Millennials do things differently than their parents did. They’re constantly plugged in to their phones and laptops, don’t consume goods in the same way, are on dating apps and social media, and prefer a more nomadic and impulsive way of life.
So, when it comes to marketing, millennials don’t go for traditional ways of advertising. Not only are they suspicious of the companies trying to sell them things, but they also have an array of choices before them, whether it’s in the form of Amazon or a brick and mortar small business. Millennials can take their pick.
To crack the case of how millennials perceive, consume, and buy, marketers and advertisers have figured out what millennials can’t live without: the internet and all the celebrity and sociality it has to offer.
Who’s Your Favorite?
We’ve all seen how much is advertised on social media nowadays, especially through a platform like Instagram, where some of our favorite influencers have come up.
Influencers, whether they are one of your favorite actors, models, or athletes, get paid to advertise items to their millions of followers, (The Kardashians, for example, have upwards of 100 million followers on Instagram alone) which is a widespread and quick way to get a product to as many people as possible without much hassle.
Still, there are so many people who don’t know the benefits to pay for Instagram followers for business. The real question is why are businesses doing it? Well, there are several reasons why you want leading numbers on Instagram. It doesn’t matter if you are large corporation or a small business, your social counter counts.
For some reason, millennials tend to trust the opinions of their favorite influencers before they trust big business or major advertisers. Advertisers have quickly figured this trend out and found a way to cater to them.
Micro-influencing and Making the Big Bucks
Influencers with millions of followers aren’t the only ones who’ve benefited from this drastic change in advertising, “micro-influencers,” those people who aren’t big name celebrities, but do have massive social followings, have also gotten the hang of advertising, or are using sites like HQ SEO to help them.
Micro-influencers are small-time internet celebrities that gained popularity on sites like YouTube, Vine, Instagram or other content-heavy platform. Because their job is to cater to their exclusive internet audience, advertising is a simple and logical addition to their careers.
Why the Influence?
Researchers, interested in how this advertising ploy became so popular, have found two significant reasons as to why millennials are so into influencers, and are easy to follow their recommendations.
1. Millennials thrive on entertainment
2. Millennials love their causes
Because millennials are used to constantly being entertained, (cue a lag in conversation between two millennials and the other person checking their phone in the interim) they don’t have to stray far from what they were originally entertained by to see an ad. They’re more willing to have things sold to them like so– somewhat without interruption.
Millennials, the self-prescribed “woke generation,” are as passionate as ever about making the world and society a better place for those who feel left out. More accepting and in some ways more appalled than the generation before them, millennials feel better about buying if they know they are contributing in some way to the greater good of society.
