How to Market Towards a Millennial Consumer in 2020

provesource Millennials

Millennials may have a reputation for being job-hopping ‘snowflakes’ who wouldn’t know an attention span if it hit them in the face, but is that really a fair assessment? Well, no – not really. 

By 2050, the millennial generation will have largely taken over the workforce so, in order for businesses to stay relevant, they will need to utilise millennials within their digital marketing strategies. 

After all, just like any generation before them, millennials think and buy differently. Therefore, to make them a viable target consumer for businesses, it’s imperative to observe their behaviour, analyse what they value most and pinpoint the factors that influence their buying decisions. 

In this article, we aim to help businesses engage with millennials and streamline their marketing strategies towards the incoming generation. 

1. Collaborate and listen.

Research suggests that the millennial generation tend to favour companies who see the wider world perspective and aim to help others in their work. 

Following a report last year known as the Deloitte Millennial Survey, it was discovered that many millennials prefer businesses which focus on making a societal impact, instead of concentrating on their own agendas. This report also found that millennials are underconfident about the current level of business leadership, with many stating that they favour businesses that ‘prioritise social issues’ and support good causes.

With this in mind, to attract the millennial audience, companies will need to shape their business model around supporting charities and helping make a difference. Whether it be going paperless, promoting dietary change, or giving some profit to charity, there are a several effective ways companies can alter their agendas to become more presentable to millennials. 

2. Utilise content. 

Put simply – traditional advertising methods no longer work on the incoming generation of tech-savvy enthusiasts and, according to HubSpot, more than 84% of millennials do not trust it at all. Instead, they respond much more favourably to authentic content marketing strategies. 

Millennials would rather engage with authentic brand messages and stories that help them get to know who a company is and what they stand for. Therefore, by choosing to implement a streamlined content marketing process, companies will be able to really engage with their target millennial audience. 

It all comes down to creating a dialogue; the more open a business is with a millennial, the more likely that millennial will be open to engaging with that business. 

3. Online presence matters. 

The millennial generation is often known as ‘the digital generation’ – and for good reason. Having been brought up alongside the technological movement, digital is something that just comes naturally to millennials. For businesses to stay relevant, they’ll therefore need to get digital dependent. 

The rise of the internet over the years exemplifies just how important digital now is. In today’s day and age, people are more connected than ever before which, while seemingly may be a good thing, has consequently made it more difficult for businesses to stand out. 

However, digital remains a vital means of communicating with target audiences so, despite these difficulties, it’s imperative for companies to have a strong online presence. From their own website to their social media profiles, every channel needs to be clean, easy to use and well-maintained.

4. Mobile is a must. 

While on the topic of tech-savviness, having a good desktop website is all well and good but, if it’s not optimised for mobile, then you’re simply shooting yourself in the foot. 

Mobile site design is a vital aspect of successfully marketing towards a millennial. A whopping 97.5% of people aged between 18-34 are said to own and regularly use a smartphone so, it’s vital for businesses to recognise and utilise this in order to tap into this market. 

All puns aside, millennials often use their smartphones to research products, investigate services and make purchase decisions. Therefore, the more streamlined and engaging a website or app comes across, the more likely it will be that they’ll invest their time and money in that business. 

5. Get social. 

In today’s day and age of social media, everyone seems to have an opinion – and that predominantly includes millennials. When it comes to utilising this information, it’s important for businesses to look at what people are saying and learn from it. 

Millennials are known to respond positively to organisations who take feedback on board and listen to their consumers. They also favour businesses which stay on trend, using the latest news and adverts to advertise and communicate with them. 

The easiest way for businesses to provide this output is via effective social media channels. As research from Forbes proves, almost two-thirds of millennials say that they are more likely to become a customer if a company personally engages with them through social media. 

Final thoughts

So, there you have it – five key areas for businesses to focus on when trying to engage with the millennial generation. 

While they may seem like a picky bunch, it’s important to remember that millennials have grown up in a time of particular worry and economic uncertainty. Many millennials will have witnessed first-hand the fallout from the 2008 recession, and will have been brought up cautious over spending. 

Therefore, to engage with them effectively, businesses need to put themselves in their shoes and openly respond with their concerns. Only by recognising what it is that makes a millennial’s mind tick will businesses be able to stand a chance when it comes to marketing towards them. 

Chester Avey
Business Growth Consultant
Chester Avey has a wealth of knowledge surrounding business growth and marketing. Chester enjoys sharing his experiences with other industry professionals through his writing.

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