How many times have you heard “know your audience”? This phrase may be one of the most redundant marketing tips you will ever hear, but it’s often repeated because it is always relevant. You must constantly redefine your audience, as it’s important to recognize that your audience is ever changing. Who you were targeting 10 years ago is not the same audience you are targeting today. Yes, your company is still targeting B2B buyers, but today your audience is composed of a large majority of millennials, who are playing a bigger and more prominent role in B2B buying decisions than ever before. As a matter of fact, 73 percent of millennials are involved in B2B buying decisions for their companies.
So who are millennials and how can you target them? As a millennial myself, I thought I would share some helpful ways you can capture the attention of this prominent audience.
Is your company going green and taking steps to save energy? Does your company volunteer in the community? Leverage these social causes when speaking to millennial buyers, and make sure these can be easily found on your website. As Forbes points out, millennials care about the ethics of the company they work for and the companies they do business with and will be sure to research the ways your company gives back.
According to an infographic from MarketingProfs, millennials rate video content as their most preferred channel to research B2B products and services. Like it or not, videos are here to stay — and will continue to grow in popularity as the trend for younger generations to read less in depth continues. If that isn’t compelling enough, 59 percent of senior executives would rather watch a video than read content when both are available. While I’m no senior executive, I can definitely agree here — video is much more engaging and preferable than text alone!
At some point in every millennial’s life, they have been nagged about constantly being on their phone (speaking from experience). While some may see this as a nuisance, I encourage you to see it as an opportunity. Appeal to the millennial generation by ensuring your website is fully responsive. Additionally, ensuring that your website is responsive is a best practice and will keep your company front of mind, as mobile usage is evident with buyers of all age groups. In a study conducted by Google and Millward Brown Digital, 42 percent of researchers use a mobile device during the B2B purchasing process.
Looking for other ways to target millennials? Consider social media live streaming and check out these 8 reasons you should expect to see even more social media live streaming in 2018.
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