LINDA COSTA COMMUNICATIONS GROUP

Mastering Millennials’ Attention
10.22.13

If your company is trying to better engage with the millennial population (ages 20-35), take some tips from the 2013 Millennial Impact Report to get in their heads … well, our heads. Understanding what makes us tick versus what makes us glaze over is critical.

Here are a couple of takeaways from the report (in 140 characters or less, of course):

• Millennials prefer to share information about the cause, not the organization itself.

• Think mobile first. Smartphones enable connectivity, so make your interaction mobile-friendly.
• We use websites to learn and social media to stay connected. Even then, millennials only truly connect with 1-5 organizations.
• We like micro-volunteering – signing a petition. When we share it with our network (our version of advocacy), you’ll know it’s resonating.
• Highlight peer involvement (e.g., “Join 20 other people like you for Beach Clean-Up Day.”)
• Facilitate networking to maximize inherent social connectedness in volunteer programs.
• Tell us up front what our time will achieve. Share positive, direct results. This says you value and respect our time.

As a millennial myself, some of these apply; some don’t. There isn’t a magical formula to capturing our attention (as limited as that might be).  What other millennial marketing principles do you live by?

Ashley is a middle-of-the-road millennial who shares her favorite causes via Facebook, word of mouth, and a good ‘ole fashioned poster on her office door.