5 things you need to know about connecting with Millennials through content marketing

In terms of spending, millennials are breaking records left and right. This is why it’s so important to reach this generation with smart content marketing methods. Read on for a few ways to do just that.

1. Only use the best visuals

In order to compete with all of the photography-centric social media platforms out there, all of your visuals have to be top notch. Millennials are unforgiving about websites with less-than average visuals. When your design is crummy, it’s obvious and a major turn-off. Copy alone isn’t enough; your content has to be enhanced, built with and designed around strong visuals.

2. Motivate them to continue engaging

Millennials need a good reason to continue reaching out to your company. Maybe you have a mobile app that lets them access their account on-the-go or gives them free information that makes their life easier. From gamification examples that encourage users to continue using an app to freemium offers, millennials need a strong reason to keep coming back for more. Find new ways to make your product or service useful and to show customers how their life will be improved when they trust your brand.

3. Be present on multiple channels and across multiple devices

Multi-device and multi-channel may sound like annoying marketing jargon, but when it comes to attracting millennials, they’re highly important buzz terms. You don’t just need a mobile-friendly website or a Twitter account. You need a presence on every platform where you can connect with your main audience and you need those platforms to seamlessly integrate with each other and all devices. Millennials aren’t engaging in one way; they’re engaging in multiple ways and switching devices and channels mid-process.

4. Personalise your messaging and the customer experience

In order to resonate with the new generation, content needs to be personal. Corporate speak is a thing of the past, especially when you’re trying to market to millennials. Your content should be shaped to speak to your primary audience. Within that audience, you can further segment your messaging. For example, your primary mailing list can be broken up into segments based on location, age or interest.

The messaging for each newsletter can be customized to speak to certain audience segments. You also need to always be listening to your audience to determine what they want next. Maybe they need a service that helps them use a product or they need an update to something you’ve given them in the past. Listening to their needs is an important way to personalize the experience they have with your company. Additionally, you should not miss opportunities to educate and cater to different learning styles with your content when necessary. Effective modern elearning development will place a useful a technically sound and sufficient, yet simple, piece of content in front of the eyes of the user.

5. Continually evolve your personal brand

Personal branding applies to all types of businesses, from entrepreneurs and startups to big, established companies. Millennials love the personal brand and becoming familiar with a company’s public identity. This is a way to sell yourself by showcasing your personality instead of using direct sell messages, which doesn’t work anymore. Lifestyle content marketing has hit this on the head and it’s a tactic used by a variety of companies, even if they’re not primarily a lifestyle brand.

Yes, lifestyle blogs use their niche to promote content, but so do car companies and soda brands. While it’s always easiest for an individual to develop a public brand, it’s also possible for larger companies to do the same.

The hardest thing about marketing to millennials is remembering that old school advertising doesn’t work anymore. Developing great products, showcasing the benefits through excellent content and then marketing the content on a personal level is the best way to reach this generation.