It is no secret that the term millennial often comes with negative preconceived notions, but it is estimated that by 2020 46 percent of all U.S. workers will be millennials. That means millennials make up a large portion of consumers and businesses need to be able to find a way to reach them and stand out from competitors. Here we will talk about a few ways you can reach the millennial generation with social marketing.

1. Keep it instant. We live in a world where you no longer have to leave your house to shop for clothes, buy groceries or even order food and millennials like it that way. It is important to maintain instant contact with consumers and one way to do that is through email, private messaging and comments. If you reply to comments and concerns in a timely manner on your social sites you build trust with the consumer, which in turn leads to success. The benefits are worth putting the time in to monitor your social sites consistently.

2. Stand out. Find a way to be different from your competitors. Use social media to tell your brand’s specific story through posts and live videos. Your posts don’t always have to consist of generic advertising, be honest and authentic so consumers feel they have a connection to you or your business.

3. Start a blog. Gone are the days of print advertising (almost). Millennials want information fast and from a source they trust. Instead of serving them a generic ad, write a blog post about your product or send your product to an influencer in exchange for a review. According to Adweek, 93% of millennials have purchased a product after hearing about it from a family member or friend and 90% of millennials will share their brand preferences online.

Marketing to millennials is different from any other generation so if you’re prepared to change your game plan you should see success in your future.