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Marketing To Millennials: Building A Communications Strategy Marketing to millennials doesn't need to be scary if you have the right strategy in place.

By Carla Saliba

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

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As the first digitally native generation, millennials have re-written the rulebooks when it comes to brand marketing. Unlimited access to information and 24/7 connectivity across multiple platforms and devices -often on the go- means that today's marketer must deliver communications that are relevant to the device, channel and stage of the buyer journey to earn their loyalty.

But marketing to millennials doesn't need to be scary if you have the right strategy in place. Here's my advice on how to build an effective communications strategy for millennials:

Make it visual
Millennials scan through mass amounts of text quickly searching for key information, making visuals a powerful tool to capture their attention in a text-heavy world. Think about pairing attractive visuals with your text to make key messages stand out.

Bite-sized chunks
That being said, just using images isn't enough to capture their attention: the sheer volume of information available means that 41% of millennials suffer from information overload. Keep text concise and to the point, and break up important ideas across multiple pieces of content.

Be original
With so many brands competing for their attention, it's important to create a brand identity that is recognisable and consistent. This means shunning the stock imagery (or being very selective with it) and creating original, visual content that is synonymous with your brand.

Mobile-first design
With over 80% of social media time being spent on mobile devices, make sure that your visuals are optimised for consumption on a mobile device. This means that any text should be readable and important elements visible without having to zoom in.

Channel relevant
It would be easy to think that you can post the same content to all your social media channels- it's all the same, right? Wrong! Consumers use different social channels for different reasons, so make sure the content you're posting is relevant to the channel it's on.

Focus on the why
84% of millennials say that they don't trust advertising and will research products thoroughly before buying, so forget the hard sell. Focus instead on creating content that highlights why you do what you do, and where you fit in your customers' lives- for example through buyer videos.

Marketing to millennials is all about developing the right message and delivering it how your audience wants to consume it. Done right, and you stand to gain the loyalty of a generation that is expected to have the highest spending power in the coming years.

Related: How To Sell To Millennials

Carla Saliba

Founder and CEO, infographic.ly

Carla Saliba is the founder of Infographic.ly, a data-design and visualization agency based in Dubai, supporting companies communicate data to its stakeholders clearly and effectively. 

Since launching Infographic.ly in 2013, Carla’s unique ability to make sense of complex information has piqued the interest of global brands. Her list of clients includes MasterCard, TED, Reebok, and Mercedes-Benz, among others. Carla’s work has also been featured in international publications, such as Wired Magazine, and Entrepreneur, in which she regularly contributes on the subjects of business, design, start-up culture and leadership. Although a trained architect for over nine years, and a 17 year career in design-related disciplines, it was upon completing her Master in Business Design at Domus Academy in Milan that she discovered her passion for infographics and entrepreneurial ambition to launch her own agency.

Carla’s expertise has afforded her invitations to speak at international conferences, as well as train government and educational institutions across the GCC to build design capabilities in-house. Her work with translating information through design has gained the attention of Apple for which she delivered an inspiring and educating sessions for business professionals to delve into creativity as part of the ‘Today at Apple’ series. Carla also devotes her time to local initiatives she is passionate about. She sits on the board of Omneyat, and is a Responsible Leader Alumni for the BMW Foundation.

 

 

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