If you combined all the TV networks, they still wouldn’t reach as many millennials as YouTube does.
It’s the second most visited website on the planet, and 80% of its viewers are from outside the US. After its parent Google, it’s in 2nd place as the most used search engine in the world.
These are all valid reasons why brands are tuned into using video on YouTube, especially when marketing to millennials.
Here at ZAK, we live and breathe video content (and other content forms too). So here are a few tips you can follow when attracting millennials on YouTube and social sites.
Some Background
Here’s a few facts to get started about this audience and their online viewing habits:
- They prefer to watch TV online and use streaming (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Plus and so on)
- Half of the millennials check YouTube every day.
- 70% watched YouTube in the past year.
- Almost 60% of millennial women on YouTube say they’re more likely to remember a brand that’s LGBT friendly.
- A YouTuber inspired 45% of millennials to make a personal change in their lives.
Convinced? Read on.
Offer More
Yes, a short clip introducing your brand to entice your audience is great, but you need to split your focus and offer more than just products you’re trying to sell. Then, they’ll see through it and move on.
Millennials are just as interested in the behind the scenes stuff, what your brand’s really all about and what it stands for. So tell your story with some depth. This could, for example, be real-time videos that aren’t product-focussed. Alternatively, try putting the spotlight on different bits of your business by focusing on your values and what you’re doing, say, to reduce your carbon emissions or what charitable work you’re signed up for.
It’s also worth engaging with this audience by using them to tell your story with video, either video reviews of your products or stills of them wearing/using your products. Again, it’s—a way of enhancing engagement and fostering loyalty with an audience that wants to be involved.
ZAK has unfiltered and unrivalled access to Selfhood, our very own global group of 2,000+ U30s that include Millennials and Gen Z. They tell our brands what they really think about their video marketing campaigns, for real.
Make an Impact
The short attention span of this generation and Gen Z is well-documented. It’s why it’s essential your YouTube video makes a big entrance in the first 8 seconds. Otherwise, it’s a big yawn from them and a click away onto the next best thing. Sounds harsh? Maybe, but if you make your point quickly and in an eye-catching way, you’re on your way to success.
Make Videos Accessible
Pretty much anyone can upload a video online. However, if you want millennials to watch your creations, make them easy to watch on mobile, tablets and desktops. Millennials are fully connected; like Gen Z, they’re fully plugged into the digital world and aren’t going to hang around if your brand isn’t.
Add captions, so if your YouTube video is viewed at work when someone’s on a break, they can still engage without annoying everyone around them.
Make them easy to share with easily visible icons and links.
Understand Your Audience
Gain a better understanding of your audience by finding out what kind of content sparks their imagination and starts conversations. Then, involve them in the creation process by engaging with causes they’re invested in and asking their opinions on your campaigns.
Run promotional campaigns on YouTube that use millennials in the starring role and use their user-generated content on your website and YouTube channel. In addition, run competitions to encourage them to star in one of your YouTube video campaigns.
Marketing to millennials isn’t rocket science, but it is an exact science. Brands that are serious about attracting and retaining this audience need to do their homework first. Of course, some millennials have graduated to parenthood and serious jobs, but it doesn’t mean they want brands to turn their backs on them.
Ready to start creating YouTube videos for millennials? Talk to ZAK. We’re a next-generation agency working closely with High Stakes Films to develop your YouTube video to make unforgettable video campaign content. Say hi, hello@zakagency.com
