CMOs: Three Effective ways to market to the Millennial Generation

As a CMO you understand the importance of growing your market share in the Millennial group. As a graduate student in the IMC program at Medill, Northwestern University with a keen interest in Digital Marketing Strategy, I have found two interesting articles discussing what brands can do to connect with these influential consumers.

In What Leading Brands can teach us about marketing to millennial consumers, an insightful article by Chris Ertel published in CMO.com, Chris gives some great examples on how top brands are marketing to millennial consumers. According to Chris, it is very important to understand what motivates millennials. They are motivated by three key values: the need for a feeling of connectedness through personal relationships and community; social proof that they can make the world a better place; and a demand for authenticity, seeing things as they truly are.

           

Another great article on this topic, 5 effective ways to market to millennials by Joel Kaplan for mashable.com talks about how millennials are the connected generation,  how they are increasingly using their phones to keep current on issues, celebrities and products that interest them. That means marketers should ensure that their mobile experience is optimized for smartphones, it should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. They also crave to have a dialog with the brands they love. So you should stay in touch with your audience through social media. Millennials are more attached to experiences than products. Think of creative ways to engage with them. The millennials who love your product are your best marketing tool. These evangelists will sell your product for you if you give them a forum and the means to do so.

After reviewing these two articles and from my graduate studies in the IMC Program at Medill, Northwestern University, I found three action items you need to consider when developing your marketing strategies targeting millennial. They are:

·      Go Mobile – Brands should have a powerful and effective mobile marketing strategy as Millennials are consuming more & more content on their mobile devices.

·      Engage & Collaborate – Millennials want to be more involved with product creation and improvement. Companies should engage with them and enable them to be a part of the process.

·      Create Brand Evangelists – Millennials love to spread the word and recommend their favorite products. Brands should use this to their advantage.

Following these three simple strategies will give you a great competitive advantage over other brands and help you capture the long-term loyalty of Millennials.

About the Author: Megha Ghildiyal is a communications professional with expertise in lifestyle & luxury brand marketing.  She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communications with Medill at Northwestern University. You can follow her on Twitter @MeghaGhildiyal