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HOW TO MARKET TO MILLENNIALS
How do you market to Millennials on social media in 2025?
Millennials shift online search habits. Social media companies react..
Millennial Marketing Expert Kris Ruby was recently on RT America discussing marketing to millennials. Click here to watch the full segment
In this article, social media marketing expert Kris Ruby of Ruby Media Group discusses:
- The rise of visual search engines
- Social Media as search
- How AI will impact visual search
- The rise of video search as a social media service
In 2021, TikTok.com overtook Google as the most visited domain in the world.
- 40% of young people use TikTok or Instagram to find a place for lunch instead of Google Maps or Search.
Is it possible that TikTok will soon be Google’s big rival?
In a recent interview with NBC News, when asked why they don’t use Google, Gen Z stated it was because they prefer visual platforms.
According to Google’s internal data, a whopping 40% of Gen Z prefers using TikTok and Instagram for search over Google.
In a desperate appeal to win back Gen Z, Google is changing features in Search and Maps to try to win back a younger audience. But so far, they haven’t been successful, and they are also failing behind OpenAI and ChatGPT when it comes to AI product development.
Could Google become obsolete in search? Only time will tell.
How do you market to Millennials and Gen Z?
Millennials gravitate to mobile-first social media platforms, like Google’s YouTube, Meta’s Instagram, and ByteDance’s TikTok.
The social media-savvy millennial updates you need to know from marketing expert Kris Ruby
Brand Authenticity in the Digital Age
Brand authenticity is crucial for gaining and maintaining customer trust. Authentic brands are transparent, consistent, and true to their values. This authenticity is particularly important for Millennials and Gen Z, who prefer brands that are real and organic rather than perfect and well-packaged and artificially produced. Authentic brands create emotional connections with their customers, which can significantly enhance customer loyalty and advocacy on social media platforms.
How do you make sure you are marketing to Gen Z the right way?
Digital marketing and social media growth expert Kristen Ruby of Ruby Media Group states that video search is the leading driver for millennials.
Millennial content creators are using the Internet differently than older generations, which threatens the dominance of legacy search marketing platforms like Google.
That coupled with the rise of ChatGPT could signal an incoming disaster for Google in the near future.
“Google has already seen the impact that TikTok has made on YouTube, overtaking the platform on average time spent on the top social platforms by U.S. adults.”
In response, Google made significant changes to its Search product with “Web Stories”, the Google news product for creators, in an attempt to drive visual interest of millennial influencers and creators.
Additionally, the job retention rate of millennials is significantly lower than baby boomers. Is this because they are a more high maintenance generation, or do they simply crave more variety?
Millennials crave experiences over possessions. This significantly impacts what they are spending on and how to reach them effectively on social platforms. Unfortunately, this can be problematic and troublesome for CMOs looking to reach this audience who want to see an ROI on the spend to obtain these millennials as customers.
To reach millennials today, we need to redefine what adulthood means to this demo. If we keep marketing to them with an antiquated notion of what adulthood is, marketers will miss the mark on how to reach these consumers and what really drives their purchasing decisions.
Marketers needs to understand what the needs are of Millennials and Gen Z.
The influence a younger employee base will have on the CEO is critical.
How Millennials search for product recommendations on social media platforms has changed significantly.
There are six living generations that are a possible target for growing your audience:
- GI Generation – born between 1901 and 1926
- Silent Generation – born between 1927 and 1945
- Baby Boomers – born between 1946 and 1964
- Generation X – born between 1965 and 1980
- Generation Y/Millennials – born between 1981 and 2000
- Generation Z – born after 2001
Source: Statista
The benefit of native-first, digitally savvy influencers
Influencers excel at marketing products on social media because they are digitally savvy. Their social first mindset makes content creation come naturally. At the onset of the Internet, message boards and forums like Usenet and AOL instant messenger were used to communicate prior to the creation of Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit.
Since the inception of the Internet, people have always had a deep desire to connect with Internet users to figure out what to buy, wear, own, and even where to invest. They looked to peers on peer-to-peer networks for recommendations. The core psychological needs and desire for connection hasn’t changed; what has changed is how people connect, and the platforms they use.
Our media consumption patterns have shifted. The platforms we use to consume content and product recommendations has also shifted. It’s time to adapt your marketing strategy, or risk getting left behind.
Search engine goliaths like Google once held the dominant place in the market, but the rise of influencer marketing shifted this power back to creators. On TikTok, millennials use the social media platform as a replacement for Google search.
While this was never the primary use case, it became a surrogate search engine. Therefore, it is critical to incorporate social media search into your overall organic search engine optimization strategy.
RUBY MEDIA GROUP | GEN Z MARKETING AGENCY
A diversified marketing approach is necessary. Millennial consumers are the new face of business. Don’t get left behind. We’re building next gen marketing agency solution. Reach out today to take your business to the next level.
KRIS RUBY is the CEO of Ruby Media Group, an award-winning public relations and media relations agency in Westchester County, New York. Kris Ruby has more than 15 years of experience in the Media industry. She is a sought-after media relations strategist, content creator and public relations consultant. Kris Ruby is also a national television commentator and political pundit and she has appeared on national TV programs over 200 times covering big tech bias, politics and social media. She is a trusted media source and frequent on-air commentator on social media, tech trends and crisis communications and frequently speaks on FOX News and other TV networks. She has been featured as a published author in OBSERVER, ADWEEK, and countless other industry publications. Her research on brand activism and cancel culture is widely distributed and referenced. She graduated from Boston University’s College of Communication with a major in public relations and is a founding member of The Young Entrepreneurs Council. She is also the host of The Kris Ruby Podcast Show, a show focusing on the politics of big tech and the social media industry. Kris is focused on PR for SEO and leveraging content marketing strategies to help clients get the most out of their media coverage.