It’s 2016 – It’s Time to Give Your Content Marketing Strategy a Millennial Makeover

If the last time you gave your content marketing strategy a makeover was when Mitt Romney was running for president of the United States (either in 2008 or 2012) then you’ve definitely been neglecting your marketing schemes. Since it’s 2016, it’s about time you finally give your content marketing initiatives a makeover, and embrace all of the latest digital trends for the millennials’ sake.

What worked a few years ago doesn’t necessarily work today. What was hip yesterday seems passe today. It’s all about being on the cusp of what’s new, what’s successful and what the people want. Remember, millennials are a very different consumer than Generation X or Baby Boomers so your digital marketing endeavor has to adapt to the needs and wants of those under 34.

Studies over the last year or two have provided some insight into what shoppers want when they peruse some sort of content marketing material. This data have proven to be very important.

Late last year, for instance, an Adobe study discovered that consumers don’t want digital content that’s too long or images that don’t load. Moreover, a study conducted by NewsCred found that nearly half of millennial consumers are open corporate communications, they feel loyal to the brand when they read their content and they believe they’re connected whenever they check up on them online. Reports also say that millennial customers value socially conscious marketing.

It’s as simple as this: consumers’ attitudes and tastes regularly change, and brands and marketers need to keep up with these changes in order to ensure their content remains relevant.

Jeff Bullas, owner of JeffBullas.com, likes to aver that content marketing was made for millennials. And why not? It’s digital, timely and convenient, things millennials adore.

“Truthfully, though shades of content marketing have been around for quite some time, the reasons for which content marketing now trounces traditional marketing are heavily linked to the millennial movement and mindset,” he wrote.

He also cited three reasons to defend his viewpoint:

1. Interruption has been placed with listening.
2. Distracted minds find comfort in visual media.
3. Personal customization is of the utmost importance.

If these reasons don’t encourage you to start transforming your content marketing into a millennial rich experience then perhaps this statistic will give you an adrenaline rush: millennials will total more than $1.4 trillion in spending power in the United States alone by the year 2020.

That’s a lot of money. Don’t you want a share of that immense pie?

Perhaps Nick Blunden, global managing director of The Economist, said it best in an interview with AdWeek: “They curate, they consume and they create. And that’s what makes them influencers.”

So, how do you give your content marketing strategy a millennial makeover? Here are six ways to do it:

• Show the Love for User-Generated Content
• Content Marketing Can Beat Ad-Block
• Embrace Socially Conscious Marketing
• Lighten Up, Be Yourself & Refresh Your Look
• Content: Visual, Interactive & Multi-Device
• Don’t Forget Email Marketing

Show the Love for User-Generated Content

It’s a well-known fact that consumers will trust your brand a lot more when you showcase user-generated content (UGC). Everything from photo testimonials to positive tweets, UGC can prove to be a valuable asset to have for your brand. Companies are realizing this to as a Content Marketing Institute (CMI) 2015 industry study found that 78 percent of B2C firms planned to use user-generated content for their overall marketing campaigns in 2016.

Indeed, UGC isn’t something entirely new, but it is gradually snowballing into the most powerful digital tool at a marketer’s disposal. It will certainly enhance your brand’s reputation online.

How do you incorporate UGC into your content marketing initiative? Take a look at these examples:

• Burberry launched a website in 2009 where customers could upload photos of themselves wearing the company’s clothing. The result? Ecommerce sales jumped 50 percent.
• Starbucks asked customers in 2014 to doodle on their cups and snap photos of these cups and submit those images for a chance to win the template for a new limited edition Starbucks cup. About 4,000 entries were submitted in just three weeks.
• Coca-Cola recently started the “Share a Coke” campaign, which features customers’ names on the bottles. The company then asked purchasers to take a picture of those bottles and share it on social media. It led to a two percent increase in U.S. sales.

Just take a gander at this data point: 70 percent of consumers place peer recommendations and reviews above professionally written content. This is known as social proof.

Content Marketing Can Beat Ad-Block

Ad-blocking software is all the rage, and is increasing its numbers as the years go by. Instead of being plastered with display ads, video ads, banner ads and other invasive forms of advertising, consumers simply bypass it and browse the Internet with an ad-free experience. Publishers hate it and so do brands. This is where content marketing comes in.

Since content marketing comes in all shapes, sizes and forms – articles, blog posts, infographics, white papers and videos – consumers can still be marketed to without the intrusive nature of conventional web ads. Sponsored and native content are gradually becoming the successful alternatives for brands and marketers.

Users can’t block the content, the brand is still being advertised and publishers are making money. Is it working? Yep. Native content has done much better than traditional digital ads. You may be wondering why. Well, the brand is offering valuable information, the customer is being engaged with and the consumer will likely become loyal to that brand.

Despite HBO’s John Oliver making a mockery of the marketing trend, world-renowned brands are realizing how lucrative sponsored content can be, which is why many, including Starbucks and Red Bull, have opened their own in-house content teams.

Content marketing, in all of its glory, may very well be the answer to websites, marketers and brands’ problems.

Embrace Socially Conscious Marketing

Believe it or not, millennials aren’t as selfish, egotistical and self-absorbed as all of the articles on Generation Y have you believe. Social issues are important to millennials, and the proof is in the pudding (is that something millennials say?).

Millennials want to spend their money with companies that are conscious of their actions – employee compensation, political views of executives and environmental track record. This can be highlighted in your content marketing, and this can invigorate attention and spur interest that can prompt millennials to start sharing with and connecting to your brand.

Are you helping the local community? Let everyone know. Are you a paperless brand? Let everyone know. Are you primarily using recyclable materials? Let everyone know.

Lighten Up, Be Yourself & Refresh Your Look

Why so serious? That’s what your website visitors and previous customers are asking.

Start to show off your personality by lighting up and spreading smiles on social media or your blog. Try to inject a bit of pop culture references and mingle with online trends like memes, Vines and GIFs. Your customers will appreciate the effort. Don’t be so serious.

Of course, at the same time, you have to refresh your look. If you’re going to be a bit more comical then it has to show in the look and feel of your website. Let’s face it: you can’t be light-hearted with the same stoic and sterile design of your website. If it feels outdated then it probably is. It’s time for a redesign with fresh graphics, new banner images and regular blog posts.

Content: Visual, Interactive & Multi-Device

We hate to say it: but we all have the attention span smaller than a goldfish. We process visuals faster than we do text. And our desires of visuals satisfies our serotonin and dopamine levels (OK, that’s a bit too technical right now).

Simply put: visual is crucial to your content marketing campaign.

Your audience is a lot more likely to view and share content that visual than text-only.

In addition, what better way to complement your visual content than with interactive content? Quizzes, polls, surveys and interactive infographics are all examples of interactive content that your millennial customers will enjoy.

Moreover, this visual and interactive content has to be viewed on multiple devices. On any given day, a millennial may peruse your content on their smartphone, and then the next day they may view it on a desktop, and then another day it could be on a tablet. In other words, your content should be optimized for multiple devices. When you do, it suggests your understand the behaviors of millennials, which is essential to ensure your brand is hip and cool.

Don’t Forget Email Marketing

We’ll be brief: email marketing isn’t dead. In fact, email marketing can go hand in hand with content marketing. Indeed, content marketing is something that has been developed in the last couple of years, but email marketing has been completely revamped in that same time period.

Here are a few email marketing strategies to incorporate into your content marketing campaign:

• Curate your content by “send[ing] them away to bring them back.”
• Put your content before your design; detailed content, substance over style.
• Use plenty of data to fuel your content.
• Think about using an editorial calendar; be expected in recipients’ inboxes.
• Utilize content in all of your emails.
• Don’t forget to use tools to analyze & optimize your email marketing campaigns.

Email marketing may seem like something out of the 1990s, but it’s already done very well in the 21^st century!

Here are a few final tips:

• Only show off your best material, and on a consistent basis.
• Do not ignore the diversity of millennials (they may be in college or they may be married with children).
• Offer to guest blog and offer to host guest posts.
• Ensure your content reflect’s your brand’s voice and personality.
• Always look at improving your writing skills (or just hire a professional).

Final Thoughts

There is something that digital marketers understand about members of the Generation Y and Generation Z cohort: fear of missing out, or FOMO. This is the primary reason why millennials constantly check their phones, browse social media and update their Facebook status. They fear that they will miss out on important news, big events and updates from their social network.

You can use this to your advantage. FOMO can be a play a huge part in your content marketing efforts by ensuring millennials are actually frightened if they miss your content or call-to-action (CTA). This is why your content marketing needs another look every now and then.

Content marketing is constantly changing. Consumers’ attitudes are always changing. Digital marketing technologies are regularly changing. Your brand must adapt to the marketplace or you could be missing out on something spectacular for your business’s bottom line.