• by Sharalyn Hartwell , January 4, 2013

Life (and work) is nearly back to normal after the slow-down of the holiday season … which means it’s time to start putting your 2013 marketing plans into action! Chances are something like “connect with Millennials” or “attract more Gen Y customers” are prominent parts of your 2013 to-do list. Like achievement of any other goal, breaking down Millennial-related goals into smaller tasks makes them much easier to accomplish. 

Here are four essential tasks to market to Millennials more effectively in 2013:

1. Recognize the impact Millennials have on your business. If you haven’t evaluated it in detail already, you should. There are 87 million Millennials, the vast majority of whom are over the age of 18 (the youngest Millennial turns 17 this year) and fully in charge of their purchase decisions. They’re also rapidly moving into life stages that inherently boost the number of purchases they make and enter them into new purchases categories—they’re starting their first jobs, they’re getting married, they’re starting families. If nothing else, their sheer size equates to opportunity for your company. 
   
   
2. Learn how Millennials are different. Really, the first part of this step is acknowledging that even as Millennials age they aren’t just becoming clones of their Baby Boomer parents (much to the chagrin of most marketers and television networks). Your own experiences with your children or co-workers, as well as reading publications like this, have likely convinced you Gen Y is different, but smart marketers will take their understanding of Millennials one step further. They will learn how Millennials are different within the context of their own business category. 
   
   
3. Conscientiously brand to appeal to Millennials. Once you understand Millennial distinctions relative to your category, you can determine how to leverage your brand to appeal to Millennials. This is where supporting a cause beyond your bottom line and being authentic above all else become crucial. Evaluate your current marketing message. Based upon what you learned in step two, does it have innate Millennial appeal? Could an element of smart humor or another tactic boost your appeal to Millennials?
   
   
4. Boldly implement your Millennial strategies. After you recognize the importance of Millennials to your brand, learn their distinctions relative to your brand and determine how you can connect with them, the only left is to actually do it. Be bold about it and go “all in” with your efforts. When you’ve done your homework, there is bound to be payoff.

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