by Alexandra Stein
Generation Y may be underemployed (and slightly underdressed) but they continue to contribute social media expertise to the marketing mix. Companies seeking to have a well-rounded social presence and leverage new earned media can reap strong rewards by incorporating these young and motivated minds into their teams.
Ginny Skalski, a social media specialist at CREE Inc., came up with a video idea to showcase that the brand’s LED lights emit less heat than incandescent bulbs. She positioned a chocolate Easter bunny beneath each light bulb and filmed as the bunny beneath the incandescent bulb liquefied like the Wicked Witch of the West. The video reaped more than 50,000 views on YouTube.
Successful campaigns like this have led to the implementation of “reverse mentoring” programs—where social media rock stars, like Skalski, partner up with older execs to share their social media expertise.
A recent study by UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and the YEC, shows that millennials are “idealistic, diverse, digitally-enabled, social and perhaps most importantly, ambitious.” According to the study, the group is more concerned that their work is meaningful, than that it pays big bucks. One in three millennials rank social media freedom, work mobility and device flexibility over salary in accepting a job offer.
If you are not utilizing the digital know-how of your younger employees, now is the time to start.