Millennials: Their Sharing Habits, and What their Impact will be on your Expansion Stage Business

Millennials, Generation Y, The Echo Boomers, The Net Generation…whatever you want to call them, one thing is certain: this generation communicates differently than any other before it.

As a whole, Millennials are incredibly comfortable with the online sharing of information. Millennials grew up with Instant Messaging, Email, Text Messaging and Facebook. They have been communicating with large networks and sharing information since they can remember.

The Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted a study asking experts if they thought the Millennials would age-out of their affinity for social-sharing. Sixty seven percent of experts said that this would not be the case and that the Millennials would continue to share with their networks as they age.

What does this mean for your expansion stage company? Largely good things! As the need for inbound marketing increases, the need for employees who are natural content generators will also increase. Millennials have an affinity for sharing their work through blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn and other networking platforms. They engage with others and share resources and ideas, spreading the word on the projects they are currently working on. They are also likely to use their network to help solve problems or to receive feedback.

According to the Harvard Business Review, these social tendencies have two main benefits to organizations:

• Those who narrate their work become more helpful to the rest of the organization. As they leave a trail of their thoughts and ideas, it is easier for others to learn and grow, making the business more efficient.
• By using their networks to crowd source ideas and to receive feedback, they are more open to influencers who can impact their work in a positive way.

From a marketing perspective, Millennials can also benefit your content marketing/influence marketing strategy: 

• Millennials are natural sharers — blogging, Tweeting and other social exercises are ideally suited for them.
• Through constant sharing, Millennials are more likely to engage with key influencers in your target segment.

Questions of the week: What are your thoughts on Millennials penchant for sharing? (I am a Millennial myself, so opinions from other generations would be eye-opening) What do you see as potential risks for this level of sharing, both personally and professionally?