There are 80 million Millennials—24.5% of the US population. They are the largest adult generation, ever and are projected to account for 30% of retail sales by 2020—surpassing Baby Boomers!
They will significantly impact the success or failure of your brand.
As marketers, if you want your brand to be relevant and meaningful to Millennials, you need to know their behavior and how to communicate with them. They are different.
First off, Millennials are the most ethnically and racially diverse group in our nation’s history. They’re less religious, come from “non-traditional” families, and are on track to become the most educated generation. So much for apple pie and Chevrolet!
Millennials are technologically driven. They’ve grown up with the Internet, iPhones, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Apps, iTunes, Netflix, texting, Skyping, and on and on. Get it? They’re shaping culture, not trying to keep up with it.
Multitasking and simultaneous multiscreening are as natural as walking and chewing bubble gum to Millennials.
Millennials are the information generation. They love to create content—blogging, posting photos and videos, Snapchatting, etc. They are also very willing to share their personal information; email, phone number, preferences, habits, and opinions, as long as they see value in doing so.
This is where your brand has an open invitation to connect and build loyalty with Millennials. Be a part of their social network. Get them to opt-in and text or email them relevant information and special offers that fit their lifestyle.
Marketing to Millennials has to be more significant than simply a few posts on Facebook, a couple of Tweets, and some digital ads. In many cases it means revamping your entire digital platform to effectively connect with this group—in their world—by their rules.
Conclusively, it’s becoming more and more evident every day just how influential Millennials are in the marketplace. They are dramatically changing the game for marketers. Are you changing your strategies?