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VIA Idea #39

The Buying Power of Millennials

The First Digital Natives

Millennials are defined as people born between 1980 and 2000, and at 92 million, they are the biggest generation in history. The Enthusiast Networkdescribes them as “mobile-first” and “social-obsessed,” but it’s these behaviors that have given them such unique experiences and sets them apart from previous generations. They have been shown to put off huge commitments like marriage, children and buying a house, but studies show that millennials have less money to spend than Generation X and Baby Boomers. Lower employment levels, smaller incomes and student loan debt are contributing factors, according to Goldman Sachs’ infographic on millennials. However, these huge financial commitments won’t be put off forever, and as millennials move into their prime spending years, they will have a significant impact on the economy. Is your marketing ready for them?

Conquering the Digital Frontier

Growing up in the Digital Age has greatly influenced buying behaviors for millennials, and consequently, has reshaped how brands sell its products/services. Millennials are used to instant access to information, reviews and prices, so a smart business should make their website a priority. In 2013, we explained the benefits of responsive websites, and after Google’s announcement this year, they have become even more important. On April 21st, Google announced they will be ranking responsive websites higher. Your website’s search engine ranking is also vital to staying in front of your customers, especially for mobile-centric customers like millennials. SEO (search engine optimization) and SEM (search engine marketing) are two marketing tools at your disposal to ensure you are staying top-of-mind during online searches.

After searching online, 38 percent of millennials use social media to talk about a service, product, or brand, according to a survey cited by Goldman Sachs. This behavior is why it’s important that your business has a presence on social media, especially Facebook. Instagram and Snapchat round out the top three platforms used by millennials. Many major social media platforms offer advertising opportunities, with Instagram joining the ranks this past summer. Your business can visually convey its message through images and videos tailored to millennials. The word-of-mouth nature of social media can help spread your message.

Traditional and Digital Media Mix

As the first generation of digital natives, millennials have grown up during a lot of technological changes, but the average millennial still watches TV, reads newspapers/magazines and drives by billboards. A custom media mix should be planned after taking into account your product/service, geography, delivery and target demographics. For an objective marketing plan that considers both digital and traditional advertising, contact Julie.
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VIA Idea #38

Tips to Moving Your Domains, Website Hosting and Email

If you have a website, you’re familiar with domain registration, website hosting and email. For most people, lower prices for services are reason enough to move your website. If you’ve never migrated a website before, you might find that it is a daunting task.

Most people have their domain, website hosting and email service with one service provider like GoDaddy. Some have each service at a different provider. For example, email might be on Google Apps, while the domain and hosting are with GoDaddy. Depending on your setup, migrating your website services can differ in both difficulty level and process.

domain-transfer

A domain represents the IP address where your website is held. Moving it involves verifying your account authority and registering the new IP location. While it can be tricky, transferring a domain from one provider to the next is smoother when you have complete credentials and contact information for the current and new registrar. Between unlocking the domain name, purchasing a transfer and entering numerous authorization codes, the back-and-forth process involves waiting for codes. It can take days. A domain is easiest to move before you attach any hosting or email to it.

hosting-email-transfer

Hosting is where your website files are stored on an Internet-accessible computer server. Email accounts allow correspondence, filters and storage, and ideally are tied to your business domain. Hosting and email services are usually tied together, so both should be moved at the same time.

Before you start to move anything, it’s wise to back up your website files, any databases and emails. It’s important to keep your current host until website files and any important emails are successfully transferred to your new host.

hosting-domain-email-transfer

In order to avoid any major downtime, syncing the transfer of all services is critical. There is no specific order to follow, but remember to have complete credentials and login information for both the new and current host. Stay on top of emails from either host and promptly enter authorization codes when necessary.

Let VIA Handle Your Website Transfer

If you want to ensure a smooth transfer process, we recommend you leave it all to VIA. Contact Julie for more details on migrating websites.