Marketing To Gen Y
Marketing to Gen Y might sound scary, but understanding what kind of consumers they are and what motivates them will help you build a marketing plan that will have the younger generation pulling out their wallets to support your brand. You can do this.
Marketing to Gen Y might sound scary, but understanding what kind of consumers they are and what motivates them will help you build a marketing plan that will have the younger generation pulling out their wallets to support your brand. You can do this.
WHO ARE THE MILLENNIAL CONSUMERS?
Gen Y consumers are social
Word of mouth still works on these tech savvy digital natives. They’ve worked in groups their whole lives, are comfortable with collaborating, and guess what, they do it when they shop too. Over 44% of decisions made by Gen Y result from word of mouth recommendations, that includes decisions about what to buy. If the Millennials like your brand, they’ll tell their friends and family about it.
Get the Millennials talking about your brand. To get to this very basic analog form of marketing, you should definitely use the latest technology.
Gen Y shops and reviews online
Now is not the time to ignore your online marketing. Social media is a must. Millennials build relationships online, not just with their friends, but with brands as well. Interacting with them in a genuine and engaging way online will keep you at the top of their minds when it comes to spending money.
According to Digital Marketer, 84% of Millennials look at social media reviews of products and services before they buy. Fifty percent of them take advice from social media when it comes time to making purchases.
And do not forget about your website. Gen Y wants it now and they want it to be easy to interact with your site. Make getting information and buying products online a simple, enjoyable and fast experience. Navigation should be clear and information easy to find. Also, give them an easy way to communicate with you if they have questions about your products.
Gen Y is mobile
When we talk about online marketing, we also need to talk about mobile marketing, because Gen Y is mobile. Millennials are shopping on the go and you need to take that into consideration. Marketing plans need to be mobile.
Make your mobile marketing interactive, brand correct and be prepared to deliver on demand. That means your website is responsive so when Gen Y pulls it up on a smartphone they don’t have to squint to see the details. If you’re offering online coupons, they should be redeemable from a phone screen.
Gen Y’s approach to consumerism is completely different from the generations before them. Growing up with technology in an information age means they want it now and they want to interact. That’s not always easy, but companies must be utilizing the latest online tools to reach Millennials. The good news is, if you can provide them what they want when they want it, they’ll do your marketing for you by telling their friends and family about it.
Want to know more about who the Millennial consumers are and how to get them to buy from you? Check out our latest white paper “Getting Gen Y to Buy.” This paper takes you into the mind of the Gen Y consumer and gives you examples and tips for getting their attention and creating loyal customers.