A recent study by Defy Media’s Acumen Research and TMI Strategy showed that 66% of people aged 13 to 25 used an adblocker on at least one device. But this does not spell doom and gloom for your digital marketing campaign. The survey has some good news too. Sixty-two per cent of them follow a brand online, and 44 % subscribe to a branded newsletter.
This is a generation that has grown up with the internet as part of their everyday lives. A huge majority – 84% – of them believe “ads are a regular part of life”. They generally don’t mind product placements (78%). The goal is the same as ever – to communicate with your audience in the way they prefer. The audience changes, and its preferences change. The trick is to keep up.
User experience isn’t just a concept that applies to web design. UX should guide all aspects of your digital marketing. People block pop ups because they are annoying and disruptive. Pop up ads interfere with user experience. They can be a bit like that waiter who arrives at your table to ask how your dinner is right when you and your date are discussing your future together. But you have a lot better options for digital marketing, options that your audience actually likes.
Successful marketing today is about attracting your audience. The idea is to bring them to you, rather than you to them. It is called inbound marketing, and it is very effective with millennials. You offer your audience something they will appreciate instead of door-stepping them online. What do they appreciate? Blog posts that help them understand and solve their problems. Social media posts that make them smile or tell them about offers that really are special. A chance to voice their own views in the comments. Basically, they just want some boundaries respected. They want to see your marketing on their terms, not yours.
Remember, those of us who grew up making snacks and running to the loo during telly commercials still managed to see some ads. We still bought things, and we even had favourite brands. We also would have been furious if the ads came on abruptly and cut off a character who was speaking. Happily, television programmes were designed to have those breaks in the action.
You can plan your digital marketing the same way. Your website can have calls to action where it is natural and convenient. Your content can be optimized to come up in the search results when people are researching the problems your product addresses. Be confident. Are you selling something great? Relax. People will want to hear about it – but not when they are trying to read about something else.
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By Irene Hislop
By Conor McCaffrey