Among its many virtues, content marketing is ideal for reaching millennials. The reason for this is actually pretty simple: Millennials—whatever you think of their pros and cons, their strengths and their shortcomings—are naturally adept at sniffing out bullshit. They know when they’re being coerced, duped, or talked down to, and as a result, they have very low vulnerability to traditional, prescriptive advertising. But content marketing is different: Here, the goal isn’t to talk anyone into anything, but simply to find some helpful, engaging, Google-friendly information. And to the extent that content marketing does have ulterior motives, it’s usually pretty transparent. All that to say, if you’re wondering how you can use content marketing to better connect with millennials, congratulations! You’re already on the right track! With that said, there are right ways and wrong ways to connect with millennials through content marketing—and in this post, we’ll offer some tips and some solutions.
How to Connect with Millennials through Social Media
Remember the mantra.
The old line about content marketing is that it’s “selling without selling.” That is, you want to earn trust and create brand awareness, but you don’t want to give a hard sell. That’s really important for getting content marketing right, but it’s especially important for reaching the millennial generation—because again: They tend to be pretty allergic to aggressive sales pitches. Focus on engaging and authoritative content, offer a gentle call to action, and trust your content to do its job.
Don’t mistake millennials for dummies.
Or at least, don’t assume they’re ill-informed. Statistics show over and over that millennials tend to do a ton of online research before they buy anything. Keep that in mind when you develop content: Your millennial readers are probably well-studied, they’ve seen the competition, and they’re examined some of the same sources as you. What you offer them should be original; it should have a unique point of view; and it should exist in dialogue with other content that’s out there.
Note that millennials tend to be justice-driven.
The millennial generation is often called the social justice generation—and there’s a reason for this: While they may not vote for the same political candidates or hold the same policy preferences, millennials as a whole tend to be pretty motivated by racial, economic, and environmental justice issues. One of the best ways to earn trust is to highlight the ways in which your brand stands for those same things.
Leverage FOMO.
Something else that millennials as a whole have in common: Fear of missing out, or FOMO. This marketing concept is hardly new, but it’s gained new resonance as marketers have increasingly sought connections with millennials. If you can use your content to instill a sense of urgency, or cause the reader to feel like they can take advantage of a limited-time or limited-quantity offer, that can really help you reach millennials.
Get visual whenever you can.
You can and should write blogs as part of your content marketing strategy, but also make sure you use plenty of visual content—including Instagram posts, Facebook and Twitter memes, and graphics embedded in your website content. Simply put, millennials tend to be pretty visual—and much as we hate to admit it, words alone probably won’t be enough! With these pointers, you can start connecting more effectively with members of the millennial demographic—and for additional tips or content marketing resources, we hope you’ll reach out. Chat with us today by calling 803-831-7444 or by visiting www.grammarchic.net.
Amanda E. Clark founded Grammar Chic in 2008. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and holds degrees in Journalism, Political Science, and English. She launched Grammar Chic after freelancing for several years while simultaneously leading marketing and advertising initiatives for several Fortune 500 companies.