Content marketing is supposed to skyrocket in 2011, and brands looking to appeal to digital-savvy Gen Y-ers might consider that this demographic frequently turns to the web for news. According to L2's Gen Y Affluents Media Survey, four out of five of these consumers read the news on the web daily.
The study reveals that millennials use internet-ready devices to get the news – with headlines being high-demand content. The study found that news commands as much attention as television among this demographic, and 98 percent of the 1,000 high-earning Gen Y adults surveyed said they access news regularly.
The broad majority (65 percent) access news primarily online through desktops or laptops. More than one in 10 (12 percent) said they use the mobile web, including smartphones and iPods, to read news content, and 2 percent use iPads or e-readers. This means 79 percent of Gen Y newsreaders turn to the internet to find headlines, compared to 19 percent who turn to traditional print channels.
In addition to traditional newspaper sources, the survey found that blogs are becoming a leading way for affluent young adults to keep up with the latest news. Plus, microblogging is an increasingly pervasive activity among this group, with one in four respondents having checked their Twitter accounts in the past 24 hours.
With this data in mind, marketers might consider offering industry-specific, custom news content to their web visitors to establish their brands as thought leaders and catch the interest of Gen Y-ers looking for the latest headlines.
Distributing this news through blogs and social channels is especially advisable; this survey confirms Brafton's report that seeding social sites with original content will be key to catching clicks in 2011.
