How to Market to Millennials in 2018 and Beyond

Before you know it, millennials will overtake baby boomers as America’s largest generation. It’s more important than ever for brands to find that sweet spot for marketing to millennials—a notoriously tricky and misunderstood demographic. 

Many of us on the AirTank marketing team are millennials ourselves, so we know a thing or two about how to crack the millennial marketing code. Our marketing expertise, along with our own personal experience, has helped us establish a set of guidelines for marketing to millennials.

Here are a few of those guidelines: 

Be authentic.

Millennials are, perhaps more than any other demographic, brilliant BS-detectors. If you’re being disingenuous, they’ll sniff you out and your brand will suffer for it. On the other hand, you also don’t want to come across like you’re trying too hard—you know, like this. Millennials are drawn to content and marketing that appeals to their interests and resonates with who they are. The best way to achieve this? Hire millennials on your marketing team! 

Two words: instant gratification. 

Growing up with the internet has given the millennial generation immediate access to anything and everything they could ever need. Smart brands should take heed of these expectations and provide real-time experiences for marketing and customer service. 

Give them something to post about.

As part of the social media generation, millennials are tweeting, snapping and posting at enormous rates. The key for brands is to inspire them to post about your products. You can’t do this by any means of obvious persuasion—they’re BS-detectors, remember? Instead, you have to give them something they actually want to post about. If you can design a product (or content) that stands out, you can benefit from “free advertising” when millennials post about your brand.

Believe in something.

Millennials are known for being socially conscious, and they seek out companies that align with their core values. For brands, this could mean anything from treating employees well to philanthropic involvement. Take some time to assess and define your brand values. Then, be sure to talk about these values when marketing to millennials. 

Is your brand struggling to find the millennial marketing sweet spot? We’ve got plenty of tricks up our sleeve here at AirTank.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation with our marketing experts.