Last Updated on September 1, 2023 by David
Guest Post by Michael Deane for Re:amaze. Michael is an editor behind a small online business and marketing hub, called Qeedle.
Millennials are the largest living population in the U.S. at the moment, and what’s most important for marketers, their purchasing power is currently estimated at $600 billion a year, with some predictions saying that by 2020 Gen Y will be splurging $1.4 trillion annually.
Capturing millennial attention as a growing brand may seem like an impossible task given that they are pretty picky consumers, but remember that they’re the first completely digital natives, which means that you can easily get on their radar with the help of social media and other content strategies.
Here are a couple of key tactics to help you do that.
Create Bite-Size Content
Millennials (and not just them) have grown increasingly impatient. Their attention span has dropped to only 8 seconds.
Generalizations aside, let’s not forget that we’re exposed to huge volumes of information every day, and Gen Y-ers are particularly susceptible to this information overload thanks to their addiction to smartphones and various digital mediums.
So, if you want them to read your blog, make it scannable and organized into easily-digestible, logical sections.
Lists perform particularly well, especially when you pair them with numbers, so your millennial audience will be immediately drawn to an interesting blog post about, say, “25 Simple Ways to Stay Fit and Healthy”.
Offer valuable, straightforward, on-point advice that they can put to good use, and get rid of all the fluff from your articles because millennials won’t have it.
Remember that you’re addressing young, busy folks who grew up with Twitter and its 140-character limit, Snapchat and its disappearing act, and Instagram with its brief glimpses into the world of individuals.
So, cut the story short and keep your message succinct.
Animate Them With Video
Approximately 50% of 18–34 year-olds drop what they’re doing to watch the latest video of their favorite YouTuber.
This means that video isn’t optional anymore, and if you want to attract your millennial audience you need to create and share high-quality clips.
But, posting videos just for the sake of it won’t do; you need to find a way to spark millennials’ interest using a couple of tricks.
- Don’t focus solely on your product. Millennials want to learn more about your brand, its values, and the people behind it. Behind-the-scenes videos which show your employees, office parties, or the work process will help you humanize your brand and make it easier for your audience to connect and engage with it.
- Let your happy customers have their say. Millennials like to check product reviews before making their purchasing decision. That’s why video testimonials from your actual customers can give your Gen Y audience a much-needed nudge towards opting for your product or service.But don’t forget that these reviews have to be genuine, authentic, and relatable.
- Livestream your content. Step up a video game and add the element of interactivity by livestreaming your content on Facebook or Instagram. Whenever you want to launch a new product or feature, you can build excitement by announcing it via live stream. It’s a great way to connect with your millennial audience who spend a great deal of their time on the internet.
Promote Your Brand With a Mobile App
Millennials are inseparable from their smartphones and mobile devices.
Optimizing your website for mobile is crucial both for getting your audience to stick around and explore your products, as well as for improving your Google rankings.
First-mobile indexing, which rolled out in 2018, means that a mobile version of your website will be used for indexing, and this fact shows how important cross-device optimization is.
Why not go the extra mile and create a dedicated application that your audience could download from your website and use it to connect with your brand in an even more effective way?
This is a subtle way of communicating your brand message and staying on your millennial audience’s radar because unlike traditional advertising, such an app also provides valuable and useful services.
For example, Audi offers its users the myAudi app with which they can get real-time information about their vehicle on their smartphones and smartwatches and control it remotely.
Different e-commerce companies also use mobile apps to facilitate their customers’ browsing and shopping experiences
Similarly, Sephora’s Virtual Artist leverages the power of AR to appeal to its audience and allow them to “try on”makeup by uploading their selfies and picking the right shade of lipstick or eye shadow via their mobile devices.
Tap Into Their Mindset
Millennials are big on corporate social responsibility.
They want to align themselves with brands that try to make an impact and change the world for the better.
This oft-maligned generation is accused of being lazy and entitled, and yet a survey has shown that a sense of purpose is what matters to 60% of millennials when it comes to companies they’d like to work for.
All this means that these young people want to use their immense purchasing power to support companies which inspire them and share their values.
By tackling human rights, climate change, job growth, and similar socially-conscious issues, brands can get closer to their millennial audiences. Back in 2014, Dove’s Real Beauty campaign challenged traditional norms of aesthetics by featuring real, elderly, and plus size women instead of top models.
This way the personal care giant reached and attracted their target audience, consisting or women of all shapes and sizes, with a narrative and imagery which communicated a message of acceptance and positive self-concept.
Offer Them Memorable Experiences
Millennials have grown up with different gadgets and multimedia devices, as well as with social media networks.
Unlike their older friends, Gen X-ers who had to tape their favorite songs on the radio and rent videos from local stores, Gen Y-ers only have to click a few times, and voila! In a couple of seconds, they’re already watching the latest episode of Stranger Things.
It’s clear that millennials have been spoiled by the amazing customer experience big brands keep on delivering.
And they won’t settle for anything less than that.
To live up to millennials’ expectations, companies need to solve potential issues with their products or services and do it really quickly. Or, shall we say, right that very second.
That’s the reason why investing in intelligent chatbots like the ones Re:amaze offers for eCommerce is something that can transform a business tremendously and reduce its churn rate.
Research studies say that by 2020, 85% of customer interactions with brands will be handled without a human agent.
An even more impressive statistic claims that by the same year, the average person will be more likely to have conversations with chatbots than with their own spouse.
These smart algorithms are available 24/7, and they’re defying the concept of time zones, which means that they can assist your customers at any given time.
Being hyper-social, members of this generation also expect a seamless, multi-channel experience with their favorite brands.
So, social media plays an important role in this whole thing.
For example, the much-criticized Chevrolet idea to issue a press release entirely written in emojis was an attempt to reach millennials with their message and promote their new car which targeted younger adults.
Similarly, G.M. took to social media to save the day, after the recall of 1.6 million cars over faulty ignition switches, owned up to their mistake, and went out of their way to help their customers.
And that’s how the brand saved their reputation amidst the crisis and excelled at providing superb customer service.
Team Up With an Influencer
Millennials don’t particularly trust brand messaging. They’re more likely to form their opinion based on their peers’ experiences with a brand.
In addition to that, being the first social-media generation, millennials are extremely well informed, and they expect authentic, relevant, and high-quality content.
And that’s exactly what influencers offer them. These enthusiasts who specialize in different fields and are willing to share their expertise, usually amass huge and loyal followings.
This means that if you want to reach out to your millennial audience, you need to join forces with an influencer from your industry and create a narrative that they can relate to.
Millennials may have short, or to be more precise, selective attention spans, but you can catch their eye by personalizing your brand message and promoting their values and beliefs.
About Re:amaze
Re:amaze is a modern helpdesk and customer messaging platform designed to help eCommerce businesses boost customer happiness and revenue. Re:amaze allows all customer-oriented teams to work together in a shared inbox through email, social, SMS, voice, and live chat. Re:amaze also comes packaged with automated messaging and chatbots so eCommerce brands can succeed at the front lines of conversational commerce.