MARKETER'S NEED TO CUT THE CLUTTER TO ACHIEVE SUCCESS WITH TODAY'S COLLEGE STUDENTS

Looking around the web, there is no doubt that companies have, in fact, gotten on the proverbial social media bus. Look around. Everywhere we turn there are buttons to Fan, Tweet, Like, Share, Follow, Connect and Subscribe.

But this is missing the point because marketers aren't telling anyone why the heck they should do so.

Enter a new study from user-experience research firm Nielsen Norman Group on "College Students on the Web." (Yes, I shelled out the $128 for the full report and the insights it provides are definitely worth the money.)

The news reported by Online Media Daily earlier this week, "Social Networks No Place For Marketing To College Crowd," runs contrary to our marketing sensibility when it comes to social media. We know that college students are heavy social media users. The report confirms this. The college students they observed keep a Facebook or MySpace tab open throughout the day. Problem is, they think of these social networks as a place to socialize with friends and family. They aren't making the mental leap as to why they would want to click these links and they don't understand how these social sharing buttons littered throughout the Internet help them!

 

Which means that marketers, by in large, have fallen victim to non sequitur (Latin for "it does not follow"). According to Wikipedia, non sequitur "is an argument in which its conclusion does not follow from its premises." In modern marketing communications, the argument might sound like this, "College students use Facebook, therefore, they will want to connect with us on Facebook." (The same could be said for YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, text messaging or anything other emerging technology.)

But as I read the report from Nielsen Norman Group, it struck me that we have done a pretty poor job explaining the value that they can derive from making this connection. They are wondering:

"What will happen when I share something?"

""Do my friends care?"

"Are they trying to use me?"

"Why should I even pay attention to these links?"

We need to address these questions. Of course, this may all simply be a matter of familiarity. But another interesting observation from the study was that college students aren't all the technology sophisticates that we stereotype them as (engineering and computer science majors aside). Today's college students are digital natives that have learned a few things we need to take into account:

1. "Feedback from my friends is always close." College students may not want to inadvertently promote a company, but they do appreciate input from friends they trust. Instead of simply sticking a "Share This" button in their face, try prompting them by asking, "Want to get feedback from your friends before you buy? Post this to Facebook and see what they have to say."
2. "If I can't find what I am looking for fast, look somewhere else." Gen Y sometimes gets labeled "impatient."  I prefer "efficient." They have grown up online with immediate access to information. The only real challenge is determining which site will give it to them succinctly without any hassles. If your site is difficult to navigate or doesn't provide clear and concise answers to their questions, they will open another tab, start a new search, and go somewhere else. State problems, present clear solutions, and don't let unnecessary links get in the way.
3. "There are companies that are honest, and those that will try to trick you." It has been said that the Internet brings out both the best and worst in humanity. Gen Y has grown up learning to navigate this reality. As marketers, that means that everything on our sites runs through a filter that asks, "Is this company honest or not?" If your content is buried between advertisements or littered with social sharing links, then your integrity may be called into question. They appreciate ad supported business models, they just want a clear distinction between your content, advertising, and social media plug-ins. Keep your content clean.

For the college crowd, tying into social media can be very effective. Social media provides an unprecedented opportunity for the amplification of our marketing efforts. However, this requires education and a clear explanation of the associated benefits, especially for Gen Y consumers. Yes, they are social, but even more, they are attuned to good, efficient design and they are counting on us to give them clear explanations for the benefits they will reap from each and every action we ask them to take.

COMMENTARY:   To successfully engage college students or Millennials, you can't advertise to them; you have to invite them to participate in something bigger than advertising. Marketers need to give young people ready access to the content they create and enable them to participate with it, create their own and share it. They need to inspire and engage youth and then reward them for participating. For youth, public recognition has become the modern-day merit badge. If done right, your marketing efforts will gain momentum and feel more like a movement than a campaign.   

Here are five tips on creating a movement that Gen Y will embrace:

1. Individualism: Enable Gen Y to be creative. They like to personalize experiences and they want the ability to self-aggregate your content. If they like it, they'll want to embed it on their Facebook pages. (The New York Timesallows you to embed but CNN only lets you email a link).
2. In the now: This generation is always on and leads the buzz revolution. Marketers need to draw them into an experience quickly and demonstrate the immediate value. Gen Y is more than twice as likely as pre-Boomers to try the newest/latest version of products so you also have to continually refresh and update content. (Apple.com is much better than Dell.com at refreshing content.
3. Social interactivity: Facilitate Gen Y's desire for recognition and connection with others. They index high on "I like to show off my taste and style," so give them the ability to gain the recognition of being the first one to share new things. A good example is the Victoria's Secret Pink event during which pics that were posted immediately appeared on stage behind the performers.
4. Authenticity: Communicate on their level. Gen Y is skeptical of authority and process five times faster than most of us, so speak their language in terms of simplicity, abbreviations, fragments and images. Keep directions simple and use images to click on rather than text or drop downs. U.O. (Urban Outfitters) and OMG.com are great at this.
5. Make it fun: Gen Y is experience-oriented; they feel it all. They enjoy absurdity and odd humor, which is why they are hyper-active on YouTube.

There is no doubt in my mind that today's Millennials are "wired differently", quite literally.  They are a multi-tasking and mobile communicating bunch who mostly live a digital lifestyle akin to a drug addiction.  The millennial culture is tribal in nature, consisting of both small and large social groups both online and offline.  If they are not online you will find them at almost any establishment that offers free WIFI or clicking away on their smartphones.  

Millennials are separated from my generation by several decades and we are as different as night and day.  If marketer's want to connect and engage with millennials, I say turn off the marketing message, it goes right over their heads, and turn on the "cool" instead.   In stead, marketer's need to concentrate on hitting their sensory hot buttons--the five senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste.  You need to bombard this social group with everything sensory.  They can't seem to get enough of it, and the Internet is their playground.  

In short, marketer's should make the opener a powerful sensory message, that takes them on a rocket thrill ride, if you will.   If you are marketing snowboards, don't hit them with a product catalog and BUY button.  Hit them with an exciting video of a snowboarder doing a Double Cork or Double Mctwist.  End the opener with an invitation to learn more.  Better yet, invite them with an opportunity to win a weekend for two at the skiing resort of their choice.   If they take you up on your invitation and participate in your sweepstakes, free gift or promotional prize, then "close" the deal with an invitation to view your product catalog.  Offer them an opportunity to tell their friends.  Millennial's are always looking for a great deal, so pour on the charm and freebies: "free shipping", "money-back guarantee", "special price".  "endorsed by Shaun White", etc.          

So in essence, this article is mostly correct, because Millennials are still experiencing and growing, and their minds are sucking up the sensory stimulation more than my generation ever did.   Sure, we had Elvis and the Beatle's, but they have Farmville, Mafia Wars, Angry Birds and Lady Gaga. They have more media choices than we ever did.  We watched TV and read books and teen magazines.  They read digital books and surf the net for most of their news, information and entertainment and text message all day.  

Is this good, who knows, so we just have to wait and see.  I can remember our parents condemning rock-n-roll music and often turning off the TV during American Bandstand because there was a little too much touchy-feely, but we turned out to be okay, so let's give this younguns time to grow.

Courtesy of an article dated December 17, 2010 appearing in MediaPost Publications Engage:GenY