How to Best Reach Millennials

These days, it seems like social media rules the world. And if you are like me, you have probably recognized the importance of attracting millennials to businesses. But in this ever-changing consumer marketplace, there are growing reasons why business needs social media to thrive. Understanding millennials and how best to connect with them through social media will be your ticket to staying relevant with younger generations.

Here are some insights I’d like to share on this growing trend.

Understanding Millennials

Millennials–those approximately between the ages of 18 and 34—are fascinated by social media. According to Accenture, there are 80 million millennials in the United States, and they are spending approximately $600 billion annually. And Infusionsoft reports that 90 percent of these young adults use social media, compared to just 3 percent of those over the age of 65. A third of these millennials also prefer to communicate with businesses via social media.

So how do you get them to engage with you using these platforms? The answers are key to your future success.

Attracting Millennials: Best Social Media Practices

Relating to this generation isn’t complicated. It just takes time to develop the right formula to do so with your brand. Engage millennials by executing these simple steps:

1. Create a Personal ExperienceBrands that are the most successful are those that have tapped into millennials’ desire for a personal experience. Use consumer data on millennials to craft a meaningful customer experience. For example, Starbucks–which has millennials as 40 percent of its customer base–recently announced that it will help pay for sustainable projects, including support programs for farmers in coffee-growing regions.This is a very strategic move since millennials are part of a green generation that is willing to pay more for sustainable products because they want to make a positive impact. By doing so, these consumers will feel like they are part of something bigger than just buying coffee.

2. Visual SharingPost short, inspiring videos to engage this younger audience. Millennials are very visual and videos will help them connect better with your brand or product. So post engaging and lively video on Facebook or Snapchat and Vimeo, which are becoming more popular with millennials.

3. Reward Customer LoyaltyMillennials love rewards. According to an online survey by Harris Poll, 95 percent of 18-to-34-year-olds say they would like some sort of incentive for sharing a product via social media or e-mail. So get creative and reward repeat purchases or referrals with cash or loyalty points.

Millennials are a huge market and it is up to you to leverage the opportunity to connect with them and expand your customer base. By doing so through social media, you will start to establish yourself within this demographic and create memorable experiences for you both to share.