Millennials are a top age group to target with ads for your products and services. They are young people in the 18-34 age group, are savvy in new technologies, frequent users of the social media and they rely heavily on their smartphones for internet browsing, buying products and doing other social, business and finance related activities.
Millennials are the ideal age group for new and advanced products which are promoted in original and innovative ways. These people rely very much on their friends’ recommendations and word of mouth referrals for products and are very careful about their online reputations. They also know that they are important to businesses – 95% of them say that they want to feel appreciated and “courted” by brands on the social media.
So, how do you “court” potential clients from the millennials’ age group and how do you persuade them to click on your ad and follow through with your call to action? Since the topic has the potential to become an entire book, I will only focus on Facebook ads. So, these are four important aspects to remember when you design your ads if you want to grab the millennials’ attention:
1. Focus on Social Media Groups, Not Life Stages
Demographics have blurred lines for the millennials. Concepts like starting a family, moving into your own house and becoming a part of the residential community are open to many interpretations, so you should focus on what they do on the social media, rather than in their “offline” lives.
What do they discuss with their friends? What do they share? What type of content do they prefer? If you serve them a bland ad which does not speak to their values and interests, it will go unnoticed. But if you post top quality content and your ads are in line with what’s trending, what their friends would like to read and what satisfies their needs or hobbies, you’ve got the millennials’ attention.
2. Do You Have an App for That?
Instead of advertising your website, focus on encouraging millennials to install your mobile app. In the US, 85% of the millennials own a smartphone – and the great majority of them use it for browsing the internet too. They want integrated and seamless experiences in browsing for products, doing shopping and sharing a rating or a review, so start by having a rock star app for their shopping experience.
3. Build Meaningful Interactions with Them
Before you have them as clients, you have to get their attention and keep it for long enough to make them trust you. Millennials crave meaningful interactions in the online world. They search for information, they share their photos, experiences and ideas and they expect the same type of openness from the brands they follow.
Share behind the scenes moments of building your products, how to, DIY and insightful ideas about what motivates you to be in business and they will feel that you care about sharing, not just about getting their money. Remember the key word for social media: sharing. Implement it in your ad strategy and in your entire social media plan in general.
4. Be Authentic
Millennials are extremely skilled at spotting inaccuracies, inconsistencies and a lack of authenticity in the way companies interact with them. Do not build a false image, which you cannot sustain and prove, in all the ways you communicate and interact with your potential clients. Always have the same tone of voice, always send messages you believe in and which represent your business and your products.
As a final thought, remember that you are addressing a young and inquisitive audience, a well-educated and tech-savvy audience, and you will be found out very soon if you cannot keep all the promises you make them.