Millennials have been a large part of the target market for many companies which is why many business owners are looking for new ways to attract their attention. Here are five marketing tips to increase millennial customer loyalty.
#1. Remember About Mobile Integration
Knowing your audience is extremely important, and millennials are actually quite different from all the older generations you might have been targeting earlier. And one of the most important aspects of millennials is that they spent a lot of time on their mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets.
They send emails from their phones and check social media constantly. They text their friends and family and watch YouTube videos. They engage in all kinds of online activities which means that you will be more likely to get through to them by digital means rather than offline marketing techniques.
Nevertheless, another thing you need to understand about this “online life” is that adjusting to it will play a huge role in the overall success of your marketing campaign. If you can’t adapt to these new circumstances, you are likely to discover that your marketing efforts have been in vain (and you might even lose a lot of money if you aren’t careful enough).
Firstly, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly. This means that it should look good on mobile screens just as it looks good on desktop computers. Otherwise, your site visitors might simply see a small desktop version of your website instead of a version that was carefully adjusted to fit the screen of the mobile device.
Secondly, make the ads you use suitable for mobile devices. These include the ads on social media just as much as banner ads that appear on various websites. Carefully work through what kinds of ads you will be putting out and how you need to scale them accordingly in order for online users to see them as they should look.
Thirdly, keep in mind any other adjustments you need to make to have all of the aspects of your marketing optimized for mobile. After all, you want to be prepared for all kinds of situations, so get ready as much as you can.
#2. Don’t Do Traditional Advertising
As mentioned earlier, traditional advertising will not be as effective as digital methods when it comes to millennials. Because they spent the majority of their time online, it is only logical that you focus all of your efforts on advertising through the Internet. That being said, there are some things you can do with traditional advertising too.
Another reason to opt for online advertising instead of the traditional one is that the former is way cheaper than the latter. In addition to that, it is usually more effective and has a bigger return on investment than traditional strategies. As you can see, it’s a win in many different ways, so it should obviously be your number one choice.
Digital advertising can also be divided into a variety of categories or types which can be used in different situations. Here they are and the ways you can use them:
- Content Marketing: Content marketing is used mostly in text, but it can also be used in visual content. One of the reasons why it is so effective is because it is quite subtle. Considering that most millennials are aware of ads, content marketing can be very effective with its subtlety.
- Social Media Marketing: Social media marketing, obviously, is all the marketing and advertising you do on social media. Because millennials mostly spend their time on social media, this method can also be very effective, but it is less subtle than content marketing and should be used sparingly.
- Video Marketing: Video marketing can actually be used on a variety of platforms. From YouTube to social media, this type of digital marketing has proven to be efficient thanks to the information being given to the audience in a direct and straightforward way.
- Influencer Marketing: Influencer marketing can also be used on different platforms. In fact, influencers can be found both on social media and on regular blogs – both of which are constantly visited by millennials.
#3. Give Them Regular Rewards
Everyone loves rewards, and millennials love them as much as everyone else if not more. This is why giving your audience regular rewards can prove to be very effective if you want to increase their loyalty. There is a number of ways you could do this, so make sure that you consider each of them and think of the one that suits your needs best.
Firstly, you’ve got the loyalty program. A well-developed loyalty program will definitely keep your millennial customers engaged and satisfied. If you clearly show your customers that you value them, then they will be more than willing to join the loyalty program and actively participate in it.
The downside of loyalty programs is that not everyone likes them, especially if they are forced to join them rather than having the option to pass. Another challenge might be the fact that you don’t offer any other discounts or rewards which can be a huge letdown for those of your customers who don’t participate in the program.
Secondly, you’ve got the affiliate program. You could say that affiliate programs are similar to loyalty programs in some way, but there is actually a crucial difference that sets them apart. Affiliate programs are mostly targeted at affiliate advertisers rather than regular customers which means the majority of your audience will probably pass on it.
However, if you make your affiliate program simple enough, you will notice that it is actually quite effective in increasing customer loyalty. The best one you could make is offer a discount to the customers who recommend your products to their friends and make the friends purchase something from you through your customers’ links.
#4. Remember About Individuality
Millennials are very special because they value their individuality a lot. If you don’t forget about it either, you will notice that they are willing to be more engaged and loyal to your business. Just remember that there are some things you need to keep in mind when working on tactics that focus on your customers’ individuality.
One of the ways that you can highlight their individuality has already been discussed in this article – through loyalty and affiliate programs. Such programs reward customers which means they already feel special for getting that discount code or winning a gift. It’s not much, but it is enough for a small while.
Another way to focus on your customers’ individuality is by hosting contests where you ask your customers to display their skills. For example, if you sell clothes, you could host a contest for the best outfit. If you sell cosmetics and makeup products, you could host a contest for the best makeup looks.
No matter what contest you choose to host, it needs to challenge your customers creatively and be related to your products in some way. As long as they can display their individuality – and be rewarded for it in some way, so make sure to offer some kind of discount for all participants, – they will feel like they are being listened to.
It would also be a good idea to personalize your products and your content to suit certain segments of your target audience. Just make sure to segment your audience and then personalize these things to have a bigger impact on each and every one of your current customers and potential customers.
#5. Give Them a Common Goal
Last but not least, millennials do not “just” want to buy products and be regular consumers. In fact, they are more than willing to commit to a noble cause if your company is behind it. In fact, they might become even more engaged and loyal to your company if you become something more than just a business.
A common goal or a common cause can prompt your customers to help out in some way. Maybe they want to do it out of guilt or maybe they are just altruistic – whatever it is that is guiding them will help you to inspire and motivate them in many ways. Of course, you don’t need to turn your business into a charity but consider some options.
For example, you could start sending a certain share of your profits to a particular charity. Alternatively, you could switch to sustainable methods of production and market your products as environmentally-friendly. Both methods are good in their own way, and both require some sacrifices, but they can both work.
If you have no idea which decision to make and which path to choose, then ask your customers directly about the type of cause they would be willing to commit to and then opt for that variant.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, millennials should be treated with special attention, so you need to use specific tactics when marketing for this target audience. Use the strategies in this article to help you with your marketing campaign.
About the Author!
Nancy P. Howard has been working as a writing expert at Online Writers Rating for a year. She is also a professional writer in such topics as blogging, IT and marketing. She loves travelling, photography and always welcome to meet new people.
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