Millennials & Content In 2014, NewsCred's highest-performing piece of content was about the millennial demographic and how brands were eager to reach them, but they weren't impressed. We were curious what the key to their hearts, minds, and wallets was - and judging by the success of this one blog post (42K views and counting), so are you. So we commissioned a study to survey 501 millennials and the results reveal that nearly two-thirds (62%) feel a direct correlation between content marketing and brand loyalty. The problem? They are turned off by the content they’re receiving. The survey also revealed 10 proven tactics that brands can leverage in their content marketing to successfully reach this elusive demographic: 1. Tailor content to individuals’ unique cultural interests
 When it comes to engaging millennials, creating content tailored to their individual interests is extremely important. This means you need to keep in mind their age, location, and cultural interests at all times. You also need tools to help you develop a deep understanding of who they are, where they are, and what motivates them. 2. Make sure content is useful or helpful towards solving everyday problems of millennials
 Creating content tailored to their individual interests is extremely important. You also need tools to help you develop a deep understanding of who they are, where they are, and what motivates them. 3. Avoid being sales-y or self-promotional> 
 In 2014, our average attention span is less than that of a goldfish. Does that mean every article should be a listicle? No. The days of long-form content are not over. This just means that content should not feel like an empty marketing ploy. 4. Keep it short Despite the value of long-form content, 41% of millennials said the main reason they abandon content is that it's too long. Keep the context of your content in mind – are they on a mobile device looking for a quick distraction or researching for real, in-depth information? 5. Aim to be thought-provoking and intelligent
 NewsCred’s survey found that 60% of millennials only share content when it is “thought provoking and intelligent.” 6. Be funny
 Do you like to laugh? Great, so do millennials (and just about everyone). But it isn’t just about laughter, it’s about emotion. Millennials want a reason to connect with your content, and in turn, your brand. If you can build an emotional connection with someone, it means you can build trust. 7. Be authentic Aside from your content inspiring, educating, or entertaining your audience, it also needs to be a positive reflection of your brand’s perspective. 8. Don’t bank on virality or social endorsements alone When asked “What gets you to share?” over 50% responded “It’s relevant to my circle of friends.” 9. Ensure personalization by price point, location, race, etc. Keep it personal – 
54% of millennials prefer content tailored to their age, 55% prefer content tailored to their location, and 63% prefer content tailored to their cultural interests. 10. Deploy formats that are easy to digest and share The truth is, millennials consume content across a number of different platforms, and their favorite platforms change with the wind. Part of maintaining relevancy is putting your content on the right channel. In the infographic below we explore other major data points from our study: "The Millennial Mind: How Content Drives Brand Loyalty" and seven ways brands turn off millennials with bad content marketing.Please copy and paste in your browser to view. http://blog.newscred.com/article/10-proven-ways-for-brands-to-connect-with-millennials-infographic/844d5b36d7889d22abe8d90fb02dedd4?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=original&utm_campaign=10ProvenWays&mkt_tok=3RkMMJWWfF9wsRons6zKZKXonjHpfsX66ewvXKewlMI%2F0ER3fOvrPUfGjI4CRcBrI%2BSLDwEYGJlv6SgFT7jAMaZkw7gJWBk%3D Questions: Upon reading the article and viewing the link to infographic page, what are your opinions on the best way to reach today’s ‘new’ generation of society through an e-business platform? What area do you see the most potential for growth? Explain your position. What does business need to do to capture this market?

How Eroding Trust Hurts Companies Both the selling of personal information for commercial purposes, or break-ins exposing sensitive information to the bad guys are increasingly a risk today. If these problems are not solved, it will eventually hurt the end user, and if companies and industries don't protect users on their own, the government could step in and force them to do the right thing. I love all the innovation and trends in the wireless, telecom, television, Internet and tech space. However there is also a big warning light flashing ahead that no one is paying attention to...trust is eroding. Trust is a delicate thing and is being ignored. Innovation is great, but if we don't protect the privacy and personal information of users, they will lose trust and that will bite us in the end. There are so many examples. Here are three to think about. One, we learned a few days ago how Samsung Smart TV records its users' voices and they sell that information to advertisers without customer permission or knowledge. They discuss it in the terms and conditions, but who reads that? I don't know about you, but I cherish my privacy. There are times when I know there is little or no privacy and I watch what I say. However, when I am alone in my home or office, I consider that my safe zone. That was until Samsung crossed the line. If Samsung is doing it, what other TV manufacturers are doing the same, or worse? Plenty, I fear -- and likely not just from the TV. Two, Congressman Edward Markey says automobiles sold today contain information systems that can be broken into by hackers. Of course, this information can also be sold by the automobile industry for commercial reasons. Right now automakers appear to be either unaware of the dire implications, or simply don't care. That's another problem. Government Intervention Markey is asking the world's automakers to create mandatory safeguards. He says that today's cars are collecting mountains of sensitive and private information about personal driving habits, locations driven, and history. Bad guys, or even good guys such as third-party advertisers, would be very interested in getting their hands on this information. Three, Facebook put a fork in protecting user information a long time ago. They don't hide it, but they still do it. They simply state that if you want to use our service, you have to play by our rules. Fair enough. However, there is no other Facebook for users to turn to. This is another real problem. So what's the solution? Should the government proclaim that Facebook's success in owning its segment of the market makes it a monopoly -- and therefore it should be controlled by the government? This is a problem that companies are creating for themselves. They think it's OK not to pay attention to users' concerns. This sets the stage for dramatic customer action -- and that is the last thing that companies want to deal with. This is the problem that companies don't realize they are facing by ignoring the end user. Companies that don't take care of their customers, their workers and their partners, eventually pay a very high price. Companies should work hard to protect users' privacy and information if customers want this. Simple Solution The question I have is: Will users ultimately get so upset about how companies are playing fast and loose with their personal data, that they finally push back? The solution is simple: Leave it up to the customer to choose. Everything should be turned off unless the customer decides it's ok to listen in. Give the customers the pros and cons and let them make the decision. There will still be plenty who opt in. If so, they can flip a switch and let their personal information out. If not, they can protect themselves. Simple solution right? Why then, are companies not paying attention yet? Remember when the word came out that smartphones were able to track a user's location and activity? There was pushback. However, when customers discovered there was benefit to this, most opted in. Now, many people like getting location-based information and special offers pushed to them. So users are willing to make the tradeoff of privacy for features. That is what's missing currently. The choice is not given to the end user. Some people are ok being tracked, but others are not. Why don't they count? I think if the industry keeps pushing ahead with little or no regard to the personal privacy and preferences of its users, it will come back to bite them in the rear end in a variety of ways. Both the selling of personal information for commercial purposes, or break-ins exposing sensitive information to the bad guys are increasingly a risk today. As Congressman Markey noted on the automotive privacy issue, it's all part of the same ball of wax. If these problems are not solved, it will eventually hurt the end user, and that will hurt all companies that are blindly playing along. Remember, every coin has two sides. Of course, if companies and industries don't protect the end users on their own, the government could step in and force them to do the right thing. That's the threat that Congressman Markey represents. So the bell is ringing. I hope that companies and industries choose to acknowledge the problem and do the right things on their own. One way or another, something will be done. Wrapping Up One, the simplest solution is to give the customer the choice to opt in or opt out. Two, the next solution is to make sure you protect your users from break-ins. Perhaps this is something that can come from these companies themselves, or perhaps it can be a solution similar to the way that Norton Anti-Virus or McAfee protects us. There is still plenty of work that has to be done, and plenty of conversations that should be had and plans that should be made, but the bottom line is we can no longer ignore this glaring issue. Either industry must solve these problems or the heavy-handed government will do it for them. The choice seems clear to me. That's the choice we now face. Please provide you constructive feedback in respect to the article. How do you feel about the privacy issues or lack thereof that companies are now providing to you, the end user of their services? Would you like to have an opt-in or opt-out option for each website you visited? Why or why not would this work? What are the responsibilities of the business to utilize this personal information?