Facebook is now 16 years old, which begs the question: is Facebook still relevant to a Millennial audience?

Does your marketing strategy truly speak to a Millennial audience?

Defining Millennials

Let’s start at the very beginning – the point at which many brands may miss the mark – by defining the audience. Millennials are officially those born between 1981 and 1996. This means that those emerging teens and early twenty-somethings you were talking to back when the term ‘Millennial’ emerged are now nudging, or are well into, their thirties – and the one thing that truly defines them is their diversity. 

According to a recent GlobalWebIndex report, some are still students, but many – 65% in fact – are now living out of home; and 46% have families of their own. So, is Facebook still their common ground?

The usefulness of Facebook

 Sure, the stats indicate that young Millennials and Gen Z-ers are logging off Facebook in favour of the likes of Snapchat, Instagram and, more latterly, TikTok. But the numbers still stack up to suggest that Facebook remains a key channel for a majority of the Millennial audience. According to the GlobalWebIndex report, “Outside of China, Facebook membership is extensive, with 88% of this cohort holding an account and 45% using it more than once a day.”

The difference now is understanding what they are using Facebook for, and how. Millennials are a tech-savvy bunch, and as such, are carefully curating their feeds to favour quality, meaningful content, focusing on consumption, rather than contribution. 

Interestingly, businesses and brands still feature heavily in Facebook’s content landscape. A total of 57% of millennials use social media to stay up-to-date with current affairs, with three in 10 following brands they like. Further to this, 31% follow profiles that are related to work, meaning Facebook is still a viable channel of B2B communication. 

Audience-minded content

The aforementioned insights suggest Facebook does indeed still hold a place  for those brands who are looking to reach an audience that now represents the bulk of the workforce and accounts for a quarter of the world’s population. 

So, if you want a slice of their estimated annual income, which is predicted to exceed USD4 trillion by 2030, here are some content cues to keep in mind:

• Transparency. Be clear about what your company stands for and, importantly, your altruistic purpose. Also be clear about the company culture using staff testimonials and behind-the-scenes videos.
• Value. How do you create content that sticks? Educate people. Audiences will see value in your brand if you can offer them with content that is insightful. Consumers are 131% more likely to buy from a brand after consuming educational content.
• Presence, and flexibility. Talk with Millennials on their own terms, and keep communication lines flexible, so that they have choices. Consider utilising instant messaging tools such as Facebook Messenger over email.

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Images: Brooke Cagle  and NeONBRAND on Unsplash