@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

@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

@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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QUICK SURVEY!

A Little Participation Never Hurt

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QUICK SURVEY! (CONT.)

ü Who’s responsible for marketing?

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QUICK SURVEY! (CONT.)

ü Who’s responsible for marketing?

ü How many of you in this room are between the ages of 18 – 34?

@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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INTRODUCTION

So… Why Are We Here?

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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?

@apiwarun MILLENNIALS!

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HOLD UP…

A Milleni-what???

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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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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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WHAT WE LOOK FOR IN A BRAND

ü  Transparency

ü  Ethics

ü  Story

ü  Personality & individualism

ü Willingness to educate

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CONTEXT, CONTEXT, CONTEXT!

Why We Need To Tailor Messaging to Millennials

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SDL, 2013

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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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CEB Consumer Insights, 2014

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Yahoo Content Marketing Study, 2013

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SO, WHAT’S NEXT?

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TAKING THE FIRST STEP

CONTENT!

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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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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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VIDEO

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REVIEWS

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SOCIAL SHARES

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BREAKING NEWS

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STORIES

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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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SHOW & TELL

Who’s Doing It Well?

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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CONTENT (CONT.)

ü  Patagonia features content around environmental and social responsibility

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CONTENT (CONT.)

ü  Patagonia features content around environmental and social responsibility

ü Additionally, on their materials and technology

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LET’S CRUSH IT!

Time To Put It In Action…

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FIVE STEPS TO SUCCESS

1.  Find out who your actual customers are via user testing and buyer persona development

@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

@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

@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

@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)

@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

@apiwarun

DISCUSSION

Questions?

@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