Personalized Everything: Marketing Focus Driven by Millennials
Born between 1976 and 2004, millennials are largely responsible for the rising demand for personalization in every area of life. These young people came of age amidst an explosion of technology offering them unprecedented opportunities to customize everything from food to ride sharing.
Nowadays, it’s more important than ever for your business to adopt a “have it your way” approach to marketing, including how you choose which personalized promotional products to offer.
One Generation’s Sweeping Influence
Millennials pack a punch when it comes to sheer buying power. It’s estimated consumers between the ages of 17 and 34 will collectively spend more than $200 billion in 2017. Capturing even a small slice of this market can mean big profits for your business.
Understanding how millennials shop is the key to grabbing their attention and directing some of that $200 billion to your business. Forty-seven percent of 25- to 34-year-olds rely on search engines to research purchases, and they expect a seamless cross-platform experience once they decide on a company with which to do business. Mobile-friendliness, proactive responses and real-time adaptation to consumer needs are all essential elements of marketing to millennials.
Millennial Characteristics: Personalized Touchpoints
Do you know where millennials most often make contact with your business? Such touchpoints are defined by SurveyMonkey as “your brand’s points of customer contact, from start to finish” and include all interactions between consumers and brands.
Millennials are connected through one of the widest ranges of channels in marketing history. They’re reading blogs, scrolling through social media feeds, scouring reviews on location-based directories and visiting stores in person. Different groups exist within the demographic, segmented by the way they approach the purchasing process and journey through the sales funnel.
Analyze customer data to determine what brings each group to key touchpoints and their mindsets at these junctures. Move them toward a purchase decision by structuring your marketing to deliver exactly what they need at critical moments.
How do Personalized Promotional Items Fit In?
Unique promotional products fit seamlessly into the tailored millennial shopping experience. Millennials crave engagement and involvement, so turning a simple promotion into a game by offering collectible lines of personalized promotional items and encouraging young consumers to submit user-generated content featuring these products supports continued interaction with your brand.
To show you understand the millennial mindset and are in tune with their daily lives, choose unique promotional products popular among the demographic:
- BPA-free sports bottles
- Custom Headwear and Hoodies
- Sunglasses
Distribute products at the point of sale to enhance the purchasing experience, or send promotions as follow-ups to remind millennial customers your brand is committed to enhancing their lifestyles.
Marketing to millennials means rethinking your advertising approach to provide targeted experiences across channels and incorporate unique personal products pertinent to young consumers’ lives. Make 2017 the year you focus on millennial characteristics to inform and develop your marketing plans, responding to feedback in real time to create an engaging, responsive experience for all consumers.
Want to learn more about how to market to millennials? Contact us today.