Marketing to Millennials by Jeremy Suratt

I'm a big fan of NPR's Marketplace program. Recently, I listened to a fascinating story about marketing to Millennials, an upwardly mobile demographic that's now 97 million strong. Whether they're buying a piece of jewelry or a litter box, Millennials don't care about the brand-they care about the story behind it. According to a marketing expert, Millennials like to share experiences. They don't like to show off. So stop trying to promote your brand, and focus on emotion instead.

Since I'm a marketer, this got me thinking about the story and the importance of connecting with your audience. Whether the medium is online or offline, we need great content that draws out emotions. As another marketer put it in the NPR story, We call it tissue-box marketing, because it really is about evoking that reaction.

Beyond great content, marketers can go one step further to connect with the target buyer: personalization. We're not just sharing a great story-we're sharing a great story directly with them. Your personalized content connects with the audience emotionally, tells their story and explains how your solution will address their most critical issues.

Running personalized campaigns isn't easy. If it were, you might already be doing it. You need an experienced partner that knows how to apply personalization, and how to select the right medium-say, simple mailers and postcards, or complex kitting projects. And your partner must have the expertise and technical know-how to make it happen.

Before you can identify the most effective format to showcase your message, you must know your customer. Study your target buyers to determine the typical arc of their journey, and personalize your marketing collateral in message and asset type at each stage.

After all, whenever you go online, you see more and more ads related to your specific Google searches. There's no denying that Big Data is ubiquitous. Isn't it time for companies to begin leveraging their knowledge about customers in offline content? The fact is, print communications have a 10 percent edge over email or digital messaging. When you use digital printing services to personalize communications toward your customers' interests and demographics, you gain an even greater edge.

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Don't know where to start? Iron Mountain's fulfillment services have the experience and best practices to help you tell stories that will captivate your customers. Do you have questions about fulfillment service? Read additional Knowledge Center stories on this subject, or contact Iron Mountain's Fulfillment Services team. You'll be connected with a knowledgeable product and services specialist who can address your specific challenges.

LINK:	http://blogs.ironmountain.com/2014/service-lines/marketing-production-...
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