Blogs have seen significant increases in popularity, and can be an excellent tool for marketers looking for new ways to connect with millennial members of their audience. Millennials are more likely to do extensive research before making a purchase than previous generations. They also believe in connecting with brands to see what they believe in, how much information they provide to their customers, and how they operate before making purchasing decisions. As a result, millennials are 247% more likely to be influenced by blogs.
Marketing to millennials is becoming increasingly important across many industries as they have increased buying power for large ticket items, including homes, luxury cars, and other big-ticket purchases. Millennials currently make up 25% of the population, more than is currently held by baby boomers who were previously the largest generation in history. This generation values experiences over products, and often look for brands that support causes they believe in with a high level of customer service. By positioning yourself as an expert, you can start building trust with potential customers.
Millennials are used to having access to extensive information at their fingertips. They are more likely to look something up on a mobile device and use multiple screens simultaneously. This makes them more likely to do in-depth research before buying, including reaching out to their extended networks via social media for recommendation. In fact, 91% of millennials buy based on recommendations from friends. They make fewer impulse buys because they know that they have access to the information they need to do an adequate search before making a purchase. Instead, they'll put in the time to make sure they choose the right product.
Millennials frequently look for the fastest, most effective ways to accomplish their goals--and that includes the blogs they read. Millennials want to be able to conduct a search and have digestible content that they can consume quickly. Ideally, answers should be quick and to the point. This means focusing on things that will appear in Google's Featured Snippets, offering easily-searchable content that readers can skim quickly. Subheadings also make it easier to scroll down the page so that readers can find exactly the answer they're seeking.
While they don't want to have to read through lengthy posts, millennials still want the details that will back up the answers. You should make sure that your content is relevant and up-to-date with quick, usable statistics. One great strategy? Breaking up your content with clear headers that make it easy to skim through the content to find what they're looking for. You may also want to consider breaking up huge chunks of information into smaller posts or linking to further resources on your site for readers who need more information.
If you're ready to start marketing through blogs, start by optimizing your website with SEO best practices. Include keywords in your post, titles, headers, and image tags, which will make it more likely to show up in searches. Make your blog content easy to digest, but make sure it's a solid resource that your customers can turn to when they need information about your brand or your industry. You should also create blog titles that are straight forward and more likely to show up in search results.
Blogs are an excellent marketing tool for helping you reach a millennial audience. By adapting your marketing to reach millennials through your blogs, you can help provide them with the information they need to make a decision with your brand, a vital step as millennial buying power continues to increase.