Millennials and Gen Z have tons of buying power, but they are known for being difficult to reach. There are countless failed attempts of companies trying to reach these younger demographics. Unfortunately, these groups can smell an artificial sales pitch a mile away.

In fact, Millennials don’t seem to follow the old formulas of brand loyalty, hyped-up advertorial messaging and clear-cut calls-to-action in ways previous generations did.

So, what do you do?

If you want to attract Millennial followers to your social media accounts, then try out these newer strategies to get some real results without alienating this tech-savvy generation:

Don’t try to be too funny.

Sure, memes are extremely popular amongst the Millennial demographic, but that doesn’t mean humor and jokes are always a home run.

Rather than assuming your brand’s meme is funny because it follows the formula, consider asking a real Millennial (or several) before posting the meme to gauge their responses.

Once it’s published out in the open, a bad meme can drive Millennials away from your social accounts (because it looks like you’re trying too hard), so don’t let internet humor backfire on you and do some careful market research to see what’s actually considered funny for this demographic before posting anything.

Avoid the sales pitch.

Millennials hate being sold to. This is why social media influences are so popular. Young people want to feel like people they trust are recommending products and companies.

No matter how successful different copywriting strategies were before the Internet exploded in popularity, they probably won’t work nowadays if there’s anything more than a subtle suggestion to “consider” looking at some products or services.

Try a subtle calls-to-action here. Instead of the “Buy This Right Now!” try something like “Visit our website to learn more about how our services are helping other people like you.”

Create shareable content.

The key here is to create shareable content. Research shows that infotainment (informative + entertaining content) is one of the best ways to reach Millennials.

It’s not that Millennials are constantly distracted and have short attention spans like the stereotypes might lead you to believe.

Instead, there is simply so much available information online and many more interesting activities they could be doing besides reading your content that you need to give them a reason to want to continue reading.

Make your content stand out with striking visuals and add appropriate humor or fascinating facts to spice up what might otherwise be dismissed as boring barely-disguised marketing copy.

Highlight the social impacts of your brand.

Millennials tend to support brands to become more socially responsible. This includes ethical treatment of any living beings involved in the creation of products (e.g., lab animals or factory workers), corporate philanthropy and other projects that demonstrate you’re in it for more than just profits.

If your brand contributes to different causes or supports socially conscious campaigns, then be sure to highlight that in your social media posts!

These tips will get you well on your way to attracting a newer and younger audience!