As a Millennial I can admit I spend a pretty large chunk of my time on my phone (an average of 4 hours and 27 minutes a day to be exact), and with the average millennial checking their phone more than 100 times a day I’m not alone here. But what does this mean for Marketing and how can companies use this ‘smartphone obsession’ to their advantage?

Millennials today are usually defined as being 18 to 34 years old and make up one of the largest demographics in Australia. Successful marketing for this generation means changing your tactics to realise how differently they think and consume.

Reaching Millennials isn’t necessarily hard, it just requires a different strategy. Resisting traditional methods and having an authentic, interactive approach, creating a connection with your audience has never been more vital. Trust translates to sales, and millennials simply don’t trust traditional marketing. Katie Elfering of CEB Iconoculture summed this up perfectly in an interview for Forbes.com:

“First, understand and speak to the values that drive them – happiness, passion, diversity, sharing and discovery.

Second, understand their realistic lifestyles and experiences and find ways to amplify their reality.

And, finally, make sure they feel informed and involved, not just marketed to.”

Millennials are no doubt a tech savvy generation, having grown up in the social media world. According to Lisa Bora from Google, Mobile consumer insights, “89% of millennials own smartphones and use them daily to access the internet.” Millennials are online nearly twice as much as any other generation which is why mobile marketing is as important as ever. We live in a world were everything is immediately available online, and millennials love this. We no longer need to leave our bed to talk to our friends and family, go shopping, stream a movie or even get food, and jumping on this bandwagon is vital to marketing success.

Millennials have changed the way we need to market. Gone are the days of print catalogues and newspaper. Millennials want real, authentic brands they can trust.

So, what can your brand do to successfully get Millennials attention?

  1. Optimised Mobile. Due to the rise of online shopping and social media this is the best way to reach millennials.
  2. Social Media Presence. According to the University of Southern California, 62% of Millennials report that brand engagement across social media is more likely to make them a loyal customer.
  3. Multi-platform. Millennials consume content across multiple devices, so it is important to create content for a multi-platform strategy.
  4. Personalisation. Millennials are more likely to make a purchase and trust your brand if it is personalised to them and their interests.
  5. Authenticity. Millennials are willing to share good advertising but dislike when advertising feels deceptive.