October 23, 2018

Millennial Marketing Strategy

In 2015, there were 75.4 million millennials in the US — now they’re the largest generation in the country — eclipsing the baby boomers by half a million people. Born between 1981 and 1996, the digitally-savvy millennials are set to be an influential force on our economy.

Millennials: reaching the generation of the future in a hyper-connected marketplace

For businesses, remaining relevant and keeping up with the ever-shifting needs of millennials is crucial. To stay afloat, brands must continually explore new marketing tactics, and replace the old billboard with modern forms of advertising like artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.

Here’s how to reach a millennial in a hyper-connected marketplace:

Stay digitally relevant

In 2018, being connected is the norm. With search engines, social media platforms and instant messaging, everyone is plugged-in, all the time.

Millennials have a unique advantage in this space — they've grown up with technology evolving all around them. Adapting to the newest platform is just a part of life. But that platform has to provide value over the competitor. When offering digital products or services, any successful business needs to make itself readily accessible.

When you’re reaching out to your millennial audience, ensure that you remain relevant. Whether it's having an SMS conversation via Twilio or a discussion over LiveChat, make yourself useful and provide customers with the fastest path to a solution.

Give a human touch

Don't get lost in tech talk. Even though millennials are a tech-savvy generation, they're still human —  and humans crave organic interactions. Social media companies owe a lot of success to the fact that they bring people together (even if it's in a digital space).

Remember that you're dealing with humans, even if you're using AI to increase productivity and eliminate repetitive tasks. Intelligent technology solutions take advantage of AI without seeming robotic — and some will even make their AI seem human.

If you're designing a customer journey that's powered by AI, ensure your messaging makes sense each step of the way. People (especially millennials) will notice if it doesn't. To localize and personalize your messaging, try experimenting with marketing automation software such as Autopilot.

Consider implementing personalized messaging with features such as:

• Personalized emails that are tailored to your audience;
• Live chat integrations that connect your customer with a real staff member; and
• Segments that help you customize messaging depending on behaviors

Above all, avoid 'canned' or repeat messages. These types of messages are annoying to any switched-on customer.

Build an online workforce

The next generation of tech-savvy people will work and play in a hyper-connected marketplace. As millennials penetrate the workforce, digital solutions have become more and more popular with businesses in every industry.

Businesses are finding themselves utilizing digital platforms like:

• Slack to communicate;
• Trello to manage projects;
• Typeform to manage forms; and
• Salesforce to manage sales

Digital platforms like these fill their niches incredibly well. And they're not just popular thanks to their business value. They fit perfectly into the millennial way of life: accessible from anywhere, functional and highly connective.

Successful workplaces around the world integrate platforms like Slack and Salesforce directly into Autopilot. By automating tasks and reducing the need for 'busy work' between platforms, employees can put more focus into the things that matter. Learn more about what workplaces are saying about Autopilot.