marketing to millennials: strategies & tactics - outdoor retailer 2014
DESCRIPTION
Slides for the presentation at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2014 on the topic of Millennial Marketing. Session Description: Millennials buy “the experience”. They don’t purchase hiking boots; they buy the idea of protecting their feet on the trail, while staying dry, avoiding blisters and looking “cool". The outdoor lifestyle is about the feeling of the experience, but our marketing strategies don’t show it. This session will identify acquisition strategies focusing on content to attract and engage millennials.TRANSCRIPT
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@apiwarun
S E L L I N G T H E
Marketing to Millennials with Engaging Content
EXPERIE NC E
ANTHONY PIWARUN @apiwarun
Manager, Search Engine Marketing Zeon Solutions
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@apiwarun
AGENDA
ü I n t r o d u c t i o n
ü C o n t e x t , C o n t e x t , C o n t e x t !
ü Ta k i n g T h e F i r s t S t e p
ü S h o w & Te l l
ü L e t ’ s C R U S H I T
ü Q & A
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@apiwarun
HELLO! ü Practice Lead, Search & Content
@ Zeon Solutions
ü 7+ years marketing experience
ü Contributing Editor / Author for Search Engine Journal and MarketingProfs
ü SMX East, SMX West & LavaCon Speaker
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@apiwarun
QUICK SURVEY!
A Little Participation Never Hurt
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@apiwarun
QUICK SURVEY! (CONT.)
ü Who’s responsible for marketing?
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@apiwarun
QUICK SURVEY! (CONT.)
ü Who’s responsible for marketing?
ü How many of you in this room are between the ages of 18 – 34?
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@apiwarun
QUICK SURVEY! (CONT.)
ü Who’s responsible for marketing?
ü How many of you in this room are between the ages of 18 – 34?
ü Are you satisfied with marketing efforts targeting those like us?
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@apiwarun
INTRODUCTION
So… Why Are We Here?
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@apiwarun
SO… WHY ARE WE HERE?
ü Retailers in the outdoor industry are facing a shift in those they need to attract and engage
ü The boomers are retired and Generation X is aging
ü Further… next generation employees are slated to make up 50% of the US workforce by 2020!
ü What’s next for outdoor retail? Who’s our target market?
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@apiwarun MILLENNIALS!
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@apiwarun
HOLD UP…
A Milleni-what???
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@apiwarun
MILLENNIALS DEFINED
ü Born in the 80’s, 90’s and even the early 2000’s
ü 18-34 years old (definitions vary)
ü Values, loyalties and beliefs differ significantly compared to Gen X and the Boomers
ü Largest living generation today & will comprise $1.4 trillion in spending power in the US by 2020
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@apiwarun
MILLENNIAL TRAITS
ü Sense of entitlement
ü Always connected
ü Creative & self-expressionism
ü Want “a voice”
ü Strong participation in community
ü Selfies
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@apiwarun
WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A BRAND
ü Transparency
ü Ethics
ü Story
ü Personality & individualism
ü Willingness to educate
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@apiwarun
CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT!
Why We Need To Tailor Messaging to Millennials
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@apiwarun
SDL, 2013
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@apiwarun
WHY CONSUMERS INTERACT VIA SOCIAL
ü Discounts (obv.) ü Purchases ü Reviews & Ratings ü Feeling connected ü Being a part of
community ü Submit ideas for co-
creation
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@apiwarun
CEB Consumer Insights, 2014
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@apiwarun
Yahoo Content Marketing Study, 2013
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@apiwarun
SO, WHAT’S NEXT?
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@apiwarun
TAKING THE FIRST STEP
CONTENT!
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@apiwarun
COVERING ALL BASES
ü With all of this talk about developing content to attract and engage millennials, it’s important to take a step back to understand what it actually is
ü It’s not just words on a page…
ü It’s everything… it’s everywhere!
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@apiwarun
FORMS OF ENGAGING CONTENT
ü Videos ü Reviews ü Shares (social) ü Breaking News ü Stories ü Resources & How-To’s ü Community-based
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@apiwarun
VIDEO
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@apiwarun
REVIEWS
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL SHARES
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@apiwarun
BREAKING NEWS
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@apiwarun
STORIES
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@apiwarun
FOUR PILLARS OF ENGAGING CONTENT
ü Tells a story
ü Sells without “selling”
ü Invokes emotional connection to the brand
ü Invites the customer to become a part of the community
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@apiwarun
SHOW & TELL
Who’s Doing It Well?
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@apiwarun
WHO’S DOING IT WELL?
ü After we’ve identified what type of content we need to engage millennials… where do we go from there?
ü The answer is closer to home than you think
ü Let’s take a look at others in the outdoor industry…
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL MEDIA
ü Mountain Hardwear promoted tweets
ü Remember, 60% of millennials take to Twitter on a daily basis
ü Cast a wider net with promoted tweets
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL MEDIA (CONT.)
ü Pinterest is HUGE for engagement with millennials, especially in the outdoor industry
ü OR does an excellent job promoting shares and pins
ü Also helps SEO ;)
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL MEDIA (CONT.)
ü Mountain Athletics promoting app; North Face branded
ü Suggested App advertising for iOS or Android applications can take you from 0 to 64k downloads in a day
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL MEDIA (CONT.)
ü Tweets are relevant, timely and pique the interest of millennials in the form of open-ended questions
ü Social participation is a huge driver for brand affinity
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@apiwarun
SOCIAL MEDIA (CONT.)
ü REI’s Twitter profile features inclusive header photo
ü First (pinned) tweet shares a story; others act as resources
ü These satisfy Millennial’s thirst for knowledge
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@apiwarun
CONTENT
ü Rich content like videos add a “real life” component to marketing
ü Outdoor lifestyle is about the feeling you get.. Not just about the product
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@apiwarun
CONTENT (CONT.)
ü Expert advice section w/ “evangelist” contributions and pro advice
ü Offering pro advice helps customers feel like they’re part of the team, the community, the lifestyle
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@apiwarun
CONTENT (CONT.)
ü Commission a pro climber / hiker / MTB’r to contribute content to a new, millennial-driven content section.
ü Note: think about incentives for participation J
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@apiwarun
CONTENT (CONT.)
ü Patagonia features content around environmental and social responsibility
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@apiwarun
CONTENT (CONT.)
ü Patagonia features content around environmental and social responsibility
ü Additionally, on their materials and technology
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@apiwarun
LET’S CRUSH IT!
Time To Put It In Action…
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@apiwarun
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS
1. Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development
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@apiwarun
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS
1. Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development
2. Inventory and audit existing content
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@apiwarun
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS
1. Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development
2. Inventory and audit existing content
3. Define gaps and develop content accordingly
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@apiwarun
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS
1. Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development
2. Inventory and audit existing content
3. Define gaps and develop content accordingly
4. Ensure cross-channel alignment across online and offline initiatives
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@apiwarun
FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS
1. Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development
2. Inventory and audit existing content
3. Define gaps and develop content accordingly
4. Ensure cross-channel alignment across online and offline initiatives
5. Test, measure & iterate (or pivot)
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@apiwarun
IN SUMMARY
ü Our target audience is aging… we need to adapt or fall by the wayside
ü Meaning… Story… Content is the key to engage the new generation of customers
ü Be where they we are to promote a positive, omni-channel experience worth sharing
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@apiwarun
DISCUSSION
Questions?
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@apiwarun
S E L L I N G T H E
Marketing to Millennials with Engaging Content
EXPERIE NC E
ANTHONY PIWARUN @apiwarun
Manager, Search Engine Marketing Zeon Solutions