marketing to millenials 1

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Marketing to Millennials

MARKETING to MILLENNIALS

How they Buy. What they Value. How you Can Provide it.



Written by:

John Bonini Director of Inbound MarketingAs the Marketing Director at IMPACT Branding & Design, John oversees the companys entire lead generation and branding strategy, utilizing blogging, premium content creation, social media marketing, search engine optimization and video marketing in order to help grow the company and expand its reach.

Under Johns direction, IMPACT has experienced significant growth

in its blog subscribers, social media following, as well the companys overall traffic and lead generation.

In addition to his work at IMPACT, John has also been interviewed and featured in several industry leading publications, including the Wall Street Journals SmartMoney, MarketWatch, as well as the HubSpot blog.



The worst part is you have no idea why.

The easy response would be to blame it on a down economy. Predictable? Sure. Accurate? Not so much.

Consumers are still buying products. Theyre just not buying yours.

Its not that youre not offering a great product, or that there doesnt exist a market for your particular service.

No. The problem is your strategy for reaching your target audience. And heres where it gets confusing for you; youre practicing initiatives that have either worked for you previously, or are tried-and-true proven methods.

Your current marketing strategy just isnt delivering the results needed to grow and scale

your business. But thats not even the worst part.



Your thinking is broken. Therefore, so is your entire marketing strategy.

Consumer behavior has changed significantly, particularly for the younger Millennial market. And heres why you should care, according to USA Today, Millennials now represent the largest demographic in the United States, surpassing even Baby Boomers.

And their purchasing behavior is much different than what youre used to.



Relying on Mass MediaSuccessful mass media marketing is much like that mirage that often exists in cartoons, where our protagonist is starving for water, and spots a heavenly oasis in the near distance.

Mass media marketing offers a similar hallucination for the modern marketer. After all, its worked for years and has built and maintained many of the household names weve all come to know.

The problem is, most (if not all) of the big brands still profiting from mass media marketing have been grandfathered in; still successful only because theyve already established their brand during a time in which mass media marketing still worked.

Think of a new brand that has succeeded in mass media marketing in the past 10 years? Its not easy.

Why would your brand be any different?

In short, it wouldnt be. This is why its critical to align your marketing strategy with the buying behavior consumers now exhibit or risk extinctionmuch like the traditional marketing methods that used to work.



Online User ExperienceThe speed in which a Millennial consumer can extract value from your website should be taken seriously by your entire marketing, design and development team.

Is the layout and user experience more 90s than it is 2013?

Consider how quickly can a visitor discover your value proposition? Pricing? Varying services or products you offer?

This is critical, as you only have about 3 seconds to grab their attention, or its back to the search results they go in their quest for ease and relevance.



ContentsEngage in Conversations

Provide Context

Value. Not Noise.

Be the Resource

On Demand

Front Cover Photo: Connecticut Convention Center www.ctconventions.com/

8 /11 /14 /18 /22 /

Engage in Conversations



Social and online conversations have revolutionized the way consumers interact with products and services. As a result, its also changing the way companies approach their online marketing strategy.

Millennials value the relationship aspect of brand engagement. Not only are they looking for you to solve their problems, but frankly, they also want to know that you give a crap.

Corey EridonInbound Marketing Content Manager at HubSpot

Millennials have embraced social media as a way to communicate differently but still meaningfully with one another. That means we adjust our approach, knowing its not the same as face-to-face communications, but no less important or legitimate.



If you want me to be a lifetime customer, connect with me on a deeper level. If you want my business, be helpful and be human.

Jessica DonlonClient Services Manager at PR20/20

This is exactly why social media should be a large focus of your online marketing strategy if it isnt already.

Ask questions. Provide feedback. Address concerns and problems in a timely manner.

Most importantly, provide a forum for your prospects and customers to engage the conversation with you. And keep that conversation going. If not, your prospects will find someone else willing to have these conversations with them.


Provide Context



More than anything else, Millennials are looking for a more customized buying experience.

Like it or not, the Internet and mobile devices have created an everything right now mentality. Weve also become very good at blocking out unwanted, solicited marketing messages.

Therefore, Millennials are great at ignoring irrelevant marketing. Instead, theyre looking for more personalization. They want you to know a little bit about them considering the software and data now available to make that possible.

We have enough technology these days that it should be easy for you to get to know me before you reach out and start the conversation. And, on that note, make sure its a conversation, not a pitch.

Sarah GoligerInbound Marketing Manager at HubSpot



Direct mail seems lazy. Irrelevant email blasts yield minimal response.

Its all about buyer personas. Knowing your audience prior to producing content and any marketing collateral. But more than that, its about knowing that varying level of buyers within your personas that will resonate with the Millennial consumer.

Segment your contact lists by demographics and behaviors and send more targeted, relevant content to the prospects most interested in it at just the right time.

I want to learn which breakfast restaurant would be best for me based on my location and past behaviors I dont care which brand spent the most money on their advertising campaign.

Brittany LeaningSocial Media Manager at HubSpot


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Value. Not Noise.



I rarely see your traditional advertising. Aside from bills and birthday cards, mail goes straight into the recycling bin. I havent opened a newspaper in years (preferring instead to get my news online), and frequently record my favorite TV shows, so I can whizz by the commercials.

My best advice: Take the time to understand how we communicate and how you can solve our problems. From there, youll be better equipped to create value, instead of noise.

Tracy LewisSenior Consultant at PR 20/20



More than any other generation that preceded them, Millennials have a strong disdain for the traditional sales pitch. Perhaps they saw their parents interrupted one too many times during dinner by a telemarketer growing up. Or maybe its those ridiculously annoying cell phone kiosks at the mall that all but renew your contract all before you could even reach the pretzel stand.

Whatever the case, sales pitches are a great way to turn off Millennials. This includes email blasts, direct mail, and print advertisements.

Be relatable. More than anything, the modern consumer wants to be engaged with on a more human level. Focus on conveying value. Be entertaining. Be funny.

Achieve this, and your content not only resonates more, but it also goes farther. The most effective way to increase brand awareness for companies post-2000 is not through mass media and push marketing, but rather through the sharing of content, referrals, and going viral.



Millennials are a skeptical bunch. If I feel like there is a bunch of marketing/sale jargon behind a specific product, an alarm immediately goes off.

Excessive Marketing/Sales is a bandaid on a bigger problem. Make a product that is truly helpful, solves a real problem, and is a delight to users and you wont have any trouble getting people to buy and talk about it.

David WellsFounder of Inbound Now


Be the Resource



Incase youve been living under a rock for the past five years; buying decisions are now starting (and a lot of times ending) online.

According to Powerreviews, 79% of online shoppers spend at least 50% of their shopping time researching products.

Are you currently providing resources for all of this research taking place?

In short, we care, so marketers should, too. Dont try to trick us, give us something real and useful. Tell us a story. Better yet, make it funny. If what you provide can better our lives or the lives of the people around us, we will most likely get on board with it.

Brianne CarlonContent Marketing Director at Kuno Creative



Going back to the sales pitch, the reason why its ineffective is because Millennials would much rather be doing the research making decisions for themselves. This is why blogging, ebooks and social media have become such an integral part of not only online marketing, but for the overall business strategy in general.

It provides the resource consumers are looking for when researching a product or service, and more importantly, when searching for the solution to any problem or challenge they may be having.

I think its important to remember that Millennials want to digest everything as quickly and easily as possible. Thinking about ways to immediately give us your message thats important.

Rachel SprungBrand & Buzz Coordinator at HubSpot



How can you be the resource?

Blogging Premium content (ebooks and webinars) An engaging social media presence

Its also critical to consider the fact the Millennials arent restricted to one screen. From laptops to tablets to mobile phones, its important your content as well as your entire website is fully optimized for mobile to provide a great user experience.


On Demand



Over the last 5-10 years alone, advances in technology have enabled us to do more of the things we love on our own time.

TiVo over live television.

Text messaging over phone calls.

CNN iPhone app over waiting for the news.

Weve become accustomed to having our own schedules, and more importantly, working in the things we need and love around that. Not the other way around.

Millennials have grown up with this. Its why they value the ease and convenience of on demand content like ebooks that they can download, read, and go back to on their own time.

Act now! Hurry! and this offer expires in 3 days! arent going to elicit the response youre looking for anymore. This makes publishing quality content on a consistent basis even more critical.

Blogs. Ebooks. Webinars.



As Millennials, weve grown up with access to so much technology that enables us to do things in our own time. Its why we prefer text messaging over talking on the phone, watching our favorite TV shows on demand, and why we dont wait around for the 10:00 news to stay informed we get it exactly when we want it online and through our mobile devices.

Pamela VaughanInbound Marketing Blog Manager at HubSpot



Be the resource and put your content out there to be digested at any time. Make it remarkable. Let your prospects do the research and engage with them through segmented, targeted emails and connect with them on social media to further the relationship.

I dont want to wait on the phone to get what I need. I want an app like Uber that will allow me to easily call a cab. I dont want newspapers or flyers with coupons in them. I want a rewards card like the CVS one that automatically sends my coupons to that card, eliminating the need to print and empowering the ease of swipe. I dont want to carry receipts in my purse that Ill likely lose. I want an electronic receipt emailed to me the way Apple or Gap allows.

Anum HussainInbound Content Strategist at HubSpot



Turn these tips into Actual Results

Inbound marketing consultant Jeff Pelliccio on what you can expect from your assessment.

Included in your assessmentWell help you identify strategies for transforming your marketing.

An evaluation of your current website and strategy A discussion of your business goals and needs Proven strategies for improvement Real solutions for achieving your unique goals

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