5 Things You Need to Know About Reaching Millennial Clients

By Jackie Sofia

Comparing Social Media Use between US Adults overall, and Millennials specifically

Source: http://www.pewinternet.org/2016/11/11/social-media-update-2016/

1. Social Media is essential. The fact remains that millennials are using social media more than any other age group in the U.S. Data released by the Pew Research Center indicates more specifically that Facebook is the choice platform of millennials (88 percent), with Instagram creeping up to second place (60% percent). 
2. Keep a blog, and keep it updated. 33 percent of millennials review blogs before they make any type of financial transaction, compared to fewer than 3 percent who use TV news, magazines or books. Millennials are also incredibly self-reliant. Having always had the internet at their disposal, millennials are used to finding the information they need themselves. You can feed into this self-reliance on your blogs by providing well-written answers to common legal dilemmas that are hyperlinked to your legal experts within the firm. This will also direct your target audience to your firm for further legal services and advice. 
3. Know your limits. The American Bar Association requires lawyers to stay abreast of the benefits and risks associated with technology in relation to the practice of law. While social media can be a great opportunity to stay engaged with millennials, it's a constantly changing environment where many of the old school regulations are being adapted or applied directly towards technological advancements that are deemed within their purview. The good news is that there are resources out there that can help you stay on top of these changes. Regardless of whether your firm even has a social media account, it's important to regularly participate in continuing study and education and comply with legal education requirements. 
4. You have to be one, to know one. Hiring millennials to join your team is one of the more critical investments you can make for the future of the firm and its growing target audience of fellow millennials. According to Nika Kabiri, Director of Strategic Insights at Avvo, one in four Americans are dealing with legal issues, and half of those Americans are millennials. Not only can millennials identify more closely with the younger target audience, but they tend to also be ambitious as well as fluent in social media and digital technology. 
5. Be proud of your pro bono work. Social media isn't the only thing that attracts millennials. They are also interested in what companies do in their community. Millennials may be apt to choose your services over others if you have a pro-bono roster that exhibits a more empathetic and charitable firm. A 2015 Elite Daily Millennial Consumer Study revealed that 75 percent of those surveyed thought it was important for a company to give back to society.

Snapchat – Evolution of a Social Media Platform

By Kim Tarasiewicz

Social media platforms come and go, but the ones that remain strong have two things in common: they evolve along with their users’ needs and they reach several target audiences, not just one. Snapchat is a platform that began as a one-to-one messaging app (originally known for use in sexting) but now has evolved into a platform for group chatting – with an average age demographic of 13 to 34. Snapchat is used daily by more than 100 million users, and businesses large and small are taking advantage of reaching those users more and more often.

Snapchat allows you to take pictures or videos, edit them with text, emoji, colors or filters and then send them to a large group all at once. The photos or videos stay live on the Internet for only a short time and are erased from the user’s feed after one view, though viewers can take a screen shot of the message. Snapchat then notifies users when a viewer takes a screenshot so the sender is able to tell if the message has been saved by someone.

Small businesses use Snapchat to get users to follow their company. Many companies are using the platform to give a behind-the-scenes look into their business or as a teaser to get users to follow them. One company sent a “snap” with a video. At the end of the video you could screenshot a coupon to use at the store. This, of course, is supposed to bring customers into the store. Snapchat currently doesn’t provide a detailed tracking report, so businesses must rely on “opens” or “views” to track engagement. Since Snapchat lets you know when someone takes a screenshot, that function operates as a de facto tracking device to judge the success of your coupon.

Some larger businesses are beginning to see the attraction of Snapchat as well. Burberry announced it will premiere its fall line live on Snapchat. You can see the new fashions as they go down the runway, but then the photos will disappear after 24 hours, which coincides with its next show. This creates another teaser marketing plan from the company leading into another show and gaining interest for the brand.

While some smaller companies use the platform on a small level to reach a young, smaller audience, large corporations are beginning to use the advertising side of Snapchat. The ad costs are pricey at $750,000 per day, and there isn’t a way to directly target the advertising to a specific group. Because of this, companies need to rely on their followers to open the “snaps,” so creativity is a must when creating a message.

The NFL recently made a deal to sponsor content to Snapchat users along with their advertising. The partnership allows the NFL to send out live “snaps,” which they are calling a Live Story from the games, and allows users to post their own “snaps” while at the games. This type of interaction will give the NFL many chances to build brand awareness and gain followers. The first Live Story they did during the draft reached 15 million users – not a bad number for first time out. The NFL feels that number will grow during the season as more users become aware of the service.

Snapchat seems to be a social media platform that is still evolving, but also one that is here to stay. It will be interesting to see how followers react to seeing advertising within their messages. If you use Snapchat, we would love to hear what portion of the app you use most.

Weighing In On Generation Y

Posted by Amanda Walsh

Generation Y (or Millennials as they are also known) are the 18-24 year old set, up-and-coming in the work force and are being talked about all over the blogosphere. Regardless of what you label them, it seems that this generation is one both marketers and human resource experts are having the toughest time of figuring out how to sell and manage.

A recent article, 10 Things Social Media Marketers Should Know About Millennials, was featured on SocialTimes.com. Written by millennial Jackie Lampugnano, the post provided a firsthand account of the 18-24 demographic in terms of their preferences, personality quirks and preferred work style.

Lampugnano presents 10 traits that marketers should keep in mind in order to understand the psychology of Generation Y.  There are a few points that I agree with such as “we love technology”, “we’re oversharers” and “we have short attention spans.”  These traits are all fundamental to figuring out what makes GenY ‘tick’ in order to find a successful medium to reach us.

For additional insight we spoke with client, President of the Human Resources consulting company K HR Solutions, author, and generational expert, Kim Huggins.  Kim agreed with many points Lampugnano’s post concerning the millennial generation and discusses many of them in her book, GENerate Performance! Unleashing the Power of a Multigenerational Workforce. The book is the quintessential guide for navigating the challenges of managing a multigenerational workplace.

“I think Jackie’s first point is one that I agree with most about the importance of getting to know each millennial on an individual level.  I tell my clients this all the time.  There is no shortcut, especially for leaders of teams, they must get to know their employees on a personal level,” said Kim. “To find out what motivates, frustrates, and ultimately gets the best results from employees in this group it is essential to put energy into getting to know them.  This can be uncomfortable for some leaders who grew up during a time when the work environment was more impersonal and people were afraid of or discouraged from talking about their life outside of work.”

“Today, employees not only want, but actually expect, their managers to know about them on a more personal level,” she continues. “That means that you have to talk to your employees about what they need and expect from you, the company, etc. – and then do something about it.”

From my own GenY point of view, Kim is spot on with her analysis of the ways generations work together in the workforce. Whether marketers are targeting us or bosses are trying to communicate with us, GenerationY seems to present new challenges and bring different characteristics to the workforce.