Top 5 Ways to Market to Millennials

What are millennials looking for online, especially millennial parents.“Who are millennials?” Pop that question into Google and you’ll get over 46 million (and growing) results. To put it briefly, millennials are those born between 1981 and 1997 – old enough to remember such classics such as the first PlayStation, but young enough that they didn’t receive their first cellphones – most likely a flip phone – well until high school, if not after.
With a generation that leaves their homes with a device in hand that’s a combined phone, clock, camera, radio, map, and wallet, it’s no surprise that nearly half of millennials say they “couldn’t live without” their smartphone. In fact, the average millennial “spends 3.1 hours a day on their mobile devices”, which amounts to nearly a whole day every week (more than double the hours Baby Boomers and Gen X’s spend on mobile).
But what are millennials looking for online, especially millennial parents?
80% of millennial parents say they shop online every month. With more brands and products becoming readily available online, this number is only increasing. With so many millennials shopping and searching online, there’s no doubt that this is the best way to market to millennials. But how exactly do you market to millennial parents?
Five Ways to Market to Millennial Moms and Dads
1. Stop showing moms in commercials in traditional roles.
These days, mom and dad share the workload. Mom is no longer the one always at home, holding the laundry basket and making the lunches. Show her as an accomplished woman rather than an overtired housewife.
2. Be an authentic brand
Millennial moms are influenced by brands that are authentic. They don’t want to feel like every interaction is a sales pitch. Build an emotional connection to millennial moms by sharing information that is valuable to them, and reach them on an emotional level without always talking about your product or service.
3. Make a video
Of the 83% of moms who search for answers to their questions online, 3 in 5 turn to online video to do so. Leverage video to not only reach millennial moms, but engage with them.
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4. Know what millennial parents want
Based on 2016 Data, the top 3 things millennial moms look for when making purchasing decision are (in order of importance) safety, convenience of purchase, and brands that provide good value. Highlight how your brand meets these criteria when advertising to millennial moms to satisfy their most pressing concerns.
5. Go social
73% of moms use social media to find brand and product recommendations. Not only does your brand need to be present on social, but it needs to be talked about by others to receive recommendations.
Millennials love being social, and they love using their smartphones to be social. Long gone are the days where digital was only a desktop. If you’re marketing to millennials, use what they want and what they like to reach them. With all the phenomenal social networks available at (literally) the touch of a button, your brand needs to be leveraged through social media in order to be found.
For more best practices, download this guide to learn:
- The 5 best practices to help you choose bloggers for your next influencer campaign
- How to amplify your message with over 2,000 influential bloggers powered by the PTPA Influencer Network
- What to look for in your influencer program
- How to become a better marketer and PR professional