Social Media

& Millennials
WHY
should you include

HOW
can you use

IN YOUR
MARKETING PLAN?

TO REACH
MILLENNIALS

CONTENT
TIPS

POOR

GOOD

BETTER

CREATE
A Social Media
IN 8 STEPS

TOOLS

to consider

TAP TO
JUMP TO
SECTION
START

WHY
should you include
IN YOUR
MARKETING PLAN?

Millennials are relentlessly connected

through technology socially,
which makes them demanding,
discerning and sophisticated,
and importantly
influential.

They are also optimistic and brave,

with a nothing to lose
approach to life which makes
them natural innovators
and entrepreneurs.

Believe it or not, 18-24 year olds are one

of the most loyal consumer demographics.
The brands that millennials love
are the ones they share
with their friends,
not as status symbols,
but social symbols.

Millennials want unique experiences

that they can enjoy and share with others.
They want to love brands
that help them live a
fuller life.
my perfect travel company.com

2:00

2:15

2:30

2:45

3:00

3:15

Millennials check their

smartphones an average
of 43 times per day.

2 out of 3 millennials
use 2 or more devices to
access the Internet and
social media every day.

Leading Social
Media Apps
Among Millenials
by SmartPhone
Penetration

FACEBOOK 75.6%
INSTAGRAM 43.1%
SNAPCHAT 32.9%
TWITTER 23.8%
PINTEREST 17.9%
GOOGLE+ 18.0%

VINE 10.7%

TUMBLR 6.3%
Source: comScore Mobile Metrix, U.S., June 2014

+
=

5 out of 6 millennials
choose to connect with
companies using social
media, but they want
something in return.

Millennials Want:
Correct!
MATERIAL
GAIN

FREE
PRODUCTS

A GOOD
DISCOUNT

WINNABLE
COMPETITION

TO BE
ENTERTAINED

Thats pretty much it.

Having a conversation is not enough.

Past
experience

brand
trust

makes
millennials willing
to share personal
information.

Transparency and
message relevance
is very important in
gaining trust and
encouraging this audience
to share your message.

HOW
can you use
TO REACH
MILLENNIALS

Before
you get started
Yup
it s in there

ASSIGN
OWNERSHIP

TEST
THE TOOLS

SUMMON YOUR INNER

CREATIVE GENIUS

ASSIGN OWNERSHIP

Who will be responsible

for developing content and
executing your strategy?
Social media marketing takes time...
and continuous engagement.

TEST THE TOOLS

Experiment various social

media platforms to make sure
you understand how to use
them. Have you checked out
SnapChat yet?

SUMMON YOUR INNER CREATIVE GENIUS

Millennials want to be
entertainedyou cant just
use your normal sales pitch
Looking For Work?

for this plan.

CREATE
A Social Media
IN 8 STEPS

Identify

Your

OBJECTIVES

What can social media

help you achieve?
LEAD
GENERATION

ENCOURAGE
COMMENTS

ENCOURAGE
ENGAGEMENT

BUILD
REPUTATION

Choose objectives
you can achieve
given the resources you
have, identify barriers;
address them.

Make your objectives

SMART

Specific

Relevant

Measurable

Time-bound

Achievable

EXAMPLES:

1000
video shares
within
6 months

25
registrants
to a
specific event

Identify

Your

TARGET
Audience

Create a PERSONA
using this handy guide
TAP HERE
TO GO TO
LINK

Research Your
COMPETITION

if

this audience
isnt using
your service

what are they doing

to achieve
the same outcome

Examine how
those alternatives
are using
social
media

Choose

Your

Social
Networks

Use the network(s)

your audience is using

Consider
niche networks
If your message is specific to
employment, consider LinkedIn
students and recent grads are
active in this space even though
it isnt at the top of their list.

You dont need

to be everywhere
START SMALL

Find your voice

and tone.
What ?

Start with questions

like these

if

your
company
was a
person

What kind of personality

would it have?
y
n
a
p
m
o
c
y
M
is hip!

What relationship would it

have with your customer?
y
n
a
p
m
o
c
y
M
is a leader!
,
d
n
e
i
r
f
,
h
c
a
o
c

teacher, etc.

How do your customers

perceive your company?
Use adjectives
Use adjectives
to describe what to describe what
your company
your company
IS
is not

Strategize:
Plan Your Posting
Strategy

amazing content
+ perfect timing
+ ideal frequency
= SUCCESS

Use images and video

to tell the story

Create a
social media calendar
1

Plan your
frequency

Identify your
message

Download a planning calendar from HubSpot here.

Fill out your profiles

completely
Partial profiles imply
lack of effort; take
some time to fill in all
the blanks.

Execute
Analyze
Test

Start posting
and watch your stats
The more you post, the
x more you will learn about
x which content, timing and
frequency are right for you.

Most social networks have

built in monitoring tools

After a month or
so you can set
some benchmarks
and new targets

TAP TO
JUMP TO
LINK

Automate
and Engage
Once you get your plan in place

Automate
Schedule posts, listen to conversations and
review your metrics all in one place (for a fee).

EXAMPLE:

Engage
Dont forget to talk back
conversations are a two-way
dialogue.
Set some time aside each day
to look at your profiles and
respond a little attention
paid here will go a long way.

U s e i n t e r n s h i ps
f
o
d
n
i
k
e
h
t
e
n
i
m
r
to dete
.
t
n
a
w
u
o
y
r
e
e
r
ca
Would y ou be
y
m
g
n
i
e
b
n
i
d
e
interest
job search
buddy?

CONTENT
TIPS

Use hashtags
WATCH

Keep #hashtags simple, short, memorable

and related to the topic.

Brand your page

Use a unique cover photo to showcase your

organization not just your logo and building.

Create Infographics

GO TO
EASEL.LY

Infographics are shared on the web more than

any other content online.

My cool
of fer:

Add value

FREE
WEBINAR

FREE
CONSULTATION

FREE
EBOOK
SPECIAL
DISCOUNT

Demonstrate the benefits of your products and

services with a video versus just text+image.

Find the perfect image

Take the picture yourself.
Create an image using simple
design software:
> canva.com

Find it online.
Try these search tools:
> creativecommons.org
> compfight.com

Be sure to use
only images
without copyright
infringement.

Create your own videos

Testimonials, demonstrations, invitations, tips

countless ideas for creating video content.

Use a smart phone to

record and edit your own
recordings or try one of
these neat tools:
> prezi.com
> GOanimate.com
> sparkol.com

Create a resource

Fill your pages with enough information to

get the point across, leave them wanting more.

Ask questions
Heres an
idea

Excellent
idea

People like to share their ideas.

Good or bad, ideas lead to more ideas.

Create posts on a topic

unrelated to your
business, but of great
interest to the audience.

IC
UN

RE

LA
TE

DT
OP

IEN
TA
UD
GE
TA
R

YO
U

RB

US

INE

SS

CE

Expand your reach

Network, post, update

Link your Facebook
page to your other
social media.

Update your most

popular posts,
re-share them.

Update your cover photo often and pin a new

post to the top of your page each week to
highlight your team, services, events

POOR GOOD BETTER

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

EXAMPLE:

The image cant be seen and

appears sloppy.

Information is friendly and conveys

urgency.

EMPLOYMENT SERVICES

EXAMPLE:

This post does not include a

picture and the #hashtag is not
location specific.

This post includes a picture of a

person making it more relatable. It
also includes an @mention which is
great for online engagement.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

EXAMPLE:

The picture on the right is taken from Google images rather than using
the image that generates automatically when sharing a linked article.

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

EXAMPLE:

Give reasons to encourage young

entrepreneur growth. Follow
and retweet local and famous
entrepreneurs to inspire millennials.
This would be more appealing if it had
an image and included a #hashtag.

This tone is conversational and stirs curiosity.

It would be better with a picture.

SKILLS TRAINING

EXAMPLE:

The post on the left is good but needs a different picture if trying to
reach millennials. The image should support the subject while offering
new information and ideas. An urgent call to action is more likely to get
an immediate response.

SKILLS TRAINING

EXAMPLE:

Millennials are unlikely to

respond to a Tweet that doesnt
offer incentive. There is no
picture and the #hashtag used
does not coincide with their
professional message and
purpose.

There is a price included, a question

asked and a picture. All of these will
gain the attention of millennials.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EXAMPLE:

Posting on LinkedIn is similar to Facebook in that

people can like and comment on your posts. LinkedIn works well for posts
on workshops, training and professional development. Get involved in
groups like the Brantford Entrepreneurs LinkedIn group or create your
own to promote an online discussion and provide information.

TOOLS

to consider

BY THE NUMBERS
1.3 billion monthly active Facebook users
75% of the engagement on a Facebook
post happens in the first 5 hours
TAP FOR

CONSIDER THIS
Populate your news feed and place
targeted advertising; news feed ads are
an effective, cost-efficient choice.

BY THE NUMBERS
288 million monthly active Twitter users
500 million Tweets are sent per day
80% of Twitter active users are on
mobile devices
TAP FOR

CONSIDER THIS
Present your brand and start
connecting; test some promoted
tweets.

BY THE NUMBERS
187 Million monthly active LinkedIn users
There are over 39 million students and
recent graduates on LinkedIn
41% of LinkedIn visits are via mobile
devices
44,000 = the average number of daily
LinkedIn job applications
TAP FOR

CONSIDER THIS
Create a business profile, post regularly
and get involved in groups; use
targeted ads and sponsored updates.

BY THE NUMBERS
12 million+ people blog via social networks
23% of Internet time is spent on blogs and
social networks
Companies with a blog have 97% more
inbound links than others (WOW!)
B2B marketers using blogs generate
67% more leads

CONSIDER THIS
Blogs should be updated regularly with
casual articles about specific topics.

BY THE NUMBERS
200 million monthly active Instagram users
20+ billion Instagram photos have been
shared to date
70 million active Pinterest users
There are 400 million Snapchat snaps
per day

CONSIDER THIS
Photo and video
sharing is growing
rapidly, join in.

INSTAGRAM

PINTEREST

SNAPCHAT

EXAMINER

MASHABLE

HUBSPOT

M-PROFS

CONSIDER THIS
Once you have a plan you may find
yourself needing a bit more advice on
how to use a specific social media site,
how to create an ad,
how to write a blog post
For more great tips on how to engage
your customer using social media
follow some of these great blogs.

Thank you to our partners

for supporting this project.
Brant Resource Centre
Brant Skills Centre
Brantford Public Library
Career Link
City of Brantford/Ontario Works/
Brant Jobs
Community Resource Service/
Employment Service
County of Brant
(Economic Development)
Enterprise Brant

Fanshawe Employment Services

Grand Erie Business Centre
Grand River Employment and Training
Haldimand County Economic
Development
Haldimand/Norfolk Social Services
Kissinger HR Services
Norfolk Economic Development
St. Leonards Community Services
Venture Norfolk

OUR VISION

A skilled, adaptable workforce

contributing to a vibrant economy

This Employment Ontario Project is funded by the Government of Ontario. The views expressed in this document do not
necessarily reflect those of Employment Ontario. The material in this report has been prepared by WPBGE and is drawn
from a variety of sources considered to be reliable. We make no representation or warranty, expressed or implied, as
to its accuracy or completeness. In providing this material, WPBGE does not assume any responsibility or liability.

Prepared By:
Christina DeVries
Communications/Project Officer
Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie
Graphic Design:
Cath Strung
Strung Design House Inc.