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The Do’s and Don’ts of Branding to Millennials

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branding to millennials

Branding is a fragment of business wherein companies endorse their products or services to their target market through different marketing efforts. Branding poses many challenges among companies but perhaps the toughest of these today is branding to millennials.

Millennials are people born between the years 1982 and 2002. Today, this generation embodies 24% of the American population. Millennials are born and raised in an era plagued by economic disorder and consumerism. It’s a tough time to earn a living and sustain one’s preferred lifestyle, as many career men and women of this generation are starting to realize.

Being thrown into these challenging times has made millennials into a special group of people. According to a Nielsen report, these men and women are savvy shoppers of necessity. This means that although they enjoy shopping, the millennial generation only take their business to brands they trust.

This is evidenced by their research skill prior to shopping. The same report by Nielsen indicated that 42% of millennials comb through at least four different sources before making a purchase. A third of this group of people only go shopping on sales or when they’re in a possession of coupons or promotional codes. The study further states that 40% of the group save money by buying second-hand items.

All these findings suggest that millennials are a tough crowd to market to and yet, this group has challenged and captivated marketers and business owners alike.

Because they comprise a significant portion of the population, earning the patronage and trust of these men and women is worth it. In fact, this is what business owners who want to leave a lasting impression in their industry should aim to do.

It may be challenging to please a fussy and calculating crowd, but it can be done. You can simplify this by learning the do’s and don’ts of branding to millennials.

The DO’s:
  • Invest on mobile. Whether it is through improving the mobile experience of consumers or bringing more aspects of your business into the mobile platform, your company’s mobile site and functionality should be at its finest.
  • Optimize your social media presence. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest are more than just social channels for millennials. These networks are also search engines for them and whatever information they can dig up is a contributing factor in their purchase decision. Make sure your search results will lean in your favor.
  • Bring your brand to them without smothering them with ads and promises. Let them get to know your brand through an experience they enjoy such as concerts you can sponsor or video blogging.
  • Engage in open communication. These young men and women, like any other consumer, appreciate being heard and taken care of. Responding to messages, listening to suggestions, and acknowledging commendations build a good business-consumer relationship.

“My clients post images of themselves, tagging my business, and it is the best digital format of word-of-mouth marketing possible.” – Ryan Horne

The DON’TS:
  • Some people seem to find it funny to stereotype millennials as a self-absorbed, lazy bunch. This is rather unfortunate because this generation is a large part of the workforce. In fact, a study shows that more than 80% of millennials from 27 years old and up are employed. Half of them are married or have a family of their own. The ones who have not moved out of their homes chose this living condition to save up for other priorities such as travel and other life-enriching activities. The takeaway: don’t be condescending towards millennials.
  • There are marketers and company owners who try hard to throw in phrases and expressions into their content that they think will connect them to millennials. You shouldn’t. Or at least, not without knowing the proper use of such phrases. Otherwise, you will just end up sounding phony.
  • Don’t neglect taking care of existing customers. For millennials, a recommendation from a friend or someone they know is more preferable than giant billboards or a paid TV ad. Remember that you are advertising to a group of people who almost unthinkingly reach out for their phones during commercials or click the exit button on online ads. More than just your efforts to reel in new customers, make sure to keep the current ones happy because your best shot at advertising is through word of mouth.

“Young people need to be asked what matters, not be told what matters.” – Jeff Martin

Once you get to know what makes millennials tick and what they value and aim for, branding evolves from being a business necessity to a sincere desire to reach out and help people with what you can offer. Learning these do’s and don’ts is the first step towards progress.

How is your brand appealing to the millennials? Leave your thoughts below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

Catherine Vanvonno, the author, is the President and Executive Director of 20Four7VA, a global Virtual Assistant (VA) Service Provider. She holds a doctorate degree in Applied Statistics, Research Design and Program Evaluation from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and has over 10 years experience in facilitating evidence-based strategic planning, product development, brand management, legislative communications, and medical policy. She is married and has four children. You can connect with her on Twitter.

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Success Advice

How Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success

Your life is dictated by beliefs and biases that drive your thinking, behaviors, and decisions

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Your Beliefs Can Supercharge or Sabotage Your Success (1)
Image Credit: Midjourney

Pause for a moment and ponder two pandemic-era beliefs: First, closing schools will control the spread of a serious virus. Second, the consequences of such school closures—particularly social interruption and the prevention of immunity—are worse than becoming sick with the virus. (more…)

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How to Break the Cycles of Mediocrity and Manifest Your Greatness

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity

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Image Credit: Midjourney

In just a few weeks, we will be wrapping up 2023. Can you believe it? This year has been absolutely incredible for me.

I have seen amazing doors opened, new relationships formed and I am seeing dreams realized in my life. While this seems like the hallmarks of a great year, this has also been the most challenging year of my life. With all of the change happening in my life, I have been forced out of my comfort zone and challenged to grow in every area of my life.

I can truly say that I have made the most of my moments this year and I have used everything as a catalyst for maximizing my greatest potential.

As a revolutionary leader, I have the pleasure of consulting and advising leaders around the world to fulfill purpose, realize their greatest potential and make an impact.

I want to share some insights with you that will help you to break cycles of mediocrity and manifest your greatness

Everything legal must come through the matrix

I am sure that some of you are wondering why I am using the term matrix. However, what you have to understand is that I am trying to make a highly complex spiritual principle practical to understand.

Regardless of your spiritual beliefs, every life has an origin and I believe that origin is divine and begins with eternity. You are birthed from eternity and into time to fulfill a unique purpose and assignment in your lifetime and generation.

The matrix is simply the portal or vehicle that brings something out of the invisible realm and into tangible form. The problem with much of the teaching today is that it excludes the matrix. We are told to believe that success is instantaneous and overnight.

Nobody talks about how a dream progresses through stages beginning with visualization and ultimately culminating in manifestation. Without a matrix or portal then everything that you attempt to birth and build will be illegal.

The matrix not only makes you legal but it gives you the authority and power to function as the greatest expression of who you were created to be. 

Every matrix has an incubation process

While many people admire and respect me today, I remember a time when nobody knew who I was or the significance of my message. How did I get to where I am today? I got here through an incubation process.

In other words, everything that has been destined for your life is incubating and awaiting a set time of manifestation. The problem is that most people live their entire lives idle and never initiate the incubation process.

What do I meany by that? Most people are living reckless and very few people are living intentionally. I am amazed at the number of people I have conversations with that have no vision, goals or strategies for their lives. They show great promise and they have undeniable potential.

However, without development they will die with their dreams still in them.

Everything that has been destined for your life must be incubated and converted to become realities born to time. 

“Visualize this thing that you want, see it, feel it, believe in it. Make your mental blueprint and begin to build.” – Robert Collier

You must give expression to that which is not yet born to time

When you think about a matrix or a prophetic incubation process, you have to understand that potential is often unrealized and untapped. In other words, your potential is in raw form and your potential cannot serve you as long as it is untapped.

The thing that makes me valuable is that I have the ability to convert potential into power. I have done it in my own life and I have empowered leaders around the world to do the same. How do you convert potential into power?

First, it is important to note that you have to perceive potential. If you cannot perceive your potential then you can never cultivate your potential. In addition, you must take the time to cultivate your potential. We often get excited about our capabilities; however, we never expand our capacity in order to realize our greatest potential.

In other words, the strength of your potential is only discovered through your willingness to stretch. The more we are challenged the more we are empowered to expand our capacity for greatness. Most of all, you must begin to express your potential. The expression of potential is different for every person.

For example, the expression of my potential is best demonstrated through the thoughts, ideas, products, services, books, etc.

For another person the expression of potential may look like a screenplay, artwork, sports, scientific discoveries, medical breakthroughs, etc.

Regardless of the form of expression, I know that you will live empty and unfulfilled until you make the decision to express your potential. The expression of your potential gives voice to your dreams, life to your vision, significance to your moments and activates your true power.

You must manifest your greatness

As a revolutionary thinker and leader, my work has impacted people around the world. I am grateful that my life is a source of empowerment to so many people. However, before anyone could ever benefit from my life, I had to make a non-negotiable decision to become who I was born to be.

I wish I could tell you that this journey is easy and that you will get there overnight. However, in a world that celebrates us for doing we are often criticized for being. As a result, I wasted a lot of time trying to be who other people wanted me to be instead of being who I was born to be.

There is no greatness without becoming and there is no becoming with authenticity. It is through our bravery to be vulnerable that we ultimately manifest our greatness. We do not bless the world by being a duplicate. We bless the world when we honor our difference. When you honor your difference you honor your potential.

Ultimately, your difference is how you manifest your greatness.

When you present anything but your authentic self to the world, you are playing small and you are robbing the world of your significance. Manifesting your greatness requires you to master your gifts.

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Success Advice

Here’s a Young Man’s Antidote for the Uncertainty of the Modern World

Why do a lot of young guys lack confidence in today’s world? 

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How to boost your confidence
Image Credit: Midjourney

We all have been told that confidence is a key factor in achieving success and happiness in life. But what is it exactly? (more…)

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Success Advice

Toxic Leadership: 5 Ways to Identify a Bad Leader

if you have a leader who displays any of the toxic traits, it’s time to move on to greener pastures.

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Toxic leadership
Image Credit: Midjourney

Let’s be honest, we’ve all crossed paths with a toxic leader in our careers at some point. Unfortunately, while some toxic leaders don’t even bother to hide their behaviour, some know very well how to conceal their true selves behind a strong-built facade. The latter is the most dangerous of the two. (more…)

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