How to Engage Millennials on Social Media

The millennial generation, defined as people born between 1982 and 2002, now makes up 25% of the U.S. population. This generation is larger than the Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1955) and three times larger than Generation X (born between 1961 and 1981). They spend approximately $1.3 billion a year on goods and services and this number continues to grow each year. Here are a few more interesting statistics that are important for small businesses to keep in mind.

• More than 85% of millennials own smartphones. On average, they touch their smartphones 45 times a day.
• 87% of adults in the United States between ages 18 and 29 use Facebook. 53% are Instagram users, 37% use Twitter, and 34% are on Pinterest.
• 5 out of 6 millennials in the United States connect with brands on social media.

Evolve Impact Group is located in a college town with over 66,000 college students. For the companies we work with locally, engaging with millennials is important because they make up a large percentage of the local population. But these statistics show that using social media to interact with millennials is important for all businesses, regardless of their physical location.

Here are a few ways to make an impact with the millennial generation on social media.

1. Focus on visual content. Add photos, GIFs, infographics, and videos to your social media posts.
   With the large amount of visual content posted on social media each day, text-only posts rarely stand out as people scroll through their news feeds. According to one study, social media posts that include graphics receive 94% more views than those without. Another study found that when targeting millennials, visual content is 60,000 times more effective than text. In addition, people retain information better when in it presented with visual content and they are more likely to engage with posts that contain graphics.  Instagram, which is made up of almost exclusively visual content, has 700 million monthly active users, 90% of which are younger than 35, and 91% of their posts are photos.
    
2. Keep your posts short.  Millennials usually have accounts on multiple social media networks and therefore don’t take the time to read long posts or watch long videos. Your posts should be short enough that they can be quickly read as a person scrolls through their feed. After you’ve caught their attention, you can encourage them to read more by clicking on a link that you include in your post.
    
3. Encourage user-generated content. User-generated content, where you encourage active participation from your fans and followers, can greatly impact your social media pages. It promotes far more engagement from your followers and can be especially helpful in reaching millennials. One study found that millennials trust user-generated content 50% more than other types of social media content and find it to be 35% more memorable. Try running a contest asking people to share an image or an idea as part of the entry. Share positive reviews that you have received on your website or social media page. 
    
4. Be transparent. Lauren Friedman, a Forbes magazine contributor, puts it this way, “The fact is, people trust people. And people buy from people, not brands.” Humanizing your brand is important, particularly among millennials.  This age group is inherently skeptical and is more likely to question the validity of content. If a brand seems to be overly promotional or dishonest, the company will have a difficult time reaching them. Transparency and honesty shows vulnerability, which builds trust.

Do you need help making an impact with social media? A social media strategy that isn’t well thought through or badly managed can hurt your brand.  Evolve Impact Group offers personalized social media management solutions for your business to ensure improved market presence and sustainable, long-term impact in the marketplace. Contact us today to learn more!

Sources: https://www.socialreport.com/insights/article/115003169466-5-Ways-To-Engage-Millennials-On-Social-Media, http://www.leadscon.com/18-statistics-that-marketers-need-to-know-about-millennials/, http://www.evolveig.com/News/ArticleID/70/Why-Do-You-Need-a-Social-Media-Manager, http://arnoldstreet.com/visuals-target-millennials-content/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurenfriedman/2016/01/26/5-ways-successful-brands-win-with-millennials-on-social-media/2/#2b1544546d7b