Millennials make up nearly 30% of the Indian population. But many brands struggle to market to this demographic, let alone sell to them. This is because an impersonal and intrusive traditional marketing strategy fails to stimulate this segment. Catching millennial attention demands modern marketing tactics!
But first, what is millennial marketing? Simply enough, the answer lies in the term; millennial marketing refers to a marketing strategy that exclusively targets the millennial demographic, comprising of people born between 1981 and 1996. The marketing strategy focuses on identifying platforms and developing messaging that this demographic is most likely to engage with.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when creating a millennial marketing strategy:
1. Micro-segment your audience
Stereotyping millennials as a homogenous group that’s young, trendy, and always busy on their smartphones can be a big mistake. Millennials are adults between the ages of 22 and 38 years old. This is a wide group of individuals if you think of their job types, family and household structures, their income slabs, aspirations, etc.
So, micro-segment your millennial audience and create personalised, relevant content, keeping each micro-segment’s sensibilities and behavioural preferences in mind.
2. Tap into the power of social media
Millennials are the first true digital natives. 52.3% of the 330 million-plus active social media users in India are millennials. So, building a brand presence on social media platforms to reach out to this audience is an obvious move. The competitive differentiation though lies in posting relevant content, replying to customer comments in real-time, and tuning into customer sentiment. Solutions like Salesforce Social Studio are a one-stop technology platform for launching personalised campaigns, publishing content, monitoring performance, and winning over customers.
3. Rope in influencers
Influencer marketing is a big hit with millennials. But recommendations must be genuine and from trusted influencers - millennials can spot paid or forced endorsements from a mile away. In this regard, micro-influencing is emerging as an important marketing tactic. Unlike celebrity influencers, micro-influencers are individuals with in-depth knowledge about a business or product and endorse only what they use. Averaging from around 500 to 25,000 followers, the engagement level is quite high with such aspiring influencers. Leveraging such influencer networks to target millennials - to create user generated content, share sponsored posts, or do a giveaway contest using your product/service - can be a great ROI for marketers.
4. Let your customer service shine
Millennials expect fast, empathetic, and contextual customer service in real-time. Additionally, they expect omnichannel support – the freedom to start a conversation on one platform and seamlessly resume it over another. While marketing campaigns can attract customers to consider a product or service, only the right customer service will lead to a purchase. Marketers must, therefore, work in tandem with the customer service team. Solutions like Salesforce Customer 360 integrate all critical customer data - across sales, marketing, and service departments – to give you a 360-degree view of the customer and enable the delivery of a seamless omnichannel experience.
5. Stand for something beyond business
Millennials like to associate with brands that have a positive social image and translate their values into actions. Since millennials are values-driven, socially conscious individuals, they prefer buying from brands that resonate with their ethics and reflect their attitude. If millennials are able to identify with a brand, they won't just buy from it but also recommend it to friends and family. Marketers have a huge opportunity here to showcase the social initiatives of their company and win customer loyalty from millennials.
Marketing to millennials demands an out-of-the-box approach that goes beyond old-world marketing methods. Intelligence, a personal appeal, and omnichannel engagement are critical to the strategy.
With a comprehensive suite of solutions like Salesforce Customer 360, marketers can access key customer insights and devise personalised and highly targeted marketing strategies for the much sought-after millennials.
