This content is provided by Connally Plumbing, a plumbing company serving New Braunfels, San Marcos, and surrounding areas, and a member of the New Braunfels Chamber since 2016.
Do you roll your eyes when you hear the word millennial? Millennials have received a lot of flack for some of their generalized qualities, but local businesses cannot afford to brush them aside. Why? Because millennials aren’t children anymore (at least most of them aren’t), and they need services just like any other generation, whether that be plumbing, air conditioning, financial advising, or even grocery shopping. They are your customers of today.
Yes, the millennial generation is quite different than those preceding it. Calling them tech-savvy is an understatement. They are tech-ingrained. They may or may not be more likely to search your website than call you for the information they need. They may also be prone to choosing or ignoring your company based on your website.
Before you get overwhelmed, take a deep breath. Marketing toward millennials doesn’t have to be as hard as it seems. Start by following these 5 tips, and you’ll be well on your way to bringing the millennial generation to your business.
- Be Concise
Millennials are skimmers, which means your website content needs to be concise. This doesn’t always mean using as few words as possible; after all, your potential clients need certain information. Just don’t waste their time with information they don’t really need.
Anticipate the questions they will ask, and answer those questions well. Become friends with bullet points.
- Be Witty
Who doesn’t love a little humor? If there’s a signature joke or corny pun that fits with your industry, don’t be afraid to use it! Bonus points if you can fit it in and still be concise. A subtle pun goes further than a joke forced into every sentence or webpage.
- Be Attractive
Don’t worry, we’re not talking about your looks here, just your website’s. The millennial generation is full of graphic designers, web designers, and digital artists. And even the ones who don’t fill those titles gravitate towards visually-appealing graphics. They will choose their dentist based on who has the most user-friendly and attractive website.
Evaluate your website. Even better, have a millennial evaluate it. Let them tell you what they like and dislike, what is intuitive or confusing. And then hire one to give your website a face-lift. The investment will be beyond valuable for your company.
- Be Consistent
Develop a brand that is consistent over time and across your various platforms (website, Facebook, physical location, etc). Consistency builds trust, and millennials value trust. They want the same experience whether they are chatting with you online or talking to you in person.
Make sure your webpages are alike in style and function. Furthermore, be sure that your website looks the same regardless of the device your customer is using—from desktop to mobile phone to iPad.
- Be Real
Millennials esteem authenticity. While this doesn’t mean that you need to share your life story or personal struggles, it does mean that your brand should portray that your company is made up of real people (after all, it is!).
If you use social media, work to create a friendly and inviting voice for your followers. If you don’t use social media, be sure that the content on your website doesn’t sound robotic.
That’s all, folks!
Your company can’t afford to not market toward millennials, as a majority of them are now decision-making adults who need the services you provide. But you also can’t afford to do things the way you always have. Take the time to tailor your marketing to future clients, and start by following these 5 tips.
You can do it!