The millennial generation has captured the attention of marketers with good reason. They make up a quarter of the population and are primed for upcoming major life events. The younger end of the spectrum is graduating from college and entering the workforce for the first time, while the older end is hitting their stride professionally. These young adults are in their mid-30’s, buying homes and starting families.
Millennials are also notorious for being the most digitally obsessed demographic with 87% of them claiming that their phones are within arm’s reach 24/7. They’re the first in line to adopt new mobile marketing approaches such as mobile pay and mobile shopping apps, and are major influencers in the direction of mobile marketing trends.
If you want to know how to aim your marketing at this generation, mobile is a must, but that’s just part of the equation. You have to get the message right too.
Here are some tips on how to win with millennials on mobile:
1. Text them
Most millennials would tell you they do not use their voicemail regularly, and even more than that, they never really used it to begin with.. This generation is more partial to texting.. Millennials are heavy texters and many of them feel uncomfortable having verbal phone conversations, even in a professional environment. Text is a comfortable and natural medium for this group.
In this case study from Behind the Noise, a music education program to encourage young people to pursue careers in music, a Project Manager expresses the effectiveness of texting as a medium of communication with the brand’s audience:
“Although we use email, Facebook, Twitter and other social networks to communicate with the young people, none of them are anywhere near 100% effective whereas SMS text appears to be used by over 85% of our young people so it is the number one way to communicate.”
2. Engage them with polls
Millennials are extremely loyal to brands that engage them in the creative process and invite them to be co-creators of their own consumer journeys. Forty two percent of millennials report having a high interest in helping companies develop future products and services. As a result, we are seeing more brands turn towards mobile polling in order to gauge sentiment and awareness of a brand campaign, idea, logo, etc. Branded texting has an extremely high response rate of 45 percent, making it an ideal platform to poll an audience.
3. Invite them to loyalty clubs
There is a myth about millennials that they are not loyal to any particular brand and that they are immune to loyalty clubs and similar marketing ploys. This isn’t true. In fact, a full 60 percent of millennials report sticking to brands they currently use. Inviting millennials to participate in SMS loyalty clubs is a perfect fit for them given that they do maintain brand preferences and rank texting above other forms of communication.
4. Put a community spin on it
Millennials don’t just want to look good; they want to feel good too. While they do tend to spend on high-end products that offer exclusivity and make them look cool, they’re also concerned with the impact their purchasing choices will have on society. If you’re catering solely to the bling factor, you’re missing an important part of what makes this generation tick.
A majority of millennials affirm that it’s important for a company to give back to society rather than focusing only on profits. Though this is the age of globalism, millennials tend to respond best to community-based programs where they can see the results of their contributions. Starting a texting donation campaign for a local charity would be a way to align your marketing to fit their values.
5. Personalize
Millennials are 46% more likely to share their personal information if it means they’ll receive offers that are more relevant to them. As a marketer, that means you should be using purchase history and preferences to send them discounts on products and services you know they like.
As millennials hit their economic peak, marketers are looking for ways to entice them. As you set out to conquer one of the most coveted of demographics, an analysis of their habits and preferences is a must. Engaging them through texts, polling, loyalty clubs, community awareness and personalized offers will increase your likelihood of gaining new millennial consumers. A well-aimed campaign will reap great results.
