Within the next five years, Millennials will make up roughly half of the work force. What is this means for businesses is that our current means of marketing, selling and online businesses are going to collide drastically with how Millennials respond and convert as online consumers.
Millennials, those currently aged between 14 and 35, have distinctively different standards and guidelines for marketing than the generations before them. For this reason alone, companies must begin to transition their websites out of the old habits and into the new, Millennial-friendly tactics sooner than later.
So what can you do to help drive your online business into the future by pleasing the Millennials? We offer some of our favorite tips and tricks below!
1. Optimize Your Mobile-Friendly Website
Last year, roughly 83% of Millennials had a cellular telephone. This statistic is only expected to rise over the coming years. And Millennials are using their phones for more than just making phone calls. Smart phones have become the mecca for social interaction and gathering information for Millennials. They are also used as a common tool for purchasing goods and services.
As a business owner, it is essential that your website be mobile friendly so that Millennials can easily access you. If your site is not compatible with smart phones, you risk the business of the Millennial population, who will easily become disgruntled and simply find the next website that is mobile-friendly.
If you’re still wavering about the importance of having a mobile-friendly site, I encourage you to check out Top 7 Advantages of a Mobile Friendly Site blog post for more information on why every site should be mobile-friendly.
2. Simpler is Better
Because most Millennials will be accessing your website from their phones, it’s important that you create and design content that is targeted towards mobile phone use. In particular, keep in mind the size of the screen people will be looking at. It’s small, right? And so, as a result, there isn’t a ton of space to put all of your content front and center. Instead, prioritize your information, putting pressing information on the homepage and letting secondary information be accessed from other webpages on your site.
The danger of over-sharing on a mobile site is obvious: your browsers will experience an information overload, and rather than buy from you, they will become disinterested in you. Additionally, the separation of information from webpage to webpage will help guide browsers easily through your site.
3. Make Your Content Easy to Scan
Millennials also have a different way of browsing webpages than previous generations. Millennials read through web pages intentionally. Chances are, if they are on a webpage, it is because they are seeking information. They don’t care about all of the fluff and stuff.
Because they are information-seeking, they tend to scan webpages. Scanning web pages allows them to determine quickly whether or not the information on the page directly relates to their problem. If through scanning, Millennials do locate their answer they will slow their pace and read the content. But, if they cannot find their answer through scanning, they will reroute their search on a new website.
Knowing the Millennials style of reading should affect the way that you write your web copy. There are certain methods you can employ to make your copy more scannable. When writing, try:
- Using bold headlines that define each paragraph
- Using bullet points in your paragraphs
- Writing shorter paragraphs, and
- Writing your first paragraph sentence in bold type
By doing these simple things, you will have more scannable and reader-friendly content, converting more browser into buyers.
4. Focus on the User-Experience
Among other things, Millennials appreciate the experience that comes from browsing a website. They like to feel like each website is original and meaningful to them. They also want to feel entertained by the website.
It’s important to remember that the main difference between Millennials and other generations is that Millennials don’t have any technology-free memories. They grow up in the boom of the internet. To them, the internet is as standard as microwaves to warm your food. They don’t know any different, and because of that, they have high expectations for the positive impact that the internet can have on their life.
Buying goods and services online, in turn, is something that is both natural and anticipated by them. They’re able to maneuver websites so easily that they believe these websites should have the ability to transform their buying experience from mundane to exceptional.
When you are optimizing your website, be sure that you take design and experience seriously. It matters to the Millennials, and so it should matter to you.