# (Hashtag) Reaching the Millennial Market Through Social Media

The old adage in marketing says if you aim at everyone you'll miss them all. I know Realtors sometimes fall into the trap of attempting to reach everyone and then scratch their heads when they only hear crickets chirping. If you're one of those (or even if you're not), stick with me and I might be able to help you.

Let me start with one word: Millennials - those between the ages of 18 and 34.

The National Association of REALTORS® has found that Millennials represent the largest share of recent buyers (32 percent of all buyers last year were Millennials). But here's the kicker: the overwhelming majority use real estate agents. Are lights and bells going off in your head? If not, check your pulse.

So a great place to sharpen your marketing aim is with Millennials. That's half the equation - knowing who to go after. The second half is to know how to reach them. For that part, I'll share two words: social media. Many surveys have confirmed that social media is the Millennials' dominant source of information, even above search engines. So the best way to build relationships and trust with Millennials is through social media.

The true beauty of social media is not only its reach but its implied advocacy. When Millennials find content they relate to, they share it with their peers. So if one person shares your message, it could instantly go to hundreds (or even thousands) of people with the inferred praise of the person sharing it.

If you're not using social media, again, check your pulse. Then start learning about social media and get active on it. I promise it'll be well worth your time. The big ones are Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram. You can Google each and get a feel for which ones make the most sense for you, but all of them have something to offer Realtors.

Now I'm not one to toot my own horn, but for this topic I will, only with the hope that you give what I say a little more weight. Last year, a national magazine named me to its 25 most connected professionals list. I'm proud of that because I know in this day and age anyone who sells anything must use social media.

So here are some tips you can start using to reach Millennials on their terms:

1. First, take time to understand social media. Join them (they're free!) and just take it all in. See what it's all about and what kind of information people share. Spend at least several days learning before you share info.

2. Make sure what you share fits the specific social media outlet. For example, Facebook and Twitter are primarily personal tidbits, news and they're both fairly casual, while Instagram is geared almost exclusively for visuals and photos.

3. Make sure your information is relevant and useful to improve the chance it gets shared. Millennials understand marketers and they're open to their messages on social media -- if the messages are relevant to their lives. Otherwise, they simply ignore it.

4. Make it interesting. Instead of saying, 'Gee, I have this great listing.' Why not just share a picture of a cool looking wrap-around front porch of a house (that just happens to be one of your listings) that was built in the 1940s.

Share what's on your mind. Are you using social media as a marketing tool? If not, why not? Too much of a learning curve? Just not interested? Do you know other agents or brokers who are using social media? What do you think of their efforts? Do you believe it would help your business if you were more active on social media?

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