The reason for this is actually quite simple: Millennials – regardless of what you think about the pros and cons – are naturally able to sniff out bullshit. They know when they are being coerced, deceived or misled, and as a result, they have a very low vulnerability to traditional, prescriptive advertising.
But content marketing is different: here, the goal is not to convince anyone of anything, but simply to find some useful, engaging, and Google-friendly information. And to the extent that content marketing has ulterior motives, it is usually quite transparent.
All of this to say, if you’re wondering how you can use content marketing to better connect with millennials, congratulations! You’re already on the right track!
With that said, there are right ways and wrong ways to connect with Millennials through content marketing – and in this post, we’ll offer some tips and some solutions.
How to Connect with Millennials Through Social Media
It’s that old adage about content marketing that’s “selling without selling.” In other words, you want to build trust and brand awareness, but you don’t want to make it a hard sell. This is really important for getting content marketing right, but it’s especially important for reaching architects mailing list millennials—because, again: they tend to be pretty allergic to aggressive sales pitches. Focus on engaging, authoritative content, offer a soft call to action, and trust your content to get the job done.
Don't mistake millennials for fools.
Or at least, don’t assume they’re misinformed. Statistics repeatedly show that millennials tend to do a ton of online research before buying anything. Keep this in mind when you’re developing content: Your millennial readers are probably well-read, they’ve seen the competition, and they’ve looked at some of the same sources you have. What you offer them should be original; it should have a unique point of view; and it should exist in dialogue with other content that’s out there.
Note that millennials tend to be motivated by fairness.
Millennials are often referred to as the social justice generation—and there’s a reason for that: While they probably don’t vote for the same political candidates or have the same political preferences, millennials as a whole tend to be quite motivated by racial, economic, and environmental justice issues. One of the best ways to earn trust is to highlight the ways your brand stands for the same things.
Leverage FOMO.
Another thing millennials as a whole have in common: the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This marketing concept isn’t new, but it’s gained new resonance as marketers increasingly seek to connect with millennials. If you can use your content to instill a sense of urgency, or make the reader feel like they can take advantage of a limited-time or limited-quantity offer, it can really help you reach millennials.