[This is a guest contribution by Josip Petrusa of It’s Josip not Joseph.com]
The Millennials (or Generation-Y) demographic have proved to be an interesting group that we’ve tried to reach. I’m sure we’ve all read and even seen how different this generation is from previous ones. Whether that is in the workplace, on the street and even at home (for those of you who have siblings or even Gen-Y kids), you can tell there is something different about them.
The Millennials have also been the hot-topic in the marketing world. How can you market to a generation that is absolutely everywhere but with no traditional usage of media as opposed to previous generations. The way they read, watch TV and use the internet is different. They might be doing a combination of these, so marketing to them is just being overshadowed by their multi-tasking abilities, but they’re also as likely not to do any of them, so reaching them seems to be near impossible.
As a Millennial and member of Generation-Y myself, I’m going to provide you with 3 insights of how to market to Millennials.
Give it “Viralability”
I know “viralability” (viral-ability) isn’t an actual word but I’m making it one. Viralability is a power characteristic in today’s world that could have immense use in social media. And I know trying to make something viral is not as easy as it seems however, Doritos Viralocity is a great example to follow. Make it something we can relate to, make it something that involves us directly and make it something that is worth the effort. Just watch the message spread.
Status Update Worthy
One thing we love to do is tell the world when something cool, great or exciting is happening to us. In a sense, we love to brag for attention. You’ll always hear about the vacation we’re going on, the sports event we’re going to, the movie we’re seeing, the concert we were at and I could go on and on. Make it something that will give me a reason to tell everyone else about it. A funny and ridiculous video-clip, a great experience or something that even seems exclusive, would all be status update worthy. You have to reinvent cool, great and exciting.
Customer service
This is one that has been around forever but few get it right. It’s pretty simple and I’m not saying you have to be at the will of the customer but some great service will go a long way. I can’t even recall how many times I’ve left one location just to easily walk over to the competitors due to some bad service. Do not follow us around the store. Do not push the sale. Relate to us. Be our friend. We think that we’re entitled to everything, so make us seem entitled. If we’re in a good mood, there are better chances of us buying it then rather than later.
Conclusion
Though marketing to Millennials might seem to be difficult, it’s just a matter of understanding how we act. And since we are that much different, marketing to us has to be just as different but not difficult.
Thank you for stopping Geekbabe! I definitely agree that I prefer a laptop/desktop for blogging but I’m always looking for a good alternative to blog on the go.
Unfortunately, my iPhone 4 is not a good option at all.
The Droid 2 sounds like an option, I will look into it.