How to market to millennials?

Millennials have grown up seeing various trends dominate the market and fade away. Businesses need to engage with this audience through various marketing initiatives to really catch their attention.

M for "Mother", M for "Modi", and of course, M for "Millennials". Who are millennials, you ask? Millennials are the Generation Y clan, the people born between the mid-80s and the early 2000s, the people who make up for the majority of the audience. Millennials are people in the age range of 18-34 and have grown up seeing and getting acquainted with various trends over the years. So how can you market your brand to the millennials, a group that has become pretty advanced in terms of technology, social media and everything else?

Are you present on instagram?

This major photo-sharing app has over 600 million active users per month. Ninety percent of the Instagram users are under 35, 57 percent of which spend at least five hours sharing and browsing photos on Instagram. So, if your brand is present on Instagram, then your presence can be easily leveraged, with higher brand awareness and better traffic.

Lure them like the force lures Luke Skywalker

Okay, pardon my Star Wars reference. But the case in point is, millennials are often attracted by discounts, offers, special privileges, etc. If there's a trend that's taking the millennial world by storm, use it to your advantage to get millennials on your side. This way, not only would you get the major share of the audience, but you would also be benefited with customer loyalty. Make them chase you and get to be associated with your brand because the last thing that a millennial would want is to miss out on amazing golden opportunities to be a part of a popular brand.

Do not go irrelevant

The world is moving at a much faster rate, and people are running short of time. Speaking on behalf of all the millennials, I can say that about 70 percent of the millennials blacklist brands that shoot them with irrelevant content or ads. You wouldn't want that, would you? Make your content relevant. Millennials vouch for stuff that they can relate to. So come up with as relevant, and as engaging content, as you can. But do make sure to infuse your brand's ideas, vision, and mission in it.

Ask your millennial audience what they want

Since you are marketing to millennials, wouldn’t it be a great idea to ask them for their opinion? Reach out to your millennial audience on your social media platforms, and ask them what and how they would want your next campaign to be. Maybe you can carry forward this strategy in the form of a contest, and award the top three suggestions. This way, not only do you get cool ideas for your brand, but your audience gets to know that you care about their opinions. Plus, they get to win something as well. Symbiotic, right?

Don’t let go of creativity

So, here’s the thing. People dig creativity. Anyway, since we are focusing on millennials, the one thing I can definitely say with utmost surety is that millennials are complete fans of creativity. So, no matter whatever strategy you implement, infuse creativity in it. A creative content garners great impression from the millennial community and is often appraised.

Authenticity sells

Be transparent. Your brand's message online should be clear and authentic enough for millennials to associate with your brand. Your content is shareable, so the more it resonates with your millennial audience, the more shares it will get, and the more people would be a part of your brand. Also the more genuinely you interact with your audience, the better will be the trust and the credibility.

Millennials, as it is seemingly evident, have a greater reign in the market as an audience. Businesses are now focusing on grabbing the attention of millennials for better growth. As difficult as it might seem, marketing to millennials is quite easy, and all you need to do is tweak your strategies and come up with engaging tactics.

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)