The millennial generation is the largest population group in the United States. In the last U.S. Census, 18 to 32-year-olds outnumbered even the baby boomers. As their buying power increases, entrepreneurs looking to market to them must understand how they expect to be treated – as individuals.

I just reviewed a Pew Research Center report, Millennials in Adulthood. Members of this tech-savvy media-connected generation tend to be independent politically. They are postponing marriage, and a record number of them – compared with previous generations – say they have no religious affiliation.

If you are in business there are a lot of things you should know about this group. Just a few of them are:

Millennials want to know a company is paying attention to their specific needs. The way to reach millennials is to establish a social media presence across a variety of channels; Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook and your branded smartphone apps are not to be forgotten.

Beyond responding to tweets or “liking” a Facebook comment, companies engaging with millennials must add value to their experience of brand through loyalty programs, recognition events and special access to sales and promotional events. It means creating an impression that each consumer is special.

For example the Primania website where shoppers can upload pictures of themselves wearing Primark apparel allows other shoppers to rate the uploaded looks on the site and invites users to chat about fashion and register for prizes.

By appealing to millennials’ highly developed sense of self and their “selfie” culture, Primania offers them the “opportunity to develop your own unique style profile and to share your fashion ideas and inspirations with others.”

One size does not fit all. The look and feel of a customized product is important to this generation who are growing up far more diverse and embracing of diversity than preceding generations. This affects their taste in consumer goods and how they need to be marketed to.

When American Express realized they needed a financial product for millennials they devised a credit card that gave users customizable features, access to exclusive deals and targeted savings opportunities on products and experiences of interest to this generation.

Have you looked through any materials targeted to this group? You will see racial diversity, diverse body types, people with physical disabilities and nontraditional family groups. Millennials want to know they are dealing with a business whose face looks like “me and my friends.”

Earn millennials’ business by doing good.   Cone Communications, a public relations firm found that millennials are hyperaware of, and have high expectations for, corporate social responsibility efforts to make the world a better place – for themselves and society at large. Millennials have proven they will switch from companies that do nothing in this area to ones that publically share their values.

The founder of PopNod targeted millennials with a site that empowers people to change the world by combining shopping and saving with giving. Shoppers who use PopNod click on a store website for their purchases and receive cash back. PopNod donates to their charity of choice in an amount based on the cash-back savings.

Any business seeking to catch the loyalties of the millennials needs to create a socially aware site that holds true to their beliefs. Use the corporate website to tell the story of why the company did something good and why the entrepreneur believes in it. Empathize with customers about why the company’s activism is important.

Emphasize authenticity and transparency. Millennials respond to this type of marketing, creating brand loyal customers and brand ambassadors. Without expressing the entrepreneur’s feelings and passion, even if what the company has done is positive, millennials will see the effort as a business ploy. It has to be personal.

Websites where the company is making a personal appeal to millennial consumers and establishing that the firm, the entrepreneur and the millennial consumer are part of the same community will do well.

To read the full 2014 Pew Research Center report on Millennials in Adulthood click here.

________________________________________________________________

Need help telling the story of your business to millennials? I will be providing a workshop this fall on “Telling Your Story” but don’t wait – call for an appointment and get started writing your story before the workshop. 931-456-4910