Start with data
Data should drive everything you do. Data will prevent you from operating in the dark and basing your decisions on unfounded assumptions. Data can help you determine which decisions to make when you’re first building your strategy, and it can help you improve your operations at various points in your audit.Ultimately, using data will result in more effective programs, greater results, and shorter goal completion timelines. It will also help you maintain relevance with an evolving audience over time, which leads to stronger relationships and significant long-term growth.
Remember the psychographics
The Millennial mindset needs to be the focal point of any initiative, campaign, program, or analysis. Simply thinking about your audience in superficial constructs, such as age or location, can cause you to completely miss what makes this audience so unique. The designation as a Millennial originally defined people in a specific age bracket. However, this term is quickly becoming one definition of a modern consumer. For this reason, you need to get to know these customers on a much more personal level.Evaluate additional age brackets
Don’t limit yourself to a year range when you market to Millennials. You wouldn’t limit your targeting and audience segmentation to age alone, so you shouldn’t exclude audiences from different age demographics that fit particular interest and behavior targets. Consumers in every demographic are evolving and adapting.Along with that evolution is a transcendence from one demographic to another. As you realize this and expand your targeting over time, you will build your business to greater heights.
Establish demographic-specific objectives
As you build various audience segments and clusters, you need to clearly state the objectives. You need to clearly state a process for long-term objectives as well. For example, ask yourself, “What do you hope to achieve with the cluster that is made up of professionals over 35 versus the cluster that is only now completing their college years?” You need to consider this question because not every cluster will necessarily be suited for the same objective.
Choose your causes wisely
Cause marketing has the potential to be a tremendous asset, but you need to be very careful so as not to appear opportunistic. Brands that seem to be taking advantage of a particular cause or trend for personal gain will lose the respect, trust, and business of a socially conscious Millennial. Choose a cause that you care about, that makes sense for your business, and that your audience can relate to. That approach will benefit you much more than simply jumping on the bandwagon without giving thought as to how that cause may be perceived.Identify the foundation of your relationships
As you determine how to connect with Millennials, you need to clearly identify what the root of your brand’s relationship is going to be with each of your clusters. To make the experience as personal as possible, identify a foundation and build out from that foundation with content, campaigns, and conversation.Focus on the experience
Millennials want more than a simple transaction. When you observe their habits, you realize that the experience is crucial to the buying decision. The weight Millennials place on the experience also relates closely to the Millennial pursuit of value. Millennials may not be willing to spend quickly and are sensitive to price. However, they may be ready to pay a little bit more and become brand advocates when they perceive value in a greater brand experience.Regularly audit your performance
New media is in constant motion; it evolves, and consumers adapt. As a result, your audience will shift in real time, and you need to change with them. Audit your performance regularly to identify opportunities, optimize campaigns, or revise program structure. If you forget to move with the times, your audience may leave you behind.Keep your voice genuine
Authenticity is key to the success of so many initiatives with Millennials and a key component in the development of relationships with Millennials. When developing content to appeal to their tastes and preferences, you want to ensure that you’re genuine. Your audience should feel as though you’re interested in building a relationship and not focused solely on the next sale. Create an authentic, tailored voice in your marketing materials to get this point across.Go mobile first
Millennials live on their mobile devices. If you want to reach them where they are, you need to think mobile first. Thinking mobile doesn’t preclude you from focusing on other platforms. Plenty of other media may work better on a desktop than on a mobile device, like individual components of a membership backend.The thing to remember is that mobile will be a key element in any Millennial’s day-to-day life. If you want to build that relationship, consider mobile as a fundamental pillar of your overall marketing strategy.