Today’s 20-somethings, a generation known as “Millennials” — a term they don’t particularly love, but we’ll use it for simplicity — are notoriously anti-advertisement.

They view ads, especially online ads, as annoying and unnecessary interruptions, and they take great pains to avoid them. They are likely to use ad blockers and to specifically avoid websites and social media platforms that are overly corporate.

But this doesn’t mean marketing to Millennials through through great content is impossible. The following are some tried-and-true tips from our team of professional content writers:

You don’t always have to fit in

It’s a rookie mistake made by far too many companies. If your brand attempts to use slang in its content marketing, you run the risk of sounding insincere or out of touch — likely the exact opposite of what you want. This will turn off younger members of your audience, and your brand could quickly become a joke in the eyes of your target customers.

Effective content writers develop a unique voice for a brand, and one that’s appropriate for and appealing to the target audience.

Make the experience personal

Millennials tend to despise PR-speak and cookie-cutter sales pitches. They have become quite cynical when it comes to big brands and blatant advertising. To that end, you must invest in a personal relationship to be successful with this target segment.

A big part of these efforts is having an actual personality with your content writing and advertising. Which characteristics does your brand have — or should have? Your content should exude those characteristics. The more genuine your social media, articles and blog content sound, the more likely they are to engage younger people. 

Find and use referrals

Another very important aspect of creating a personal experience with your content is ensuring you have actual people who can endorse your products and/or services. The more recommendations you are able to earn from actual customers, the more people — and especially Millennials — will trust your brand. Millennials are far more likely to search for information from their friends and family members about a product than they are to use traditional media to make purchase decisions.

Create content that is actually interesting and useful

Focus on helping your customers and providing interesting, engaging content rather than driving more sales through your digital marketing. Younger internet users can easily determine when you’re only concerned about the bottom line, but they appreciate honest efforts to give them something truly useful.

Although forging a strong connection when marketing to Millennial customers is certainly a challenging task, the practices you use to accomplish it can help you improve your overall brand image and digital strategy. Make sure you and your content writers are regularly developing content that connects with the members of your key audiences.