B2B marketing in the traditional manner is no longer an option. Advancements in technology have changed how buyers research and discover products and services. There’s new group of buyers who are most familiar with the new digital landscape: millennials.

Instead of being told the value of a product or service, millennials are more inclined to do their own research in order to make a purchase decision and they favor a different approach. Therefore, it is important for your company to implement a strategy focused on B2B marketing to millennials.

As millennials are quickly replacing baby boomers in leadership positions within companies, it is crucial that your business understands how to communicate with this generation of buyers. Millennials have a deeper level of insight and engagement with a company they purchase from.

This generation of decision makers prefers simplicity and education over being sold to with promised benefits. They also choose to purchase from companies that truly value customer relationships. It’s vital for your company to understand what factors influence millennial decision maker’s purchase choices and implement those factors within your marketing strategy.

The Connected Generation

The millennial generation grew up connecting to people with technology. The internet and cell phones made it easy for millennials to learn information and move a conversation forward very quickly in order to make a decision. They take the same approach when it comes to making purchases. If your company cannot stay connected and engaged with them then it will be very difficult to make millennials your customers.

For millennials, information has to be easy to access, easy to understand and interesting enough to keep their attention. Your company must implement the best – and most advanced — tools for it stay connected with millennial decision makers. Before this can be done though, you must understand the mindset of the millennial buyer.

Your marketing will involve much more nurturing with this group, rather than relying on pushy marketing messages. The millennial buyer is all about relationships and must feel that your company views them as a valued member of your team, instead of another customer among many. If your content and communications aren’t authentic and genuine, millennials will cease to communicate without even saying a word.

The following 3 marketing tactics are the best ways to engage with millennial decision makers.

Engaging Videos

Using videos should definitely be implemented within your B2B marketing strategy to millennials. According to Animoto’s 2015 Video Marketing Survey, 80% of millennials watch videos when looking for further information about a product before making a purchase. 60% of millennials prefer to watch a company video over reading a company newsletter. 29% of millennial B2B buyers prefer video content when researching B2B vendor information, which leads all other forms of content formats.

Being that video is so important to influencing the purchasing decisions of millennials, your company must use it effectively to gain the attention of millennial decision makers. Product demos and customer stories are the most effective types of video content to create. The purpose of these types of videos is to show the value of your company’s product, rather than being overly promotional. Remember that millennials like authenticity and education over being marketed to.

Another important factor that must be considered with your video marketing is having your videos optimized for mobile devices. This will help to provide better results since half of millennials only watch videos on their mobile devices. Millennial buyers can choose to watch a marketing video of your company at any given moment: while on lunch break, when discussing your company with colleagues, or even while laying in bed. So it is important for them to be able to access your videos with ease no matter where they are located.

Online Communities

Millennials purchase decisions are greatly influenced by their community, family and friends — and social media is where the communication of experiences with companies tend to take place. As personal experiences and information is being exchanged, your company should not be left clueless as to what is being said due to not being present on these social media channels.

Being present is not enough though. Your company must develop its own community via social media so that you can be well informed about the conversations your customers are having about your business. Furthermore, millennial decision makers can engage with the customers of your online community to learn their experiences with your company. Their positive feedback could be the necessary push that leads to the buyer choosing to purchase from your company.

Product Training

Millennials like being engaged and involved with the company they are purchasing from. They want hands on learning when they are in the research phase of a purchase. Millennial buyers want to be as educated as possible, and they love it when a company provides training that furthers their education of the product after they make a purchase.

Webinars are the best B2B marketing tools to use when you are educating millennials. Not only do they provide the convenience of being accessible whenever needed, but they also dig deeper into demonstrating the value of your product.

This is done by identifying the problem and guiding them through the process of how the solution is achieved. Providing them with the ability to gain this knowledge helps to earn both their business and trust. You are establishing that you care much more about their success, rather than about just adding them to a list of customers.

As a B2B marketer, you cannot ignore the growing influence that millennials have over purchasing decisions. This generation is quickly replacing the Baby Boomers and Generation X, which means their purchasing preferences must be taken into account if your company is to be successful well into the future.

Their buying decisions are primarily influenced by accessibility, education, and engagement. Utilize each of them effectively with your B2B marketing to millennials and you will win their business.