Communicate Effectively With Rising Millennials

By the year 2020 global statistics show the millennials an age group dreaded by many will make up 50% of the global workforce and they will be moving into management roles too. Their total population globally is expected to have crossed 2.4 billion this year representing over 30% of the globe’s population making them an important audience for any communicator.

Unfortunately, conventional old school means of communication are not exactly their type. Things like the newspaper, the radio, face to face meetings, and lengthy telephone conversations are not exactly the best ways you will catch their attention.

In some cases not even a face to face meetings with millennials will not cut it for you especially if they are engaged partly on one of their gadgets may be a smartphone or a digital assistant of some sort, your story may not move them.

However, that doesn’t make them anti-social for they actually love to communicate with others albeit through not so regular channels.

How do you reach the millennials?

Mobile phones are a key part of communication with millennials and if you plan on reaching them, this is one of the paths to take. However it’s not the cold calls that will get to them, you have to engage them using text and text marketing for you to have a chance of getting their attention.

Build a cause around your product which the millennials can follow and feel a part of the community around it. You could add activities that keep them engaged and connected and put in your interests along the way.

Social media is another space you have to play in if your brand is to have an impact on them. Not only do millennials use social media to communicate, they use it as their key source of information and news. So engaging them on this platform will leave an impression on them. Be open and let them critique your brand or product. They will then start to feel a part of it and help promote it with time among their peers and beyond.

Millennials do have values too. Things like experiences, their connections with friends, family, etc, their purpose, and innovation are of great importance to them. Therefore as a communicator, you have to know this. Having some of their own within your company especially in management could also show how much you value them even before you say a word.

While life is generally serious on the whole, too serious doesn’t rhyme well with millennials. They love things a little fun and creative to keep them engaged. If you approach too seriously they are likely to switch off and disengage. Adding humor, fun, and enjoyment to your brand campaigns will score you a lot of mileage within this group.

Generally understanding the behavior of this group, their modes of communication, and what motivates them will make it much easier for you to reach out to them.