Currently, the so-called millennials (people born between the early 80s and 2000) constitute almost 27% of the world’s population. A huge chunk of target audience for marketers, but also an extremely challenging one. This young group of consumers has little or no similarity with older consumers and behave totally differently. These differences relate not just to their online habits but also in their reaction to marketing content and the sources they choose to obtain information related to products, services and brands.
Millennials are a unique segment. A segment on whom traditional marketing methods do not really work. Their obsession and focus are mobile and most of them cannot bear to be separated from their devices even momentarily. The famous FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) effect. And Google Consumer Survey supports this. Just take a look:
- 87% say their phones are always by their side
- 80% say their mobile is the first thing they reach for when they wake up
- 78% spend an average of two or more hours per day on their mobile
Millennials engage in two-way communication with brands using their mobiles, be it to cast a vote in a music contest, take part in an SMS campaign or express complaint via a tweet.
So how does one grab the attention of this important segment, in a world of short attention spans?
Text, don’t call
You’d think that someone who has his mobile on him at all times would be really easy to reach by voice. You’d be wrong. Millennials prefer the convenience and brevity of messaging over speaking on the phone any day. Phone conversations can be unpredictably long and who has the time to waste? They want every moment to count and they want full control. So you’re better off darting an SMS than dialling a number.
Multi rather than single
Using a single channel to communicate is boring, passé and limiting. Multi-channel is the way to go. It gives you full freedom to reach out to millennials using the channel of their choice, which makes them look favourably upon you and hence more likely to engage with your brand.
Personalise it!
Let’s face it. Millennials have always had a variety of choices wherever they have looked, and they’re just used to it. This variety has raised their expectations, and to be able to grab their attention, marketers have to offer unique experiences, exciting and interesting content. Make them feel important and special through customised campaigns. Millennials are not averse to sharing personal information if they feel it gets them customised service. Use the data they share wisely and offer them relevant, personalised services that cover the whole user journey.
Be omnipresent
Millennials are not bound to any one location. So as a marketer, you need to be able to reach them regardless of location. In fact, knowing their location and feeding them tailored information that is location-based is highly likely to lead to an increase in users and help in retention.
Go by subcultures, not age
Millennials span a couple of decades. Once upon a time, age was a key demographic in online targeting, but it’s not quite as relevant any more. So move with the times and beyond focusing on age alone.
More is better when it comes to entertainment!
More than half the marketing fraternity worldwide are in agreement that videos and stickers are the content that garners the best ROI. Millennials spend inordinate amounts of time watching videos and chatting in OTTs, so it is well worth a marketers’ time to create content that’s native to social media platforms
And while you are doing all the above, make sure that you do not forget the all-important aspect of security. Whenever and wherever mobile technology is involved, security should be uppermost on the list of concerns. No compromises.