Blog Post By: Ian J. Jennings, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Baer Performance Marketing
Millennials are entitled, spoiled, lazy brats who don’t listen or learn from anyone. They make their own rules and expect the world to cater to their every fit and fancy. When the Gen Xers and Baby Boomers pass the torch to millennials, we’re all screwed.
At least that’s what the Gen Xers and Boomers think, and say, repeatedly. I don’t. I’m a millennial. I know better.
It’s incredibly common for preceding generations to lump scorn and criticism on their successors. Many people naturally assume that whatever came first must inherently be better, but that’s rarely the case. Humans are an iterative species. We improve upon processes until most waste is removed and things are operating at a high level. Generations are no different. We certainly wouldn’t claim the first human farmers from 10,000 years ago were better than farmers today, so why do we apply backwards logic to living generations. Easy. The people running things are old, the people working for them aren’t.
That’s not to say gifted men and women of the past haven’t given us amazing wealth and inventions we wouldn’t have otherwise. It’s simply saying every generation does as such and usually does more than its predecessors.
It’s a fact millennials are the only group of people born within the broad set of circumstances experienced from about 1984 to the year 2000. This can’t be disputed. Cable television (with a million channels), the internet, the end of the Cold War, and mobile phones are major events that have shaped millennials. An essentially endless supply of information became easily consumable to a whole new generation of people during these formative years. Of course this makes those people unique! And because they’re unique, your marketing needs to uniquely suit them.
Marketing to millennials presents its own unique set of circumstances and considerations. To understand how to do it properly, one must understand how millennials think.
OMNICHANNEL
Millennials occupy every social and economic circle relevant to the marketing field. Mark Zuckerberg is a millennial. He’s worth about 50 billion dollars. There’s nowhere they can’t or won’t go. Companies must understand the comprehensive nature of the campaign they are undertaking and market as such. This means paying special attention to all touchpoints along the customer journey. Millennials are extremely technologically savvy. To reach them, businesses must create unique content and distribute it through any unique channel their target millennial customer occupies.
LOYALTY, OR LACK THEREOF
Millennials aren’t loyal to brand names. The internet exists and everything is on it. Millennials will search for deals and research brand values and achievements. If businesses aren’t consistently innovating, updating, and iterating, they will lose millennials. It’s only a matter of time. Building and maintaining brand loyalty takes effort. Have you seen Sears’ or Macy’s financial statements lately? If you haven’t, take a look. They’re a great example of what brand loyalty gets you when a comprehensive and modern marketing campaign is neglected.
SIMPLICITY
Millennials like simple. Simple pricing, products, and promotions are a must. People are lazy about picking the content, products, and services they consume. Millennials even more so. Marketing to millennials requires attention to the small details and magnification of the big ones. Tell the millennial why, how, and what you’re selling, and do it authentically. They want to feel like the product fits them specifically, even if it’s designed for a broader market.
Ultimately, millennials are going to buy products and services that are marketed effectively and authentically across all digital and physical marketing platforms. Once they decide to buy, the job is only partly done. Millennials will expect added services, value, and attention to remain with the brand. If they don’t get it, they’ll leave.
If you have any questions about marketing to millennials, please leave them in the comment section below or privately reach out to the Baer Performance Marketing team here.
