The social media usage habits of millennials continue to change – and so your social media marketing needs to change also. This is necessary in order to keep up with new trends and the constant search for the “Next Big Thing.” Here are 3 tips to reach more millennials with your social media marketing.
Tip #1: Experiment with More Than Just Facebook and Twitter
Ok, we get it, Facebook is easy and safe. So is Twitter. But that’s not where the millennials are headed these days. If you examine just about any research report on social media habits, it’s hard to ignore a major trend: millennials are leaving Facebook and Twitter in droves for newer platforms such as Instagram and Snapchat.
If you’re looking to court the young millennial consumer, the place to be these days is Instagram. According to the Pew Research Center, 60 percent of all Instagram users are between the ages of 18 and 29. Compare that to Twitter, where the figure is only 36 percent. So, yes, you can still reach millennials via Twitter, but if you want to go where the momentum is headed, your social media marketing needs to embrace Instagram and Snapchat.
Tip #2: Create New Types of Storytelling Experiences for Millennials
One reason for the popularity of platforms like Instagram and Snapchat is the ability for users to apply lenses and filters on top of otherwise mundane content. With Instagram, it’s possible to create Stories. A Sunday summer day at the beach suddenly becomes people want to watch over and over again.
Now brands are getting into the act as well, creating their own stories on social media platforms for users to interact with. The latest trend is the use of augmented reality, or the ability to enhance videos with additional visual elements.
If you want to see where millennial social media marketing is headed, just check out the social media accounts for Taco Bell. According to the company’s CEO, Greg Creed, the goal of Taco Bell is to become “America’s favorite millennial brand.” That means creating new types of raw, unscripted experiences that continually push the envelope. From this perspective, Taco Bell is the “millennial brand” for the cool young kids, while Chipotle is the brand for older adults.
Tip #3: Look for New Ways to Connect with the Right Influencers
Back in the day, the thought among marketing executives was that the best way to connect with consumers was by deploying a bunch of A-list celebrities. You can still see this with the way the big automakers market their cars – they’ll typically use big Hollywood celebrities (that is, if you count Matthew McConaughey as a big star) or famous sports athletes to sell cars.
But that’s not what millennial marketers do – they look for up-and-coming stars in the worlds of music and entertainment. From this perspective, a DJ – say, David Guetta or Calvin Harris – who might entertain crowds at an event like Coachella is way more influential than a traditional big-name music performer. To its credit, Toyota is one of the big brands that is actually recruiting talent from the world of YouTube celebrities for its marketing.
Those are three big macro-trends changing the world of millennial marketing. Every six months seems to bring a new fad – can anyone say #hashtag marketing campaigns? But there are some big themes that are emerging and a growing number of brands – including both Nike and Taco Bell – that are doing social media marketing right.
*This post originally appeared on socialmedia hq.