As 2016 quickly approaches, it’s clear that digital marketing is on the rise. Startups in particular are on the hunt to find exceptional marketing professionals who know how to leverage social media, make sense of marketing analytics and come up with new and creative ideas that will drive brand awareness.
As a flourishing digital marketer in the IT Operational Analytics space, I was thrilled to recently meet with the CEO of HMG Strategy LLC, Hunter Muller, and the CTO of Splunk, Snehal Antani. While meeting with these two leading executives, the role of the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) was mentioned. We briefly discussed how CMOs of many leading companies today are focused on operational marketing techniques, yet sometimes tend to be less knowledgeable when it comes to creative marketing ideas. I considered this point for a minute and said, “That’s why it’s important to hire millennials as digital marketers today. We bring a fresh spin to marketing and offer creative ideas that drive engagement and brand awareness.”
Here are 5 reasons why millennials make the best digital marketers:
#1: Millennials Are Creative: Millennials today are exposed to multiple social media platforms, smart phone applications and digital technologies that are having a major impact on how we interact and function as individuals. While some might frown upon this invasion of technology, most millennials are benefiting from the current digital age. Sure, our attention spans may be getting shorter, but we are actually becoming more creative as a result.
SlideShare, for example, is a slide hosting service where users can upload presentations to be viewed as slide shows. SlideShare is a great way to transform dull PowerPoint slides into entertaining and compelling online presentations. Understanding the power that visual content can have when combined with insightful text actually draws a larger audience to otherwise unexciting presentations, resulting in better brand awareness and a more concise understanding of the messages you wish to get across.
#2: Millennials Understand Social Media: Want your company’s blog posts to go viral? Understanding how and when to post content on different social media platforms is extremely important for content sharing, especially when properly executed. Most millennials are social media savvy and are familiar with different techniques to get content noticed.
LinkedIn, for example, is a professional social media platform that is great for sharing B2B content. As a digital marketer in the IT space, I take full advantage of the LinkedIn groups that are specific to IT, DevOps, Big Data, etc. I post new content daily in these groups, while engaging with other members by commenting on and liking various pieces of content. This has greatly helped grow our company’s LinkedIn follower count while raising brand awareness.
#3: Millennials are Masters Networkers: It might not be as obvious, but an exceptional digital marketer will also be great at networking and building relationships with other industry leaders and influencers. Drawing attention to your brand online is one thing, yet building personal relationships is the other piece of the marketing puzzle. Engaging with bloggers, industry experts, editors and people within your industry will not only help drive awareness, it will also create a personal network for sharing content and exchanging ideas.
Submitting content directly to a publication’s editor, for example, could result in a contribution opportunity. Having content displayed on a major editorial site once a month is sure to boost a company’s message. Personal relationships are key when it comes to unlocking the door to certain media outlets.
#4: Millennials are Motivated: As a millennial, I strive to achieve as much as I can on a daily basis. I aim to build my career and therefore I am extremely motivated when it comes to job performance. This in mind, I am constantly coming up with new marketing ideas along with smarter ways to display content.
Furthermore, working for a startup has taught me that anything is possible, as long as it’s done in a smart and beneficial manner. For example, new content can easily be produced if the topics are interesting and resonate with your target audience. Millenials understand the power of their influence in the workplace and as a result are motivated to achieve as much as possible.
#5: Millennials are Eager to Learn: While there are times when we think we know everything, millennials are still aware that we have a lot to learn. Yes, we bring a flare of creativity and new ideas to the workplace, yet our peers and mentors are filled with so much knowledge that we can also absorb. For instance, everyday I learn something new from my CEO, CMO, VP of Product Marketing and other colleagues, and while I bring great ideas to the table it’s understood that working for a startup is a collaborative effort where people constantly learn from one another.
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