This is undoubtedly the age of technological advancement. Millennials are the first generation to have experienced technological development from the moment they are born and through their years of development. This generation is naturally tech-savvy. It is wrong to assume that millennials use social media for leisurely purposes. Many of them have actually built their careers around social media. The Gen Y is hard to please using the old traditional ways. Influencers, bloggers, vloggers – this generation is full of trends. Keeping up with them can be a challenge yet having them as your customers will help your organic marketing.
Why Should You listen to Millennials?
The answer to this is very simple. Millennials dominate the social media space. According to IBM’s executive report “To buy or not to buy?”, 69% millennials said they would post a positive comment on social media if they are happy clients. In the same survey, 93% responded saying they consult online reviews and comments before they purchase.
These numbers clearly indicate that you get the best of both worlds from these millennials. As happy millennial-customer posts positive comments for your brand and another millennial consults these comments and becomes a prospective customer for you. The cycle goes on.
There’s a caveat though! These same millennials are also active social media users who can rip you reputation to shred when they experience bad customer service. As a cohesive group, with high levels of trust among its members, you can expect one bad review to bring about a great loss of business.
What are You doing Wrong?
Millennials are the new darlings of savvy marketers. If you are trying to get their attention and have not succeeded yet, maybe your strategy is not working out. This generation is a little tough to crack, as they are into multiple things – technology, travel, food, fashion, self-care et cetera. Social listening is a great way to get a sense of their interests.
A combination of traditional and social media marketing can attract millennials to your brand. Most of the time, companies keep hunting for tips to engage these young customers. Here, we try to bring you some insights into what you might be doing wrong:
Building a Modern Perception
If you run through the social media account of any millennial, you will find dozens of trends, conversations, and pop culture jargon. This is a generation with high expectations. For someone who was born with a laptop on their lap, nothing is exciting enough if it doesn’t meet their high standards. If you stick to old concepts when trying to work with millennials, you can’t complain that they walked away.
Using social listening to track their conversations and understand their interests thus becomes crucial for businesses.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing can get tricky with millennials. There are many influencers and micro-influencers. Choosing the right person can make a difference. From among an army of influencers, micro influencers, and bloggers, you can choose the best and the most influential ones. Someone whom a major part of Gen Y considers an idol. Social listening tools help you monitor the most influential people talking about your brand or industry. Such people can be roped in as advocates for your brand.
Segmentation
Though we are speaking about millennials exclusively, this point applies to people of all ages. No two people are equally alike. They may have similar tastes, but they are not the same. As marketers, we often tend to create groups or segments on the basis of age or gender, etc. Every millennial has a different need or a different priority. They all have clarity on they want, but that doesn’t mean they can be treated the same as their needs might differ and they may seek customizable options.
If you are ready to deliver, how would you know about their choices? What customizations do they need? Social monitoring and listening offer the answer yet again.
In conclusion, with changing times, marketing tools and techniques change too. Make sure you keep up before you become obsolete. While marketing to millennials, start preparing for generation Z as well.