3 Tips to Reach Millennial Pet Owners
If you took a random poll of those around you who own a pet, chances are there will be more hands up than down. That’s because more than 60% of U.S. households have at least one pet. And of those households, 24 million are owned by Millennials. Needless to say, if your business appeals to pet owners, you’re in luck because the pet industry is huge.
Marketing to all pet owners is essential. However, explicitly appealing to pet-owners between the age of 18 and 35 is lucrative. So, how do you make sure your brand’s marketing reaches this consumer-base? Try these three tips out.
Tip 1: Earn trust
It’s no secret that if Millennials don’t trust your brand, they won’t buy what you’re selling. This trust prerequisite is especially true when your service or product pertains to their beloved pet. The best way to earn trust is by humanizing your marketing, and to do that, you must use tactics that focus on more than just the sale of your product or service. Instead, think about making a genuine connection with your marketing efforts.
Millennials have a keen sense when it comes to businesses whose only agenda is to sell, sell and sell. Reach Millennial pet owners with personalized marketing messages. With email marketing, you can use custom tags to include the recipients name or personalize the message with a unique subject line. Use actual pet owners and their pets to represent your brand and highlight real stories using newsletters in the mail or have available in your store or on your social media page. You can also tap into influencer marketing by sponsoring a video or social media post. Either way, when you earn their trust, you make the connection in their mind that your brand is authentic and that leads to gaining loyal Millennial customers.
Tip 2: Offer value
Before Millennials make a purchase, they do their research. That’s what growing up in the digital era will do to you. Not only do you need to not “sell” to Millennials, but you also need to offer value.
Whether it’s the best dog park in the city or the healthiest food brand, this audience cares deeply about their pets. They want the best of the best for their furry friends, which makes it essential that your brand is positioned as an expert in their eyes. Content marketing like a branded blog can help answer important questions or offer helpful suggestions and hacks this audience is looking for.
Tip 3: Be engaging
When reaching Millennials, you have to remember that this is the generation who grew up with mobile devices and practically created social media, therefore, you have to be everywhere and you have to be engaging.
Millennials are always on the move and to effectively market them, you can’t focus on just one marketing channel. To reach these moving targets, you will need to use a combination of both traditional and digital marketing that may include print advertising, content marketing and search marketing. The combinations are endless.
After developing a cohesive marketing plan that will help you reach this likely audience whenever and wherever they may be, you’ll also need to focus on being engaging. It’s no longer an option; it’s become a necessity. Since engagement is something Millennials crave, you don’t want to just talk at them (think about tip #2). Instead, use your social media and email marketing campaigns to create dialogue, ask questions and get their input. Millennials like to be seen and heard, so engaging them about their pets will make this generation more likely to come back to see what your brand is doing and what you’re offering in the future.
As you plan your next marketing strategy be sure to make it trustworthy, informative and engaging to have an impact and reach those coveted Millennial pet owners.