Photo credit: midlandu.edu
Millennials are a group of young people who were born between the early 1980’s to the early 2000’s. Sometimes they’re called “generation Y” because they follow “generation X”. They’re “tech savvy [and] motivated by trends” (Social Media Today). They may be young today, but they are the people who will be running our country in a decade or so. The trends they make today will affect the direction of how brands use social networking in the future.
Why follow brands?
Fifty-seven percent of millennials follow brands on social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, not only for entertainment but to be informed.
It’s so easy to get discounts through social media these days. Many brands spread the word on their sales events on social media, and some even use super-smart strategies to spread the word and get more followers! For example, IKEA organized “My IKEA Playbook” on Pinterest, where users follow IKEA USA on Pinterest and pin IKEA products they want to have in their home. Then IKEA will pick a winner who gets a gift card worth approximately $500.
Millennials loves deals (who doesn’t?). Around 41-52% of the millennials compare prices online before purchasing a product. Sometimes they like to ask a few questions, and when they do, they want to get an answer in a responsive manner. Not wasting time or money!
What not to do
Just because our future leaders like social media, that doesn’t mean we should bombard them with it. Millennials does not like seeing too many posts. Think about it... would you want to follow someone who floods your newsfeed everyday? I don’t.
Also, #hashtags. Unnatural and obsessive use of your brand hashtags looks too #desperate, and they find it #annoying. #TryingTooHard
Last but certainly not the least, majority of the millennials are concerned about their privacy on the Internet; in fact, 68% of them do not like websites or apps using Facebook Connect. More often than not, these require users to share account details, and who knows where that information is going.
Millennials like sincere and high-quality experience on the Internet. If your marketing targets this group of people, remember... quality over quantity.
Source:
Social Media Today: What Do Millennials Want From Social Media?
Media Bistro: 4 Ways that Brands Can Appeal to Millennials on Social Media
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