How To: Engage A Millennial
Welcome to the next generation of marketing
If you want to engage the age of the Millennial with your marketing campaigns, then you better plan to implement video. That’s right; video needs to be a huge part of your marketing tactics to engage a Millennial. When it comes to this generation, they would much rather watch a YouTube video on your marketing campaign than read an article or even hear a radio commercial.
The conventional channels of television and radio don’t have the same impact on Millennials as they do on other age groups. With new technologies like DVR for television, Millennials are not watching the commercials, they have the leisure of fast forwarding through them– meaning they are completely skipping your ads. Same thing goes for radio, with new music apps,such as Pandora or Spotify, they can choose what they want to listen to without the long stretch of (or any) commercials or promotions.
Additionally, social media video apps like Snapchat, Instagram and YouTube are being consumed at a rapid rate. According to a study done by comScore, Snapchat accounts for 32.9% of the penetration on Millennial’s smartphones, only a short bit behind Facebook and Instagram.
Now, you might be wondering how your company can best implement video. First, try creating educational videos about your product or service. Quick, “how to” videos can be an easy jump into the realm of video with the added benefit of generating organic traffic as, often, people are looking for videos to teach them something. Want to get the biggest bang for your buck? Try including two options: one for downloading the slides / pdf / document and one to watch the video. That way you can reach other age groups as well as capitalize on the up-and-coming Millennial crowd.
Another important aspect to take into consideration when implementing video in your campaigns is the act of streaming videos. Video streaming basically means you’re sending the user video, in real time. By doing videos in real time, you can bridge the gap between company and consumer by creating a method for two way communication.
Platforms like Periscope have given anyone with a smartphone access to interact with live video. Streaming will soon make its way to the forefront of the marketing world since it allows the consumers to be the star of the show! These live streaming tools can be used for things such as “how to” videos or even just a webinar, with live chat and Q&A. This allows your consumers to interact with you in real time and have instant gratification of any issue or question they may have, a feature that Millennials hold in high esteem.
To use these techniques and platforms successfully, make sure your video or live stream is accessible on every type of device. Millennials are constantly on their phone and often feel “incomplete” without their smartphone or tablet. Notice there’s no mention of a laptop or desktop. So, if your marketing campaign isn’t compatible on mobile devices, it will be a lot harder to reach the younger crowd.
Now that you’re ready to start using video in your campaigns, here’s the most important lesson: Millennials appreciate content that is authentic. They want something that is interesting and real. They don’t want to see staged promotions. Take the risk and use your people to promote your product. Skip the voice talent and the actors. Give them a real situation to which they can relate. Millennials grew up in the age of the advertisements and have been desensitized. Give them what they’re really looking for and you’ll be set.
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DemandZEN specializes in Account-Based Demand Generation and solving the challenges around finding, engaging and converting target accounts into real opportunities for B2B Technology and Services companies.