaper ads to promote themselves are long gone.

This young generation wants to be able to trust and engage with brands, and it is suspicious of any traditional marketing attempts.

As soon as we understand that brand loyalty no longer comes easy or cheap and that it takes a lot of creativity, we’ll be able to build great experiences and reach millennials through them.

Market to millennials where they spend most of their time — on social media, and use the power of user-generated content to gain their trust. It is important to elicit an emotional connection with your brand by taking a stand on important issues and try to set yourself apart from all the other brands.