#129: Marketing to Millennials—What Writers and Copywriters Need to Know

Welcome to the High Income Business Writing Podcast, helping you propel your writing business to a whole new level. And now, here's your host, Ed Gandia.

Hey there. Thank you for joining me for episode 129 of the High Income Business Writing Podcast. My name is Ed Gandia and this is the podcast for business writers and copywriters who want to take their writing businesses to the six figure level or the part time equivalent. Just a quick reminder that you can find a detailed show notes of this episode by going to b2b launcher.com Episode 129 you know, millennials tend to get a bad rap. The stereotype of a millennial is that of a spoiled, unemployed and highly educated 25 year old living in mom and dad's basement, maybe spending a lot of time playing video games, Snapchatting, binge watching Netflix and just trying to find their way. And you know, there might be some truth to that, but I think that is an unfair characterization of this incredibly huge generation that frankly can't be summarized in a couple of paragraphs. So let me share some interesting statistics with you. There are approximately 80 million millennials in the US and they spend about 600 billion billion with a B per year right now. And these are stats from Accenture, by the way. Millennials are, by the way, born between 1980 and 2000. So I know many of us think of them as kind of young. And even though they're relatively young, when you add that up, you realize that many of them are already in their 20s and 30s, many of them have kids, they have an established career, and so forth. So these are not necessarily people living in their parents basement. Now this is pretty interesting. By 2020, according to Accenture, their spending power is expected to increase to $1.4 trillion and represent 30% of all retail sales. Now they may not have the spending power and wealth of boomers, I get that, okay? But it's also unfair to lump them into one category and assume they don't matter. Because they do matter. And as a writer and copywriter, there's a good chance that at some point, if you haven't already, you'll have to write for this demographic. In this episode, you're going to hear from my friend and colleague Kelly King of the 8020 agency. Kelly is a very talented marketing strategist who has built a marketing firm around the concept of connecting with millennials. And she, in this interview, will explain how millennials think differently, what their attitudes and values are, what they look for in a product, service and company, four common myths about this generation and what writers and copywriters need to understand if they want their message to connect with them. So I'm going to go straight to the interview. I think you're really going to enjoy this. Here's my interview with Kelly King. Kelly, so great to have you on the show.

Oh, it's great to be here, Ed. I'm honored.

Well, I am honored as well. And I am really excited to talk with you about this because this is a topic we've yet to address, and it's a hot topic and a very important topic. But before we get to this whole millennial discussion, go ahead and give us a little bit of background so we have some context. So tell us about yourself, the kind of work you do as a creative professional, and also a bit about your experience leading up to your latest venture.

Sure. Well, I grew up in Canada in a small town named Kingsville in southern Ontario. And then I went to college at EpicMaster University. And during those years I worked for Gatorade. So that kind of formulated my direction in terms of my career. Cause I fell in love with brands and marketing, which led me to a job at Kraft. And I was fortunate to work on some really cool brands. Post cereals, new product development in the serial division, and then moved on to Crystalite and Country Time and also helped out with Kool Aid. And then I moved on to working on new product for in the coffee division, which is Maxwell House, and working on premium coffee way back when Starbucks was getting started. So that gives you a bit of my background in terms of product management. And then I met my husband and moved to Indiana. So that's when my world changed into the entrepreneurial world and started my own business and giving what I thought was big brand expertise and branding for small brands here in Bloomington. I live in Bloomington in Indiana, so I've been doing that for a good 15 years. And then most recently, when social media started getting crazy and super popular, I found that clients and people were saying, wow, you really need young people to do all that social media, don't you? And it was funny, in one meeting, I really had the aha moment when I had this older gentleman telling me, you know, you really need young people helping you with that chap Snap. And he kept saying, young people really know chapsnat. I was talking to my grandson and he's all about chapsnat. And I didn't have the nerve to tell him that he was saying it wrong. But I said, you know, you're probably right, I do need younger people. Because I really don't know how to do this. And it made me realize, okay, the perception is they don't want this middle aged woman or they don't think a middle aged woman can handle social media. So I need to get some young people on my staff to give the perception that they are rocking and rolling. Meanwhile, you know, the millennials really need some help when it comes to social media marketing. They know social media, but they don't necessarily know marketing. But anyways, we won't tell anybody that. So anyways, that's made me change my identity to from being Kelly king creative to 8020 agency. And we follow the 8020 principle, being very productive and focused, which kind of resonates with branding and marketing and just the way we operate. And now I have a staff of millennials which are a blast to work with. They're super sharp and the clients are happy because I've got young people working on their social media.

That's really cool. I don't see a lot of this out there. Right. So it's either one or the other, but it sounds like you got a really cool blend. You're going after brands that need to market to millennials and you're finding the people who can do this well and truly understands that demographic and what it's like because they're part of that group. Right. And you're building that team and you're giving these brands what you need, what they need. But you also have that kind of that old school upbringing, we call it old school. Gosh. But it's really not that old, is it?

Exactly. So I bring the fundamentals of marketing, the strategy and whatnot, and also help them with the, just the messaging and how to do the marketing in terms of making it engaging and calls to action and that kind of stuff. But the millennials and the students that are working with me, they're mostly students. We say they speak Millennial and they know how to make a message clever and they know they have to make the image super impactful and, you know, high impact. And you just can't slap anything out there, especially if you want to resonate with Millennials. It's, it's, it's going to be critiqued and if it's not super sharp, then it's not going to resonate with them.

So what, I mean, if you had to say in one sentence, I mean, what is your value proposition to a prospect? You know, when, when you're talking about why they should work with you.

I would say we bring, you know, we Say we bring old school smarts and marketing fundamentals that are very strategic with fresh ideas and fresh creative that you really can't find in a lot of other places. So it's the one, two punch. We really work well together.

That's awesome. So just so we understand, in terms of what type of clients you're going after, can you maybe give us some examples of some clients that you've been working with recently, what types of companies and what markets and so forth?

Well, to be honest, we're not super focused on one target. The one that I really would love to go after and be more engaged with and focus on would be education in terms of higher ed and, and institutions and getting them in millennials with higher education schools. But right now we're working with a variety of clients. One's a craft brew brewing company, another is a bank. We just landed. We're the agency of record for a local bank, which is really fun. And we're going to be very strategic and millennial like in that. And then we also have new neighborhood development, we have a retail high end home goods store, and we also have a school corporation. So it's quite a mix. But personally, I would prefer to have a variety. I'm not one to stick with one single area because I get bored. And I know that kind of goes against the rule of what you should do in terms of niche marketing, but my mind, I guess my creative mind likes to have variety and I pull things from all different directions to maximize the client.

You know, I don't blame you. And I think that whole niche, or at least in terms of target market, that gets miscontrued sometimes out there in a lot of the articles that I read. And I think the biggest thing is to be able to communicate with clarity and conviction where you shine. And focusing on one target market is one way of doing that. But I think the misconception is that that's the only way of doing it right. And what I'm hearing is that your value proposition, what makes you different, is really not about focusing on a target market. It's about what you bring to the table in terms of the fundamentals and the strategy along with that millennial angle. At least that's the way I'm seeing it here.

Yeah, and we like to have fresh, creative. And if I just stuck to financial institutions and banking, it would get stale. And it's like, okay, we'll just do the same thing as always, and we would just be cookie cutter marketing. And that's not what I want to do. We want to make it fresh and compelling. And, and I mean, I steal ideas from different, like the banking and I use it, you know, can use, oh, we did this. But let's put that into the craft brewing. You know, that concept. I mean, it's, it's amazing how much things can cross over different industries and you can use creative in different ways.

Yeah, well, especially since you're working. Yeah. If you keep that angle consistently. Right. And you're working with a team of young professionals, then a lot of these things keep coming, keep coming up, which is great. It'd be a little harder, I think, if maybe you had different teams and one of them was a younger team and then you had kind of an older team and now you're shifting gears, I think that'd be very difficult.

Right, right. That's exactly right.

So let's dig a little deeper into this topic of millennials, because I'm anxious to hear more, more about this. You and I had a conversation offline a couple of weeks ago and you were sharing some things with me that I had no idea that these things were happening or these things were true and not true about millennials. But I'm curious to hear some of the biggest things you found about millennials in terms of their values, their beliefs and, and attitudes. Because I think this really, this is something again, that a lot of people don't really understand. We have these many times misconceptions. And I'm curious to see what you found after several years of working with this demographic.

You know, the thing I've noticed the most personally is they demand authenticity. They like things that are real. They don't tolerate fake, phony, overproduced. They know when they're being marketed to. They really want just authentic, real people and real brands that aren't necessarily perfect. They, they're not like we were. They also are very social conscience conscious. They want brands that do good, so they are more willing to give up even more money or the cool factor for a brand or just anything, an event that does good in the world, which I really was surprised a little bit by that. And it resonated when I was on a trip with my daughter and her girlfriends and I was going through a bunch of questions that I use on my interviews and I asked them, what are your favorite brands? And they thought long and hard and the brands they were rattling off and why were very social conscious brands and had nothing to do with the cool factor.

So what are some examples of those, by the way?

The easiest one or the most recognizable one is Tom Shoes. Yeah, that's just the best example that everybody knows. And a lot of brands are doing knockoffs of that. But, you know, if you look at Tom's shoes, they certainly are really cool looking, but boy, are they popular. And did they really, you know, do gangbusters a couple years ago when they launched and had that promotion that they did for giving away to, you know, third world countries.

So by the way, just to clarify, these are the folks that say, look, buy a pair of shoes from us, we'll give away a pair to somebody who needs them. Right to. Exactly, yeah.

And now they give away, I think, sunglasses and other things and they've just expanded their brand and I think there's a lot of Me too products. But just anything that's. It really resonates with them, which I applaud these millennials for, because when you and I were growing up, it was all about just what, what's going to make me look cool.

Yeah.

And that's not the case anymore. So I don't know if, you know, our generation or us old folks realize how important that is to them. So that's, I guess, a misconception in a way. But back to the values. They also value, you know, very common themes. They like to belong. Everybody wants to fit in, but that's a big thing with them. And also just traditionally with, you know, teenagers, but just that sense of belonging. So if you are building a brand, you want to create a tribe, they also like to have recognition. And the recognition they get right now are, you know, the likes and the retweets and all that stuff on social media. And you'll notice that people will do and they call it humble brags so that they can get these retweets and likes and whatnot. So they probably would never admit to it, but everybody likes a little recognition, especially when it's on social media. Then also another thing is they like things that are to be easy and they, you know, will take the easiest route. So if you want somebody to want to recycle or do something, whether it's fill out a form or any call to action, make it easy for them and they will take the path of least resistance. So they're very, you know, very fast, want instant gratifications, they want it easy.

Yeah, I've seen a lot of that where they want to automate. They want to just, can I. How can I make this super, super easy and faster? Right. I want to be able to do it faster or learn it faster. Or what have you.

Exactly. They like hacks, they like the top like 10 tips for this and 10 tips for that. And they want just to make their life easier. If you can give them a way to make their life easier, they're all about that also leads to they're eager to learn, so they want to learn and grow. I mean they're just not sitting around watching or playing video games. I mean they're all about improving. I mean they're highly competitive. They want to be better than whatever, improve and be better than their peers so that they can succeed. They're very motivated. So if you can give them information so they can learn and grow, that's important to them. They're also very open minded. They, you know, three in 10 millennials, they don't identify with a particular religion. So you know, that's just needs to be known that they're very aware of different points of view. So you know, just keep that. Communicators need to keep that in mind. And then lastly, they like flexibility and convenience. And I think this comes to the work environment. So if you can provide flexibility, that may resonate more than them getting a higher paycheck if it's convenient. Like an online class, where they probably prefer the online class versus having to schlep themselves onto campus. So maybe there's something to, you know, providing online classes or a webinar or whatnot. So they like the convenience of doing things online.

Interesting. So as I look at some of these, if you don't mind, what I'd like to do is maybe ask you about a few of them and how they pertain to marketers, especially copywriters, we're writing sales copy, marketing copy, or even marketing content that we know it's going to be geared towards millennials. So when it comes to let's start with authenticity. So what would be a good example of that? You mentioned that they were want the real deal. Like they don't want extremely polished. They want if you mess up for you to admit it, to fess up to it. So what might be some examples of how you can inject more authenticity? And I know as a copywriter, as a writer, many times you have no control over that. But in terms of what you are writing, what may be some general ideas or guidelines to keep in mind, I.

Think for authenticity, they like real conversational messaging. They don't want it formal. They don't want somebody talking down to them. They want it to be able to resonate with them. And I asked my millennials what's it take to write, like, for a millennial? They said it's just got to have that vibe. And. And it's true. You can kind of tell when a millennial has written something versus, you know, a Gen Xer. It's less formal, and they know how to keep the writing concise, use more white space. And I think they just write the way they speak a little more. It's just. And then they don't want to overdo the jargon. Everybody thinks, oh, you have to. If you're going to speak millennial. Well, you have to use all these, you know, new crazy words. Well, not necessarily, because that will turn them off in an instant.

They'll see through that, won't they?

Yes. It's trying too hard. I heard an ad on the radio the other day, and I just shook my head because they were using all kinds of words and, you know, that millennials can or have used. And it was almost outdated and just made me cringe. I'm like, oh, if they want the millennials to like this, they just crashed and burned because it was so, you know, unreal and unauthentic. Just trying way too hard.

Well, it speaks to. Right. Having millennials on staff, or if you're a millennial, listening to this, I think you got an advantage here, because I would. It would be harder for me, I think, to write that way. I'm trained to write conversationally. But what you're describing, I think takes it up a notch, even with the. Not just the conversational aspect of it, but some of the knowing how to balance the lingo. Right. So it's not overdone, and it really does feel real and authentic.

Yes. And another word I would say is be humble. They don't want to be talked down to, and they don't want it to be too, you know, I guess, formal again, but be humble and not pushy in your messaging that, you know, you have to buy this. And this is. It's to have that humility. They like that and appreciate that. It's just a vibe that they like. A personable, humble, you know, and make fun of yourself type of feeling that I think would resonate the best with them.

Now, in terms of socially conscious, I wanted to ask you about that because I see two flavors of this. I see the Toms shoes flavor, which is a very authentic. This is a core value. Everything else is under this. Right. Everything flows from this core value. Everything in our company, everything we do, as opposed to, let's say, Target, the retailer which donates, I Forget what the percentage is, but I mean, we're talking millions and millions of dollars every year to local community charities and organizations. But it's not perceived. At least I don't perceive it as a core value as part of their mission. It just seems almost like an aside. And I might be wrong here. I'm just going by perception. So. But, you know, from, again, from a marketing standpoint, what do you need to be mindful of here?

Well, you'd be surprised. I have the list of the top 10 brands for millennials. Target is number two.

Wow. Okay.

Yeah, Yeah, I was surprised too. When I pulled up the list.

It was gimmicky to me. It felt, you know, I don't know, it just felt a little different from some of the other brands that I guess I associate with that socially conscious movement.

Yeah, obviously it's resonating with them, and I think that's something that, you know, they, the messaging is hitting them, but it's missing us. So that's why I think we just need to know how to, you know, speak their language. And obviously Target's communications team and marketing team are, are nailing it. The number one brand was Apple.

I was gonna ask you. Yeah. What if you could rattle off some of them.

Yeah.

Curious.

So I'll go from. I'll start from 10. Number 10 was Victoria's Secret. Nine is Microsoft. Eight is Amazon. Seven was Walmart, which was surprising to me.

That is surprising.

And, yeah, really surprising. Six was Samsung. Five was Coca Cola. Four was Sony. Three Nike. Two Target. And number one again was Apple.

Interesting.

But those are brands that you should look at if you're into communications, just to see what they're doing, not only for their writing style, but their visuals as well. And any promotions they're running, just all the stuff they're doing, because it's really a mix of their communication, not just the writing.

Interesting. So tell me about. I guess another one that I wanted to ask you about was open Minded. So I'm curious, you know, what are you seeing there in terms of, I mean, you have to tread carefully, but open minded. Do they try to see both sides or do they, like most of us, have kind of a set of beliefs and we look for things that reaffirm and confirm those beliefs. So do you, do you definitely see a difference in that generation than you do in other generations?

I think we do. I think they're just exposed to more communication. I mean, they, they're the most educated generation, you know, that there is just because of all the information that they have access to. And so I think they, they're just more well versed in what's going on and they see more opinions and they're, you know, communicating with other, you know, millennials or just people around the world really, which we weren't doing when we were young. So, you know, when it comes to politics and all kinds of stuff, you know, religion, they're just, I think that's where they get the open mindedness. They're just more exposed to it.

Yeah. Open minded to anything outside of the status quo. Like they'll look at the status quo, but where maybe other generations might be drawn to that and be very close to other ideas. They'll look at that and look at other ideas.

Exactly. I think they're just more aware.

Yeah. And then one last one that I wanted to ask you more about because we kind of glossed over it, but it was the want to belong. I mean, because in my mind I think we all want to belong. But you noted that as being a little different. So what aspect of that do you feel changed in that generation?

Well, I think it's, it's not just for that generation, just to clarify, but I think it's even more, you know, obvious and especially with social. They want to be part of what's, what's out there and they, you know, they want to be on the post. They want to be part of a cause, they want to be part of whatever's going on. That there's just that ubiquitous sense of belonging that they on the reverse or opposite end. Being left out is hurtful. So you have to be very self conscious of that if you want, you know, people don't want to be left out. So I'm not exactly sure how on branding to give any strong tips on that, but it's a very powerful feeling. So if you want to create a sense of, you know, membership or something like that, it could really work well for you.

No, I totally get that. So maybe really emphasizing that a little bit more than you normally would, you know, this part like the fact that hey, others like you are doing this or using this product and you know, there's a sense of community around it, maybe that's even more important is that's what I'm hearing from you, Kelly, that where others might be, well, you know, I really focus more on the other benefits in the community is kind of secondary.

Right. And it's almost that team feeling. I mean, it's more fun to be as with the team than just, you know, going out alone. So I mean, if that may be the easier way to think of it is, you know, everybody wants to be on, you know, a winning team or a team that has fun or a team that is all about this or all about that. So, you know, create, create that team atmosphere.

Let's talk about some of the misconceptions because I know there are many out there and I know I've fallen prey to just assuming, well, millennials are this, or they believe that or this is what they're going to naturally do or not do. I know there are many of them, but what are the most common misconceptions you hear out there?

Sure. Well, the number one is that millennials are all alike. And that is no further from the truth. They are all different. They sometimes have the same similar similarities, but really you have to look at them individually. You can't look at, you know, all people from Ireland are the same, or Protestants are all the same, or, you know, cat lovers are all the same. It's just like millennials. They're not all the same. They're doing a lot of the same things, but they have very different personalities. So you just have to remember that. And it's very insulting to them. When we generalized and I taught a school or a class at the media school, and they would just laugh when I would tell them, this is what people are thinking of you guys, and they would just, you know, shake their heads thinking, yep, they're lumping us all into one label.

Yeah. Yeah. And I, you know, how much of this, I guess one that I'm assuming is, is unfair is that they're, that they're lazy, that they're all living in their parents basement and they don't really want to get out there and work.

Yes, exactly. And that people think they're content to live with mom and dad. Well, that's not necessarily true. It's a lot of times it's financial reasons or they're just trying to be frugal and, and save, or it could be the economy, but, and they're definitely not all out there. There's some very, you know, independent, you know, high achieving. There's a, there's millions of them out there not living with mom and dad. But you know, some of them are just being frugal and trying to get through their student loans, which are a lot higher than when we used to have loans. So that, that's the economy speaking to you.

What other misconceptions do you think are kind of damaging?

Another one is that they're always job Hopping, you know, they're only not hopping any more than the Gen Xers right now. And if they have a great job that they love, they want to be loyal. So that's a big misconception. You know, they don't want to hop, but if they do, it's out of necessity. And then another one is that they're opposed to marriage. That's not true either. From the statistics that, you know, I've been reading, they just put it off longer. So, you know, we're not seeing the young 20 year olds or mid 20 year olds getting married. They're waiting till they're in their early 30s, so they're not opposed to it. They're just holding off for a while. And I think they want to, you know, establish themselves. And now, you know, they both want to get their careers under their belt and, you know, they, they want to make sure they get, get it right. So they're holding off and making sure they find the right person. So I think there's a multiple, multitude of reasons why, but that's just the trend. It's just that it's not that they're opposed, they're just, they're just waiting and not rushing into it. And another one is that they, they don't want. Another misconception is they don't want to be homeowners. And that's not true either. They, they do want to be homeowners, but again, they're just holding off and probably saving up. I'm sure that all the real estate agencies are wondering, where's all the millennials buying their homes? Well, they're just waiting and they're saving their money. They're very, you know, very money or financially aware. And, and it's interesting, we did focus groups with a, for a financial institution and it was really amazing because we did, you know, 20s, 30s, and 40s, different, you know, age groups. And the 20, the group of 20s were very, surprisingly, very financially savvy. And they wanted to save their money and they didn't want to. Some of them, I just remember a quote was, I don't want to be in the position my parents are in right now. So they just wanted to be financially secure. So again, that just goes with being more aware. I think they're smarter than you think.

Yeah. And I've heard the generations, they have an echo effect where, so baby boomers had Gen Xers. So wait a minute. So let me make sure I understand, right? Millennials are the kids of Gen Xers or baby boomers, I guess mostly well.

Both, but mostly probably Gen Xers and baby boomers, because, you know, in our situation, my husband's a baby boomer and I'm a Gen Xer. So we're both at the end. But they're on the bookmarks, I call them.

But anyways, you do the opposite of right, of. Tends to work in reverse. You. You do the opposite of what your parents did, and then their kids do the opposite. You know, so it keeps going back and forth. So if you look back, I read this book, it was like, you know, they trace it back to, I think, the. The turn of the 20th century. And if you look at every generation, it skips. Every other generation is different. So it goes back and forth. And it was so cool to see that you see a conservative generation, much more liberal than Conservative. Liberal. Conservative, liberal. So I. Yeah, I've heard that before. Well, I don't want to do what my parents did. I saw their mistakes.

That's interesting. I did. I didn't know that phenomenon existed, but, yeah, that makes sense. You know, I don't want to do what they did. So everything's the opposite.

So I'm curious, going back to this idea of if you're a marketer, if you're a writer, copywriter, we talked about some things you need to be mindful of when you're communicating with millennials. You mentioned just more conversational style, a little bit less text. Can you speak to things like, you know, video, other media and so forth that maybe we're used to, but they don't. They don't prefer.

Media that they like?

Yeah, media they like. Maybe we're comfortable with it. We prefer email, but they prefer something else. Or video. You know, we may not prefer video. We don't want to sit in front of video. They might. So, I mean, are these true? To what degree are they true? What have you found?

Oh, sure. Well, they're definitely visually, you know, drawn to the visuals. So if it has graphics and especially video, they love that. It needs to be short and sweet, though, to the point, whatever you're designing, whether it's words, crafting words, or, you know, just a graphic or video, design it for seconds. That's basically. It has to grab their attention with a quick second scan and then they might engage. So you really have to have an attention getting either word or message or graphic that draws them in. And they're all about instant gratification. They're scanners. They're not readers. They'd prefer not to read. They just want the information as quickly as possible. They're highly efficient. Another thing is that they want it. They want to be entertained and they want to entertain others. So if it's entertaining, they will share it. So it, you know, whether there's music or a storytelling content, that's another thing that makes it more compelling for them to stop and actually, you know, read and digest whatever it is you're communicating with them. But they definitely live in the world of being entertained, from Twitter to Snapchat to Instagram. I mean, they. And the clever captions, it's all about the clever captions. So, yeah, it has to be smart and entertaining, and they like it to be interactive. They're used to interacting. So if it's interactive, that's a good thing, too.

Interesting. And I'm seeing the big brands kind of follow suit, right? The Old Spice commercials, all these big brands that had really boring marketing are now creating great, interesting content, whether it's stories or humor. But it's a lot more engaging than it used to be.

Oh, absolutely. And then again, if there's a learning tip where you can make them better or smarter or more productive, you know those lists, you know, the top 10 or five ways or three reasons you should, blah, blah, blah. Those lists are powerful. They'll read the lists. So you see them all the time, but you see them because they work and they get shared. So if you have a list of something, that's helpful. Another interesting thing that I found in my research was when it comes to sharing the content, that was long, and I call it diving deep, if there's a long, you know, article about whatever it is that is more likely to be shared than a small one. So that was very. So I remembered that when I was thinking of you and your writers, that it goes against almost everything I just said. Keep it short and short and concise. They will appreciate the long stuff if it's really good content. If it's good stuff, then they'll share it.

Interesting. So maybe that speaks to the. The recognition, the feeling of wanting to belong. Right. Because when you share something very useful with somebody else, you kind of climb up in status. Right. Because, hey, you're in the know.

Exactly.

Speaks to that. And I guess the trick would be to make it scannable. That way they, they'll be. They'll be drawn in. And then if they scan it and it sounds like it's going to be incredible, then the detail is there and then they go deep.

Yes. And I, I prefer, I mean, try to have headings and bullets and whatnot and so break up, not paragraph after paragraph. You know, keep, you know, use headlines and whatnot. And I. I use bold in my sentences, you know, on all my mediums, because it just draws them in. This is the key part of my, you know, entire paragraph. This is. There's one set of words I want you to remember. This is it. So go crazy with the bold throughout your document. That's. That's just my personal hack of what I do to get my message across, because I know people don't want to read everything.

Yeah, yeah. So this is really a quick question, but I just wanted to get your take on it. In terms of writers and copywriters who are in this generation, the millennial generation, do you feel that that in and of itself is a competitive advantage so they can tout that as, hey, you need to hire me because I'm part of this generation, so if you're targeting millennials, I can bring that to the table? Or do you feel that that is definitely an edge, but you need more than that?

I think it's definitely an edge. I think that there's something about the awareness and the vibe that can make that connection that I don't think that Gen Xers are able to do. And. And they process. Their brains are actually developed differently. I mean, they have, because they've grown up with all this media. And, you know, some of them, they're saying the latest kids are watching and being exposed to almost 18 hours of, you know, online or, you know, screen content a day, which seems crazy, but there's. Their minds and their, you know, frontal cortex are developing differently. So I think they think and they process differently. So it only makes sense that a writer with that kind of brain is going to write, you know, a little bit better than you or I would.

Yeah, that does make sense. And for those of us who are not part of the millennial generation, I mean, what would you recommend we do if we are interested in learning more and immersing ourselves in that culture? Maybe. Sure, we may not be able to do as good a job as someone with the same skill set in that generation, but I guess it always helps, right, to understand that audience. There are resources out there, books, websites, podcasts that you feel will help somebody who's interested in learning more.

Yeah, I mean, a lot of the articles I get are just the more. The most current ones I get from Forbes and Inc. And Business Insider, they're always trying to help people keep up with this crazy generation. So, I mean, just the traditional media, I scoop that up and follow that stuff as much as possible, and it makes it, you know, it's an easy read. I also recently been intrigued by this book called the Millennial Mind by Paula Limina. And she's done fantastic research. It's very scientific. So it's just helpful to get your head around the millennial mind. But that's in a short. It's an easy read. But another thing is just go where they go. You know, my kids, I have two millennials. And you know, Casey Neistat, you know, He's a giant YouTuber. I watch Gary Vee because he's resonating with the millennials. That's Gary Vaynerchuk. And he's giving advice and whatnot. He's not a millennial himself, but he's speaking to them and he's resonating because he's a guru of social media. But then also just go to YouTube and look at who are the influencers and search for that kind of stuff and see how they're connecting with these kids. I mean, there's beauty, you know, influencers out there and fashion influencers and gamers out there. I think it's important just to go and see what they're doing.

Yeah, just really immerse yourself in, in everything they're seeing, being exposed to everything you just said. I'm thinking, man, my, my 14 year old, he's not technically a millennial, but this sounds like right up his alley, you know, he's quoting YouTubers. And I'm thinking, what's a YouTuber? Right up his alley, you know, he's quoting YouTubeners. And I'm thinking, what'S a YouTuber?

Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, they, instead of watching TV, they watch YouTube. That's their entertainment. And it's, it's remarkable. And yeah, it's just, I just encourage everybody get out of their box, get on YouTube and get on Instagram and just check out where, where they're. Oh, yeah, yeah. I mean, they, instead of watching tv, they watch where they're hanging out and, and follow, get on Snapchat. And you can't be in this crazy world of media, especially if you're in social media, without being on the platforms. I mean, you have to be on Instagram night right now. Get a Snapchat, YouTube. That's their entertainment. And it's, it's remarkable. And count and just see what it's like and see what those filters are looking like. So you know what, what's going on? Because you can't have your, you know, be stuck and Stubborn about it. You have to. You have to try all these new crazy things. It's very fun. Get out of your box.

As uncomfortable as it might be. Yes, it's always good. And, you know, I think for us creatives, right, it always helps if we get out of our. Of our box or comfort zone. Only good things can come out of that. So I think that's sound advice. And on that note, Kelly, where can listeners learn more about you? Learn more about your work and what you're up to?

Well, our website is 8020agency.com and it's 8020agency.com. Our Twitter is @82zeroagency. Our Instagram is straight all in one word, 8020agency. And then we also have a Facebook page. It's at 8020 agency. So pretty much, if you Google us, you'll find us. Yeah, it's just. I just encourage everybody get out of their box. Get on YouTube. Black with a purple and red triangle. We're all over the place.

Awesome. Well, hey, we'll include all those links in the show notes. And hey, thank you for coming on, Kelly. This is awesome information. So timely, and I learned a ton. It's fascinating, really.

Get on Instagram and just check out where they're hanging out and follow. Get on Snapchat. You can't be in this crazy world of media, especially if you're in social media, without being on the platforms. I mean, you have to be on Instagram right now. Get a Snapchat count and just see what it's like and see what those filters are looking like. So, you know, what. What's going on? Because you can't have your, you know, be stuck and stubborn about it. You have to. You have to try all these new crazy things. It's very fun. Get out of your box.

As uncomfortable as it might be, yes, it's always good. And, you know, I think for us creatives, right, it always helps if we get out of our. Of our box or comfort zone. Only good things can come out of that. So I think that's sound advice. And on that note, Kelly, where can listeners learn more about you? Learn more about your work and what you're up to?

Well, our website is 8020agency.com and it's 8020agency.com. Our Twitter is @8020agency. Our Instagram is straight all in one word, 8020agency. And then we also have a Facebook page. It's at 8020 agency. So pretty much, if you Google us, you'll find us. We're black. With a purple and red triangle. We're all over the place.

Awesome. Well, hey, we'll include all those links in the show notes. And hey, thank you for coming on, Kelly. This is awesome information. So timely. And I learned a ton of this. This is. This is. It's fascinating.

Really, it is. It's hard to keep up, but thank you for having me. It was a blast to speak with you.

The High Income Business Writing Podcast is a production of B2B business launcher. Learn more@b2b launcher.com.

It is. It's hard to keep up, but thank you for having me. It was a blast to speak with you.

B2B business launcher. Learn more at B2B launcher.