When it comes to sharing on social media, millennials fall into a category of their own. A large reason why this specific age group has flocked to social media is because these platforms are tools for self-expression. Gen-Y connects on a different basis, they use these tools as extensions of their own personality. This demographic wants to feel appreciated and unique.
Who are millennials?
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Echo Boomers, are individuals born between 1980 and 2000. The Millennial Generation is the next dominant generation since the Baby Boomers.
How can your brand be more relevant with this age group?
The Coca-Cola Happiness Truck travels to different cities, meeting and interacting with millennials across the country. A great way our team reaches these millennials on the trucks is by bringing our presence to social media. Considered "digital natives," social media is a natural home and outlet for them and Instagram allows brands to reach this group via imagery. Remember that gen-Y is a very visually oriented group and they see text as support of images.
"The second most common reason Millennials share on social networks is to show others what matters to them-the things going on in their lives. Two in five Millennials list it as one of the top three reasons they share on social networks, compared to one in four Baby Boomers or Gen Xers. While it's easy to quickly slap a 'narcissistic' label on that eagerness to share what matters to them, strategic marketers will consider what this fact implies."
When posting on the @HappinessTruckInstagram account, I was able to make key observations about what engages millennials and attracts them to your content.
- Be genuine when uploading content and creating captions.
- Make it fun, millennials will turn away if they feel that they are interacting with robots or spam.
- Utilize hashtags to reach and target new consumers. It is a great way to find users that are already posting about your product and having conversations regarding your brand.
- Link all the accounts that are related to your brand. Just because a user is on one social media platform does not guarantee that they will be on another. By distributing your content through all your channels you are spreading the message further in distance.
- Do not forget about your followers, no one wants to feel forgotten-- this should be a two-way relationship.
- Finally, make it about them. This is their brand as well and they want to feel that connection.
Millennials like to share what they are involved with and enjoy showing off. Give them content that they can feel like belongs to them. Instagram is a great way to add to your brand and build a following with Gen-Y.