5 Ways to Target Millennials from the Point of View of a Millennial Girl 

Generation Y, also known as Millennials, is the term commonly used to describe those who are currently between 18 and 34 years old. This group is massive in both scale and influence, accounting for nearly 80 million people, all with their prime earning years still ahead of them. Marketers from all industries seem obsessed with tracking the behavior of this untapped generation and more importantly figuring out how to profit from them — and yet it seems no one can find us. Where are we? In the woods, in the dark? Come on, we aren’t unicorns — it’s not that hard.  You just need to know where to look. Listed below are some tips on how to finally capture this elusive beast, straight from mouth of a “unicorn.”

1. Be Social Or Don’t Exist: Guess what—Millennials love social networks, with 84% being avid social media users. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine… you name it, Millennials are on it. Unlike our parents, Millennials are the first generation to grow up with social networks.  It is normal to document every part of our day on these portals.  So what does this mean to you, the brand? Own and embrace it. Social networks (and inbound marketing in general) provide an inexpensive way to reach a mass audience that is interested in your brand.
2. Keep Up: Social networks such as Twitter, Reddit and Facebook are changing the way we digest news, keep up with friends, and most importantly—how we interact with brands. This type of sharable, social world forces brands to create real-time content and deliver it with impact. Join the conversation or be left behind. Oreo is a great example of a brand that gave up traditional marketing techniques for a more social approach, with the new “Wonderfilled” campaign. Oreo’s twitter page is consistently updated with clever tweets referencing current trends and events that are popular and relatable to Millennials. Their advertising is now consumed and shared as content.
3. Be Worth Sharing: Millennials are more trusting of recommendations from friends than any advertisement on television. Create something unique, relatable, funny, timely, or easily digestible and we will share it on ALL of our social networks. That means exponentially broadening your reach. Oreo’s now renowned Super Bowl tweet “You can still dunk in the dark” was a real-time response to the Super Bowl blackout. Oreo showed how nimble and funny they could be and, in turn, that content was retweeted 10,000 times in one hour.
4. Find the Magical Forest: Millennials are very tech savvy and social, but also active and on-the-go. A survey conducted by Urban Land Institute showed that 45% of Millennials spend more than an hour a day viewing retail-related websites. That said, we don’t sit around ALL day. We leave the computer/tablet behind for social events. These behaviors are already causing change. For example, mall developers are now creating a mall experience that encompasses and promotes dining and entertainment. So what’s the point? Go where the unicorns are… have a presence online, of course but also permeate the path to purchase using tactical digital place-based media in malls (pick Adspace!), restaurants, elevators, taxis . . . anywhere you can. Make your message relevant to the environment and our interests, and we will hear you.
5. Keep it Simple, Stupid: Rumor has it Millennials are lazy and don’t like to read. I don’t necessarily agree with that (Twilight anyone?), but in such a digital, fast-paced world, it is important that content be consumed quickly and shared easily. If it has to be written, make it a list—they are easily digestible and we love them on BuzzFeed. Anything that can be described visually should be. Images and videos always paint a better picture, no pun intended.

Sources: Forbes, “Marketing In the Moment: Five Ways to Target Millennial,” 2013; Forbes, “Marketing to Millennials: You Have To Do It Their Way,” 2013; Ad Age, “Marketers Jump on Super Bowl Blackout with Real-Time Twitter Campaigns,” 2013