6 Mistakes You Make When Marketing to Millennials

At an estimated 92 million in the United States alone, millennials are now the largest generation, outnumbering Baby Boomers by tens of millions. That means they possess around $1.3 trillion in purchasing power. If you want that business, you have to work for it, though. Millennials are sharp, and they’re also more than a little bit frugal. If you’re not reaching them, you could be making one of these major mistakes.

Lack Authenticity

If you’re not sticking to your brand voice—or worse, your brand voice doesn’t fit the products or services you sell—millennials will catch that. Stay true to your brand as you work to build a relationship. Don’t change the message just because you think that’s what they want to hear.

Make Assumptions

Yes, millennials like trendy, witty brands, but don’t assume that’s all they want. As with any other generation, these buyers have specific needs. They will make a purchase if you can meet those needs. The best way to let them know you can soothe their pain may not always be to make them laugh.

Limit Options

Companies like Uber, AirBnB, Gwynnie Bee, and Netflix all know one thing to be true: Millennials don’t need possessions; they need access. What previous generations may have considered necessities, millennials consider luxuries. With access to things they want and need, they’re willing to give up ownership for the ability to use it every once in a while.

Avoid Social Marketing

Millennials do take to social media to discover new brands and products, but they don’t necessarily want to hear from you. Their social proof comes in the form of word-of-mouth marketing, where they see friends, family, and influencers tag your brand in posts, reviews, and mentions. If you’re not there, they can’t point to you.

Skip Mobile Responsiveness

It doesn’t matter if you’ve spent thousands of dollars on your company website; if it doesn’t work on a mobile site, millennials probably won’t see it. Almost 98% of millennials own smartphones, and they touch those phones on average almost twice an hour. If they’re surfing sites, you can be sure it’s on the phone.

Avoid Direct Mail

Sure, millennials are all about their technology, but that doesn’t mean they don’t like to see a piece of real mail now and then. In fact, 92% of millennials say that direct mail pieces influence their store choices and purchases, and 85% say they’ll use coupons they receive in the mail.

As you can see, millennials are a different breed, but that doesn’t mean marketing to them has to be hard. In fact, some of their preferences make a lot of sense. They want honesty and authenticity. They want you to soothe their pain points. They want access so much more than they want possessions. And yeah, they want to have fun. If you want to focus your marketing efforts on the largest generation, give us a call.