Millennials are now the largest generation in the U.S., with a population that is estimated to be almost triple the size of the previous generation (Gen X). That makes them an excellent target audience for brands, advertisers, and businesses of all kinds.

Millennials have high standards when it comes to advertisements – they’re much more likely than older generations to distrust ads, ignore them or immediately switch off if they come across a commercial or promotional video.

They’re also extremely savvy users of social media and other websites that can provide information about products and services very quickly. Because of this, reaching out to millennials using traditional advertising methods might not be as effective as you think.

However, there are some strategies you can use to make sure your ads stand out and engage the millennial audience on a more personal level.

Research your target audience

Before you start creating ads, you should do some research on the target audience for those ads. Look for information about the age range and gender of the people you want to reach, as well as their location, language, and other demographics.

This information will help you create ads that are more likely to resonate with your target audience and help you avoid falling into the trap of creating general ads that are unlikely to engage anyone.

You can also learn more about the interests and habits of the target audience so that you can create ads that they are more likely to click on and engage with. For example, if you’re advertising on Instagram, you can find out which hashtags are most popular with your target audience and use those in your ad.

Be transparent and have a purpose

Millennials are very interested in the products and services that brands have to offer, but they’re also very wary of being tricked or deceived by false advertising.

That’s why you must be 100% transparent about your product or service and what it does. If you’re advertising anything that requires a purchase, be honest about the price.

Don’t try to hide any information – millennials are very likely to research a product before buying it, so there’s no reason to keep the price a secret. If you’re promoting a non-commercial product, such as a charity or cause, you should be upfront about your intentions.

Make it clear what your cause is and how the product or service relates to that. This will help to put wary millennials at ease and make them more likely to engage with your ad.

Use short ad videos with fast cuts

Videos are a great way to engage millennials when advertising, but the trick is to make them short and snappy. Studies have shown that millennial attention spans are incredibly short, so you don’t want to bore them with a video that goes on for more than a couple of minutes.

Make your video as short and snappy as possible, with fast cuts and plenty of visuals. You can also try to make your video interactive, or include some kind of call to action at the end, to encourage viewers to take some kind of next step, such as signing up to a mailing list or sharing your ad on social media.

Add a human touch with voice overs

Millennials love hearing from other people, so if you can get an influencer or someone else with a large following to advertise for you, you’re likely to reach a wider audience. However, if you don’t have that kind of budget, you can still include a voiceover in your ad.

You can either record your own voiceover or hire a voiceover talent, which can be done relatively cheaply through sites like a fiver.

If you’re recording your own voiceover, make sure you’re relaxed and use a friendly, welcoming tone of voice. Focus on your product or service, and make your ad more personal by sharing your thoughts and feelings about it.

Stick to one color palette

Because millennials are so visual, they’re likely to pay a lot of attention to the visuals in your ad, especially if you’re using a video. They might even notice a tiny detail, like a color in the background of a shot, that you didn’t even realize was there.

If a color is very prominent, you should probably try to avoid it – you don’t want to offend anyone or make them feel like you’re trying to manipulate them with subliminal messages.

You should also avoid using too many different colors, as this could confuse your audience. Instead, pick one color palette, and stick to it throughout your ad – this will make the visuals feel more consistent and seamless and help to keep the audience’s attention.

Don’t forget about audio ads

It’s easy to focus on the visuals, but don’t forget about audio ads. Millennials are likely to listen to audio on their commute to work, when exercising, or even when cooking, so you could be missing out on a huge portion of your potential audience if you only create video ads.

Create a short, snappy audio ad that includes a human voice over and is focused on one thing, such as a product or service. You can also include background sound to help draw attention to your ad.

For example, if you’re advertising in a supermarket, you could include the noise of people chatting or the rustling of paper bags. And even the sound of cashier scanning items.

Summing up

Millennials are a massive audience that you can’t afford to miss out on. They’re tech-savvy and highly social creatures that are especially likely to engage with ads they find interesting.

If you want to reach millennials with your ads, you need to make them visually appealing, short and to the point. And with a human touch. Pick one color palette and stick to it, and don’t forget about audio ads.