A lot of people see millennials on their smartphones and think that they’re selfish and unaware of the world and the people around them.
Simply put, that’s a gross misunderstanding of the situation. Community and social engagement is, in fact, quite a vital part of millennials’ lives. What’s really changed is the structure of that community. Many companies and organizations are not seeing that change, and it’s led to quite a difficulty in understanding and engaging with them.
To get past this misreading and truly connect with millennials, companies must see the world as millennials do: by seeing the world through the lens of technology.
Reaching Millennials
Millennials have been raised to believe strongly in their individual identities. This outlook has transformed the products and services they consume. In short, Millennials expect a more customized and customizable environment. If a company wants to reach Millennials, they must add more personalization to the services they provide. Along with tailoring, it’s time for companies to take a fresh look at channel choice as well. But, don’t forget the importance of technology. Millennials are more and more likely than ever to skip the grocery store and buy their groceries on Amazon and download books to their Kindles instead of buying physical ones.
Adventure and Engagement
Millennials are fueled by the rushing excitement of new adventures and experiences. The rush of doing new and novel things gives them an easily sharable social media currency, which in turn adds to their sense of worth and worthiness in their social media—and their real life—worlds. Sharing pictures of themselves and their friends on wild trips and doing novel activities is a way to connect with their peers.
If you want to connect with millennials, you must see that millennials do have a sense of community. It just looks a lot different than the one you might be accustomed to. Once you’ve become conscious of this, only then will you be ready to start successfully connecting with, and marketing to, Millennials.
