To efficiently market to this important up and coming generation of consumers, you need to understand them. Technology is important to them. Constant access to the Internet via mobile phone and tablet, sets this generation apart from the rest. Ease of access to content is important. For example, if your website doesn’t look good when viewed on a mobile phone, they will move on. If you don’t have an email address on your site, and instead give a postal address, you will lose the Millennials. Their lives are packed full of input, stimulation and information. They move fast. They will be dedicated to a brand they love, but they will move on if they don’t feel they are getting what they want. For this generation, interaction is key, marketing can no longer go in one direction. You cannot simply show advertising to these consumers, they have a desire to interact. The importance of harnessing this desire to benefit your brand must never be overlooked.

Every member of this generation is a potential ambassador of your brand. Even the largest marketing department cannot compete with the advertising power of this generation. If it’s a positive message about your company that goes viral, the outcome could have a massive impact on your company, without a huge marketing budget. Online advertising and communication is cheap, but quality is paramount. This generation are discerning customers when it comes to online advertising. They’ve seen it all before. Being innovative and putting your resources into ideas rather than expensive advertising mediums will reward you most. The content of your advertising should tap into the personality of the Millennials. Grab their attention with humour, clever advertising, and the use of cutting edge technology, and they are more likely to share your message with others. Get the Millennials on board and you’ve got an advertising vehicle that can run and run.

A change in the balance of your marketing budget may be in order. Are you still spending most of your budget on television, radio and paper advertising? It’s perhaps time to adjust your budget and put your money into new media options. Any company that doesn’t have a Facebook and Twitter presence these days could be losing out on a lot of business. It’s worth noting though, that simply setting up a Facebook page is not enough. Engaging with consumers is essential. Make posts, invite people to comment, and reply to comments and queries. Don’t be put off by negative comments, and certainly don’t delete them, instead deal with them, efficiently and effectively. It’s a public setting, so any complaints will be seen, yes, but show the public that you deal with issues well and you can turn the negative publicity into a positive.

Take a good look at email marketing. This is a sensitive area and caution must be taken. Surprisingly, email is still the preferred method of business correspondence for the Millennials, but too frequent mail outs will quickly be regarded as spam. Ensure an easy opt-in / opt-out process and make your content relevant. Mobile phones must not be ignored either. This generation will use their smartphone for their online activity more and more as technology improves. Developing an app that is relevant to your business and useful to consumers could be an option, or sponsoring an ad within another app such as a game is another angle worth looking at. Companies who are developing “The Internet Of Things” (IoT) products will surely benefit from the technology savvy Millennials.

Social entrepreneurs and fair-trade organizations has a clear distinct advantage in marketing their products and services to the Millennials.  This young market will be looking for a brand that has sustainable personality, ethics, character and social responsibility mission, and a company that is available all day, every day. They want to be able to contact you when they want, not during your set opening hours. Creating a feeling of community and putting across the impression that every customer can develop a personal relationship with the brand is highly valuable.

For the older generations, it is well worth reminding ourselves that the Millennials have grown up in a slightly different world. Advertising featuring a classic family is likely to come across as clichéd, when once this would have been a reassuring image. These days there are an increasing number of families that do not fit that stereotypical average family image. When advertising to the Millennials you need to think beyond this, for them multi-racial families and same-sex relationships are the norm. They live in a modern world where family situations that would once have raised an eyebrow, are now commonplace.

Don’t forget your own Millennials! You could well have Millennials in your employment, you could do well to put together a team of Millennials to brain storm ideas and to give you feedback on your advertising plans. This is a generation that doesn’t hold back with their opinions, so they’re likely to tell you exactly what they think. If an idea is cool, or if they think it’s silly and condescending, you’ll know and you can adapt before your campaign is let loose on the wider public.

Want to learn how to market to Millennials? Contact ems@LincolnMartin.com