TRADE

77 MILLION of the worldwide population is composed of millennials.

Did you know that it’s in the millennial generation where trends and love for arts and creativity have peaked its popularity?

Millennials are known for their love for challenges, when something doesn’t challenge them, they get bored. Millennials are dynamic, they have all the energy and the grit which can be translated into their performance.

Millennials, are fast and ever changing, like marketing. And because they are like marketing, they’re harder to reach.

Below are the 10 Things You Need To Know about Marketing to Millennials from Forbes.com

1. They’re Not Your Fans

Millennials do not see themselves as fans. They see themselves as active participants, able to shape opinions and inform the conversation. Their parents were fans. They are players and see themselves as owners of the things they choose to engage with.

2. They Get Marketing

They grew up with it. They’re savvy, smart and know a lot of the old marketing tricks. And they don’t like it. They’re attuned to it and weary of it. You must respect their intelligence.

3. Experiences Make Them Rich

Millennials are in a financial bind. They’re in debt (in 2016, the average college student graduates with $37.2k in debt), they can’t afford houses and are staring down the barrel of some pretty epic changes to the workplace, namely automation. Saving for a big house doesn’t make sense. Spending $800 on a primo festival experience does.

4. Knowledge Is Everything

Knowledge is a potent form of currency for millennials. They don’t just want to know about the product or service, but where and how it is sourced, the corporate practices, how staff are treated and the personal character of the leaders. When all those elements align, they are on board.

5. Big is Bad

The big institutions have let them down. Over their lifetime they’ve watched big brands, leaders and industries collapse due to a range of immoralities. When it comes to learning about new things and recommendations, they put their trust in each other and micro-influencers. Big isn’t to be trusted.

6. Chat Is King

This is the primary means of communication. It is not a compromised option devoid of meaning. It’s the benchmark. Millennials expect brands to be available 24/7 and chat is their preferred mode of interaction. Keep an eye out for video messaging through platforms like Snap and Kombie. It’s on the rise, and will likely eclipse text messaging in the future.

7. Growth is Good

They have diverse and changing interests and are looking to grow on a personal level. Collaborations between their favorite brands and other brands, artists or influencers gives them access to events, ideas and information that they wouldn’t have otherwise had.

8. Entertainment Is Expected, Everywhere

This is a generation that never learned to be bored. Things move quickly and they like it. Even a 15-second ad is too long. Brands can no longer sponsor the entertainment, they have to be the entertainment.

9. They’re Ruthless

If you let them down, they’ll move onto the next thing. They’re used to being consumers in control and understand that they can vote with their dollars. You only get one chance with them. If you do mess up, a public apology and active attempt to atone for your wrongdoings is far better than sweeping it under the carpet.

10. Irony Reigns

The more offbeat and oddball, the better. Done right, humor is a way to show millennials that you get them and respect their intelligence. Though there is lots to be depressed about in the world today, millennials are inherently optimistic and humor is the weapon of choice for making strong political points and cultural statements. It’s a common language between friends, and when brands get it right, its effect is magnetic. – FULL ARTICLE HERE

Now that we know how marketing is to millennials, YouTuber Jason Dorsey, also known as the Gen Y Guy, explains how to sell to millennials.

Watch below to understand millennials better!

Let’s face it, as marketers we strive to be the best. We do everything to communicate and make deals that sometimes, is just too much.

The first that makes it on our list is when we as marketers want to expand our connections. And the easiest way to do this is when we add people on social media, even those whom we don’t know.

Bruce Weinstein a contributor from Forbes.com, and the man behind TheEthicsGuy.com, states the reason why this pitch gets irritating.

1. As Soon As Someone You Don’t Know Connects With You On Social Media, Send Them A Pitch

The nerve! The unmitigated gall! This has happened so often that I’m now reluctant to follow someone back on Twitter. When I get pitched on LinkedIn or Facebook from someone I don’t know who has just joined my network, and it’s clear that the marketer doesn’t know anything about what I do, I immediately remove the connection.

“Connect first, pitch last,” suggests Phil Gerbyshak, Chief Digital Officer, Vengreso.com. “Instead of pitching me, find me on LinkedIn, Twitter or Facebook, and comment genuinely on something I’ve shared or commented on not super recently via email. Offer a real insight or even disagree respectfully with me.”

Second on the list is our usual way of expanding our email listings, let’s be honest we have been doing this all over to market our products, and to earn loyal customers, but this can even hinder the possibility of them coming back.

2. When Someone Buys A Product Of Yours Online, Add Them To Your Mailing List

I won’t name names, but a couple of well-known clothing companies are notorious for doing this. It’s a waste of paper and time. I have to recycle the catalog, shred the address label, and add the company to a “Stop Junk Mail” list or call them to be taken off their list. Then the next time I buy from them, the cycle starts all over again.

Too often, there is no opt-out button on the online order form. The company assumes you want a catalog, which is a false assumption for many customers.

To the companies that do this: why annoy the very people who want to give you money? Why not have an opt-in button on the order form?

Sometimes on this next one, we think this could be a way to expand our listing, but in the long run, we lose clients instead.

3. When Someone Gives You A Business Card, Add Them To Your E-Newsletter List

This practice raises legal issues in many countries, but even if it’s legally permissible, this is lazy and self-defeating marketing. It may expand your mailing list in the short run but it also risks losing lots of people in the long run.

Which is better: a long email list that’s filled with people who didn’t ask and don’t want to be sent marketing material or a short list that includes only folks who value what you have to say and are eagerly waiting to hear it? Which group of people is more likely to buy your products or services? Which group is more likely to tell their friends and colleagues what a great person you are?

“Someone giving you a business card does not equal consent to adding them to your marketing list,” says Jill Schiefelbein, author of Dynamic Communication. “Instead, write a follow-up email based your initial interaction, including a personalized request stating a relevant benefit that being on your list provides, and provide a one-click link for easy sign-up.”

The fourth is exhausting your resources, and never will this be good.

4. After You Buy A Trade Association’s Membership List, Pelt Everyone On It With Pitches

God bless non-profit organizations. They’re really doing the Lord’s work by selflessly devoting their resources toward promoting some social good.

Why then do some make their membership lists available to anyone who can pony up the dough? I’ve answered my own question, but it makes no sense to do this.

There’s one association I belong to that I have to ask every year not to sell my name and contact information to third parties. I also ask them to make this easy to do for my fellow members by having an opt-out button (or, better yet, an opt-in one).  But every year I get pitched things I don’t want or need from marketers who have purchased the association’s list.

That is not high-character marketing.

“For B2B selling there is no better place than LinkedIn because it’s a platform of business people for business people,” Ed Rigsbee, author of The ROI of Membership, told me. “Pick your tight-niche target and connect with as many people as possible. Don’t sell to them. Instead, influence them through valuable insights posted in your feed, which they will see. Become a thought leader rather than a peddler, and in time you will receive the rewards.”

The last one is very frustrating. When you want to promote something, but then your prospective client realizes that he/she doesn’t want it anymore, you have to make it easy for them to unsubscribe.

5. Make It Difficult For Someone To Unsubscribe To Your Email List

This is maddening. Unsubscribing to an email list, especially one you didn’t ask to join, should require a single click. Apparently not every online marketer got the memo because there are still too many people who make you jump through hoops to get off their list.  Aren’t these disrespectful folks aware that they’re simply turning current or potential customers off?

When I get an automated response that says, “You may have to wait ten days to be removed from our list,” I feel like doing a Billy Jack in the “I just go berserk” scene. – FULL ARTICLE HERE

These five marketing strategies when you look at in the outset is beneficial, but if gets too much and you’re doing too much hard-selling already, you lose your clients instead gain some.