There’s a new kid in town and they’re looking to spend. Yes, our latest young professionals that have been coming online in recent years are from the millennial generation. And these aren’t your parent’s consumers. If you’re looking to get a piece of their pocketbook, you have to understand how to change your marketing message to grab their attention—and there’s a lot of noise for them out there. Here are a few ways to have some impact in the market.

Find Your Zen
If you’re going to market to millennials you have to think about your business holistically. You can’t force marketing on your product or a millennial won’t buy your product—or your message. Product design and the marketing message are inseparable. Think Apple. So take a look at your products and truly understand the “why.” This will give your marketing meaning.

Get Real
Millennials can smell a rat. They’ve grown up sharing their lives with the world. They want authenticity in their relationships, and that includes relationships with the companies that sell them their stuff. The easiest way to understand how you can market to them is to listen. This will give you an opportunity to weave your product story into their story and show them that they’ve been heard. Speak in their language. The casual tone may bother you at first because it may feel unprofessional. But the kids will dig it if you do.

Let All of Those Emotions Out
If you develop a good story around your products, it humanizes your brand. Now you’re a person talking to a person. That’s the foundation of human existence. That vulnerability may have you squirming in your seat, but you’re going to build a level of trust that millennials crave.