Image from Wikimedia

By intern Brady Rothschild, Mars Hill University student

The Millennial generation is coming into the workforce now, in a world with a tough economy. The Millennials are used to having things their way, and we can get very upset when life does not go as planned. Our generation is used to our so-called “helicopter” parents watching our every move and making sure we are doing something and doing it right. This is both good and bad, because it means we have high standards of what to expect, but unfortunately means that we sometimes want things done for us.

Millennials are a complex generation, and having grown up with technology advancing so quickly around us, they expect it to keep advancing at that speed and for everyone to understand it the way they do. With these things in mind, here are some things to consider when marketing to Millennials.

1. Smartphones

The small device in your pocket keeps you connected to a network of people like never before. Your friends—and even with some apps, strangers—can get hold of you 24/7. It is important for brands to know they can interact with their target anywhere at any time. It is highly important for brands to be mobile friendly, as a millennial does not have time to wait (or even remember) to get to a computer to check the latest news on their brand. Just the other day, I was actually teased by a friend for searching Facebook on my computer instead of my phone.

2. The social media generation

Almost all Millennials are on at least 3 social media platforms. These platforms are used to communicate in different ways, and we have certain expectations when working with each one. We want to feel liked on all these platforms as well as to have “friends” who hang on to our every word.

3. Instant gratification

“Good things come to those who wait.” This may have once been true, but millennials don’t have time for that. We want what we want, when we want it. We get hyped up about something like the launch of the new iPhone and as soon as we have it, learn every new feature.

4. Good quality/low price

Many millennials have good taste in the finer things in life because of how we were raised. However, due to the job market and the slowly growing global economy, we can’t afford the nice things we’d like. Yet, we will buy experiences and are happy to spend money on something we feel will enhance our lives.

5. Engage with us

Ask us or don’t ask us our opinion; we will give it to you anyway. We feel we want to be heard and this is important for marketers to note, because we will be vocal about a campaign. We’ll tell you whether we like it or not. We want to be involved, so give us something relevant that will make us think.

When marketing to Millennials, remember we’ll be looking at it on our phones and talking about it on social media. The campaign must be relevant to current events and allow us to voice an opinion. Do not overload us with information, or our ADD will kick in and we will be on to the next trend. Connect with us on a friendship level to make us feel important and keep us loyal to your brand. By making us feel a part of something, we will appreciate the good quality products and keep coming back to you for more.