College students prove a difficult market to target when you do not understand what they need and desire.

To sell a product, you need knowledge about your audience, as the more you know, the more effective marketing strategies you can create. Simply put, you cannot market to a group that you do not understand; rather, you need to understand what makes your audience tick in order to successfully reach them on their level.

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So, let’s take a look at what matters to a millennial.

Transparency 

Millennials yearn for transparency and dialog with their products, according to Mashable.com. Students like to know about the company they choose to purchase from by learning about the company’s mission and seeing how that mission is met.

Millennials want to know when they are making an impact, whether that is by purchasing a product where the proceeds are donated to a charity or by supporting a company that donates a similar product to someone in need when purchases are made. They like to know what they are getting in their products and services, and they expect companies and organizations to be honest and straight-forward about what they are truly offering.

Experience

More than previous generations, millennials feel more attached to experiences than products, making understanding the lifestyle of a millennial more important than understanding that of generations past. Millennial college students look for products and services that will influence and leave a lasting impression on their way of life.

Mashable suggests focusing not on the age of the millennials when thinking about your products, but rather, understanding the lifestyle your product supports and marketing towards experience. A blogpost on RackSpace suggested offering engaging experiences — such as festivals, challenges, concerts and contests — alongside products to create the kind of experiences millennials can remember and associate back to the product.

Authenticity 

According to an article from HubSpot, millennials trust what they feel is authentic. Millennial college students’ attitudes are inspired by people they know in person or online, and they trust the authentic opinions from real product users they can relate to. This generation likes to consume reviews of products and services before fully investing in something. So how do you create a brand millennials will see as authentic?

The HubSpot article suggests using millennial language to push across messages that warrant comfort and trust. Using words your consumers would use themselves helps them see your brand as authentic and helps you to create a strong relationship with your audience. Rackspace similarly offered up this piece of advice: millennials want brands that have a human face, which most basically means writing content in a conversational voice and being honest about what you are selling.

Now that you have a better idea behind what matters to millennials when it comes to their consumer habits, it’s time to create the perfect targeted press release to submit to UWire.com!