How to easily appeal to millennials on social media in the B2B world
When writing for your company's social media page, it is essential to appeal to the age group that will view it. Fifty-three million millennials are employed at the moment. Born between 1981 and 1997, this group now makes up over 35% of employed Americans, making them the largest generation currently in the workforce.
Millennials are also the starting generation of the commodity of social media. Statistics show that Americans under age 50 use social media at significantly higher rates than older generations. 30- to 49-year-olds, many of whom fall into the millennial age range, are the demographic most likely to use LinkedIn, the pinnacle of social media for business. That also accounts for why many B2B buyers are millennials, making them a primary target audience for online sales due to their involvement and experience with social media and its professional applications.
Like every generation, millennials have a wide range of experiences and opinions. However, understanding fundamental trends in young professionals' preferences will help your business maintain an online presence in tune with current norms and attract potential clients.
Strive for authenticity.
In the business world, millennials tend to value openness and authenticity, especially in the form of personal anecdotes. Surveys show they believe workplace communication, particularly from managers, lacks transparency. Millennials are also often unresponsive to generic advertising and mass messaging. Therefore, social selling, a more personalized approach to sales that focuses on building relationships, fits millennials' preferences better. To capture a young professional audience for your company's page, share observations, anecdotes, and insights only you can offer.
Discussing your distinctive combination of interests and expertise will convey that your perspective is genuine and valuable. For example, your marketing experience might intersect with your love of comics to give your ideas for eye-catching billboards, your time working abroad has helped you understand the challenges of building global wireless infrastructure, or your background in scientific research gave you data analysis skills that you can now apply to finance. Applying this to your posts will help create that personal connection millennials are looking for, drawing them toward your business.
An authentic presence also requires showing commitment to solid business relationships. Millennial consumers often respond well to social proofs such as reviews, word-of-mouth recommendations, and user-generated content when making purchasing decisions. Sharing testimonials or anecdotes about working with clients will demonstrate that you are dedicated, reliable, and collaborative.
Highlight your company's purpose.
Millennials are more likely than previous generations to spend money on experiences, such as traveling, seeing live music, or learning new skills, rather than material items. Seventy-eight percent of millennials say they would rather pay for an enjoyable event than purchase a material good. This phenomenon translates into a focus on the buying experience, in which a company's values and social impact are fundamental.
When millennials take on the role of B2B buyers, they often look for information about the company culture of potential partners, which is another reason to include personal stories on corporate social media. Whether your company's culture is built around collaboration, tradition, or innovation, communicate your core beliefs through your online content. These beliefs and goals often illustrate your values better than a generic statement.
Be accessible on social media.
Overall, millennials are more likely than previous generations to seek dynamic social media engagement. When posting about your company, include questions and prompts for your audience to respond to in the comments section. In addition, as a digitally involved demographic, millennials tend to expect quick responses to questions and comments online. Monitoring your social media profiles and replying to interactions as quickly as possible will impress many of today's B2B buyers.
Although the engagement surrounding your content should be a high priority, you must also ensure the posts on your blog and social media accounts align with current content standards. Most millennials have little patience for dry written material, so instead of explaining every concept in depth and providing information that only some readers need, use hyperlinks to give readers the option to explore further without interrupting the flow of the post. Photos and videos can also help bring your content to life.
Do not be afraid to go in depth.
Although avoiding tangential information in your posts is essential, the idea that millennials have short attention spans and a low capacity for complexity is false. In a digital world overflowing with irrelevant content, quickly scanning a piece for helpful information is essential for efficient research. Making this process easier for your reader without sacrificing nuance and quality is possible. Millennials often know quality when they see it. They read more than any other generation, and their radar for inauthentic, insubstantial, poorly written content is highly tuned.
Remember that shorter content is not necessarily the key to getting attention. People, as well as search algorithms, most often share content that's at least 1300 words. So don't shy away from writing longer articles for your company's blog. Your readers can tell whether you put in the effort to polish a post. And trust us: Your work will make a good impression on possible buyers if the information is valuable and accurate.
Keep up with changing standards.
Millennials are not the only people who appreciate authenticity, purpose, and high-quality content. Striving to meet these standards can also help your posts appeal to older readers, not to mention younger ones. Generation Z, born between 1998 and 2012, is beginning to graduate from college, and they will soon join the corporate world and the B2B marketplace. Their impact on the working world remains to be seen. Still, they likely echo millennials' preference for honesty and social responsibility while being less idealistic than their older counterparts.
Growing up during the 2008 recession influenced many Gen Z members to focus on practical values and adopt a realistic outlook. They are also immersed in the digital landscape, having used the internet from an early age. A bit of ironic humor, an understanding of communication technology, and a focus on how your company can genuinely give back to your community may attract the interest of workers younger than millennials.
Remember to seek individual connections.
Of course, no generation is homogenous, and social selling goes beyond demographic analysis. As always, the core of any social selling program is composed of the individual relationships you form with other members of your industry and conversations about their unique views and experiences.
Judging from your own experience or others', what approaches to sales and business tend to resonate with young professionals? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash; Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash; and Helena Lopes on Unsplash.