Marketing to Millennials : You’re Doing it Wrong

Ever since first becoming aware of my status as a “Millennial”, I have fell witness to this strange social dichotomy between Millennials being seen as unapologetically Lazy, and incredibly Savvy — particularly in tech and social media.

Countless articles have come out to describe how Millennials are “ruining” a vast variety of industries — from paper napkins, to housing, to avocado toast. They peg our generation as not caring about anything besides ourselves, and not contributing enough to the marketplace.

Marketers Know Millennials — or do They?

The irony in all of this is that these same media sources and companies work tirelessly to market their products and services to us. They try to appeal to us through memes, listicles, and clickbait. Deep down, they know that the 20–32 year-old bracket is quickly moving forward into being the purchasers, influencers, and entrepreneurs of this age. We are a market that everyone is trying to tap into.

So why, then, do these corporations insist on patronizing our demographic, so much so that they churn out articles like “How to Market to Millennials” that completely miss the mark?

These companies acknowledge that we seem to have a handle on social media and influencer culture more than anyone else, yet somehow dismiss any notion that we know anything about marketing (digital or otherwise). They fail to see that the key to marketing to Millennials is examining how we market to ourselves.

Let’s get one thing clear: Millennials, in general, are particularly attentive to and intuitive about digital marketing strategies. We have been subject to them for our entire lives. We know when someone is trying to sell us something.

Millennials — We Mean Business

Whether it is obvious or not, Millennials “market themselves” on social media every day. We know how to get likes on Facebook, gain followers on Instagram, and grow our own businesses using digital marketing tactics. We know how to create a cohesive persona, and find people that can relate to our ideas. Most of us understand the importance of search engines in driving traffic to our blog, our LinkedIn page, and more. We network online, we market ourselves online, and we buy things online.

Yet, somehow, all of this experience is painted as being “self-absorbed”, superficial, and even, greedy.

What these businesses fail to realize is that we aren’t simply on social media to gain attention. We are on social media to follow the brands we care about, to find people we can relate to, and drive traffic to our own businesses and ideas. We are online to network, find information, and buy.

That is, we know how to market to ourselves, and we are doing it well.

How to Market to Millennials — Listen to Millennials

The key to figuring out how to market to Millennials is closely examining how we market ourselves, and how we market to each other. It is by listening to what we have to say, and how we say it. It is by looking at what brands we follow, and why.

You are not going to sell to a Millennial by telling them what they want. You are not going to attract eyes to your product by patronizing our generation for being vain. And you are not going to establish yourself as a “Millennial marketing expert” without acknowledging that the people who know the most about marketing to Millennials are, in fact, Millennials.

The key to “marketing to Millennials” isn’t by winning us over with marketing bells and whistles. The key is getting us to trust you. In order to do that, you need to put in the work to understand what our generation is REALLY about, what we want, and how we interact online.

If you think it is all about memes, listicles, and avocado toast, I have some bad news for you: We aren’t buying it.

Cast Assumptions Aside, Listen to Your Customers

Tapping into the Millennial market isn’t impossible, but it does take casting ego aside to admit that you may not know as much about Millennials as you think you do. If you are basing your information off of the media, stereotypes, and assumptions, you will be left scratching your head wondering why Millennials aren’t converting into actual customers.

At which point, you will have two options — assume that it is because Millennials are too self-absorbed to be interested in your product/service, OR, re-examine your marketing strategy.

The basics of marketing still apply. You must understand your target demographic in order to get your message across and convince them to buy. Patronizing your customer base is not an effective marketing strategy.

However, in some ways, the game has changed. With the progression of technology, many marketers may feel like they are falling behind the curve. If this is the case with you, it would do you well to listen to the people have gotten a handle on social media and digital marketing the most — Millennials.

Admitting that you may not in fact be the expert, and then seeking out information to fill that gap, are the first steps is understanding how to market to this generation. By examining the tactics that Millennials use to market ourselves, and to each other, you will begin to get a grasp on how to market to us. You may find that, while we do care about avocado toast, we care about much more than that. We are the Customers, as well as the Creators.

For more insight into how Millennials are changing the marketing game, visit TrueToast.com.