Marketing for millennials is aimed at an exciting target group: the first generation of so-called digital natives. They are well versed in the Internet, social media, and e-commerce – and their expectations of the digital shopping experience are correspondingly high. Discover important success factors so that you can consciously address Generation Y with your marketing.
Who Are The Millennials?
Why the Millennials, of all people? Millennials are a crucial target group for the beauty and lifestyle sector in particular. This is partly due to their broad spectrum of interests and mentality, but above all, because this generation represents the driving economic force of the future. Of course, the earlier and later generations also romp around on the Internet.
Members of the generation between 1980 and 1996 (i.e., just before the millennium) are considered tech-savvy and well-connected. Exactly when the age begins and when it ends is scientifically disputed. However, the 80s and late 90s are definitely in the correct range.
Millennials have both feet firmly planted in their professional lives and interact confidently with digital media – both professionally and privately.
In addition, the younger generation is said to pay more attention to work-life balance than the previous baby boomers. The relationship between professional and private life must be harmonious. Self-fulfillment is more critical than a management position.
Millennials, also known as Generation Y, are not only the largest population group. They can afford to spend money on luxury goods, wellness treatments, and cosmetic products thanks to their high purchasing power.
As digital natives, they have grown up in the digital age, so beauty companies have vast opportunities to attract customers. Seize this opportunity and attract the attention of Millennials through targeted online marketing.
Marketing For Millennials: Mobile First
Be aware that Millennials have entirely different media behavior than previous generations. According to a global study by the market research institute TNS, the “digital generation” spends around 3 hours online daily. They mainly surf via mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.
Social networks are playing an ever more significant role and are increasingly replacing traditional print media, television, and radio. The Internet is, therefore, at the center of media use. For you as a beauty expert, this means that your marketing will only catch up with millennials if you fully exploit the possibilities of the digital world.
E-commerce is ahead of brick-and-mortar retail and is valued by digital natives for its permanent availability outside regular opening hours. A mobile-optimized website with an online store or a connection to online shopping portals will significantly increase your visibility among millennials.
How To Address Customers Effectively
The best way to reach the young target group with your brand communication is to speak their language. And approach advertising differently. Generation Y is critical and expects a personalized approach and optimized customer service instead of hard selling.
What factors are crucial for the marketing of your beauty company to convince millennials?
Authenticity
Generation Y is familiar with most advertising strategies and is correspondingly skeptical. If they doubt the credibility of a beauty brand, they are likely to favor other beauty brands in the future.
Produce authentic content and rely on subtle, verifiable advertising promises. Show that you perceive your customers as individuals, not merely as blind buying power.
Interaction
The more interactive your marketing, the better it will resonate with Millennials. Generation Y cares about its input.
Create opportunities for interaction and involve Millennials in your marketing campaigns. The advantage: You get free user-generated content (UGC) that you can reuse.
Creativity
Millennials are seen as keen to experiment and like to try out new beauty products. There needs to be more than just the brand name to win customer loyalty.
If cosmetics start-ups rely on creative marketing strategies, they have a good chance of prevailing even against established beauty brands. Human stories and emotions work best: Invest in content marketing with solid storytelling.
Sustainability
Millennials are concerned with environmental protection, sustainable packaging, and natural cosmetics. Generation Y no longer tolerates animal testing.
That’s why it’s even more important to communicate your values as a beauty brand to the outside world. When it comes to ingredients, absolute transparency is also the order of the day to convince millennials of the value of your product.
We Are Implementing Marketing For Millennials: 3 Success Factors
#1 Online Marketing Strategy
Before deciding on an offer, young consumers research extensively online. They have perfected the search for reviews, rankings, and product information. Thanks to heavy smartphone use, a purchase decision is made – or rejected – in a flash.
Only with an effective online marketing strategy will you succeed in retaining Millennials in the long term. Your website, especially the individual product pages, must make it as easy as possible for digital natives to filter relevant information.
Customer feedback is welcome among this target group, inspires trust, and is perceived as authentic. Be sure to incorporate the voices of convinced buyers into your online presence.
Still, it’s not all about online. Millennials also want to see, touch, and try products before buying. If you seamlessly integrate the different sales channels into a single shopping experience, you will have a good chance with Generation Y.
#2. Social Media
Social media is part of everyday life for Millennials. It’s where they connect with family, friends, beauty brands, and influencers. So it’s no surprise that mobile devices are so high on the digital generation’s list of priorities.
You need a presence on social media platforms for your beauty business to exist for Millennials. Let alone for the following Generation Z, which doesn’t even know life without the Internet anymore.
Social media also plays a significant role in the buying process. Twenty-eight percent have already purchased a product or service directly via Facebook or Instagram. Thirty-six percent have already asked a question about a product on social media.
It would help to consider this trend for your social media marketing to target Millennials. Cultivate your online community and answer questions about your offer as promptly as possible.
Product design plays a vital role in this context. If a day cream looks nice and is “instagrammable,” it will be shared more often. So anything that contributes to a chic feed has the potential of an extensive reach. As a cosmetics brand, invest in a high-quality packaging design with a recognition value.
#3. Influencer Marketing
Marketing to Millennials, above all, means influencer marketing. Half of all Millennials rely on the recommendations of other consumers when buying products. Therefore, a sophisticated influencer marketing strategy can prove very useful for your beauty company.
So-called “micro-influencers” are particularly interesting. These are influencers with a relatively small number of followers with a disproportionately high engagement rate.
They often have a loyal following that identifies more strongly with the account topic. Micro-influencers credibility is also rated much higher – ideal conditions to help your online marketing for millennials get off to a flying start.
Curious? Discover more exciting content tips for your beauty business. We share our marketing knowledge with you on the thecontently blog.
