How to Leverage Social Media Marketing Apps To Target Millennials

For brands that have yet to accept social media marketing apps as a valuable marketing tool that coincides with a mobile-first marketing approach – good luck. Not only is mobile where the majority of consumers are, social media provides the perfect opportunity for brands to get in front of their desired audience.

Social media campaigns have the potential to be a win-win if done correctly. Media buying on social is relatively inexpensive compared to other sources such as paid search. Plus, Millennials want to be ahead of the curve and engage as well as interact with your brand. These next generation social media outlets are perfect for that.

Lately, brands that have done the best at reaching their target audiences have done so utilizing two of the fastest growing social media marketing apps – Snapchat and Periscope. But why use these smaller platforms when there is Facebook? Simple – for these brands, the target audience is Millennials, and the data show us that these networks are where they hang out most often.

Social Media Marketing Apps Are Where the Millennials Are

Periscope

Periscope is a live-streaming app that allows users to make their video public or privately-viewable for friends and family. As the new kid on the “social media block” Periscope is already making waves in the world of social media marketing. For brands preparing to release a new product line, Periscope is the perfect vessel to build hype for an upcoming launch.

Target, for example, recently ran a Periscope campaign and executed it to perfection. How did they do it?

Target decided to broadcast a promotional event catered towards building hype for an upcoming collection featuring a collaboration with designer Eddie Borgo. The broadcast gave consumers behind the scenes access to the celebration, a few sneak peeks of upcoming products, and the ability to hear about the new products from the designer himself.

This provided Target the ability to share the whole story behind the products they were promoting. It also helped create a personal bond with consumers, something that every brand should strive to achieve in their social media campaigns.

But wait, how did Target build awareness and drive consumers to the Periscope event? By using the one aspect of social media which some marketers often forget about – cross-platform promotion.

 

Let’s hang on #Periscope for the #EddieBorgoforTarget event. @DelevingnePoppy & @EddieBorgo https://t.co/L1EGuZmHWF … pic.twitter.com/5c51qEgfjI

— Target Style (@TargetStyle) May 21, 2015

Target created a unique hashtag for the collection, #EddieBorgoForTarget, and promoted it all over Twitter and Instagram where the majority of users are…you guessed it, Millennials. This allowed Target to drive their ideal audience to Periscope easily and successfully; while building hype for the upcoming release of their new collection.

Snapchat

As the fastest growing social media network, there is no question that Snapchat is where the Millennials are, and where every brand should be. It is experiences that Millennials are looking for, and it is now the obligation of brands to provide them. Snapchat provides the perfect opportunity to do so – being that all Snapchat does is share experiences among its users. 

Just as Target saw an opportunity with Periscope, Louis Vuitton saw an opportunity to utilize Snapchat as a social media marketing app. Louis Vuitton wanted to reach a younger generation when teasing their upcoming Rome exhibit, so they went where the Millennials are – Snapchat.

Again like Target, Louis Vuitton realized the best way to boost awareness for their campaign was through cross-platform promotion.

In order to capture the attention of more Millennials, LV utilized Snapchat’s “Snap-to-Add” feature and promoted it across Twitter and Instagram. The feature allows users to follow friends, family, and other users or brands by “snapping” a picture, while in the app, of the desired user or brand’s unique Snapchat “ghost.” After the picture is taken, the user or brand is added as a friend.

Follow #LouisVuitton on @Snapchat (username LVLive) for a preview of the #LVSeries2 Exhibition in Rome pic.twitter.com/MCDMbeuqLY — Louis Vuitton (@LouisVuitton) May 21, 2015

Once consumers added Louis Vuitton on Snapchat, they could begin viewing Louis Vuitton’s Snapchat Story. Their story consisted of content that featured various hashtags and geofilters from Snapchat for the city of Rome. These images were used to build hype for the unveiling of the exhibit. For the exhibit itself, content was shared more exclusively to users who follow Louis Vuitton on Snapchat.

Key Takeaways

• BE RELEVANT
• Go where the Millennials are
• When targeting Millennials, utilize social media marketing apps and the tools they provide
• Cross-platform promotion is instrumental for the success of social media campaigns
• Periscope is a useful tool to assist in creating that personal bond with consumers
• Snapchat adds a sense of exclusivity that makes consumers feel unique and appreciated