As of 2021, millennials make up a third of the world’s population and account for a whopping $600 billion in spending each year in the US alone. Are you using the right marketing methods to engage this population? Among this generation, 92% own a smartphone and they spend an average of 7.2 hours each day online. This means that your marketing strategy needs a revamp to fit in with the preferences of this huge population of potential customers. Take a look at five key marketing tactics that are proven to work well for this generation.
1. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a great way to build trust among your target audience. This is because millennials trust peer reviews and opinions much more than advertisements. This has led to influencer marketing growing from an ancillary marketing tactic to becoming an industry worth almost $14 billion in 2021. This represents a 42% YOY rise from $9.7 billion in 2020. Some of the other reasons to collaborate with influencers include cost-effectiveness, great lead generation, and ROI.
2. Mobile-Friendly
In the USA, 96% of millennials aged 25-29 and 95% of those aged 30-40 years own a smartphone. US millennial consumers aged 25-34 spend 253 minutes on average on their smartphones each day. So, your business website must be optimized for viewing on mobile devices. Even Google runs a mobile-first index that exclusively focuses on the mobile version of sites. So, if you want your website to be easily discoverable by millennials, make it mobile friendly across different screen sizes.
3. Social Media Presence
In 2019, 90% of US millennials used social media. With the spread of the pandemic in 2020, 63% of millennials increased their social media use, while 46% expect to continue to increase their use over the next three years. Millennials don’t just use social media to connect with peers, they use these platforms for news, reviews, and opinions. Plus, 75% of millennials say that social media helps them connect with brands. So, engaging your target audience on these networks and starting a dialogue with them is crucial to creating brand awareness, building trust, and gaining loyalty. Use the most relevant hashtags to increase the reach of your content, since millennials frequently search by hashtags to save time and effort.
When trying to make every customer feel special, organize rewarding contests and loyalty programs (for fans). Also, go beyond canned responses and engage with comments on a personal level.
4. Video-Based Content
Did you know 60% of millennials choose to watch company videos rather than go through newsletters? Besides, 80% find videos useful when they research to make an initial purchase. So, it’s important to create more video content as it grabs and retains attention better. However, remember to create engaging yet informative content because two out of three millennials opt out of highly promotional videos.
5. Give Them a Say
Millennials means the “me” generation. Their opinions matter a lot to them. So, allow them to speak their mind and respect what they say about your products and services. For that, encourage them to:
- Comment on social media.
- Participate in polls and surveys.
- Leave reviews on your business site.
Also, follow the model of Web 2.0 to create interactive and user-generated content and participatory website elements. Collect their views and incorporate the necessary changes in your offerings and marketing techniques.
Finally, consider using long-tail keywords in your content, since they’re based on how we speak. And, don’t forget about voice search, given that 45% of millennials use voice-assisted shopping in the USA.
