Did you know that millennials constitute the largest living generation? Bet you never thought of them that that way — as a bigger cohort than even the Baby Boom generation. Perhaps now, no matter what line of business you are in, you should think of them as that: more influential as a subset of society than other groups and especially as consumers.

More Than Just "on Fleek"

It's true of any group or subculture. They have their own preferences, buzzwords and slang and values. They also have a unique perspective of what to buy, what to own, how to spend their time and resources. But courting millennial consumers to become your loyal and long-term customers requires more than a hip catchphrase or a trendy product offering.

In "27 Expert Tips for Marketing to Millennials" Inc. magazine contributor Christina DesMarais talks about social media and engagement. Some of the first key tasks at hand for any business, writes DesMarais can include some of the following:

• Optimize for social media
• Make your business Instagram-friendly
• Respond right away to emails, tweets and Facebook messages
• Make your campaigns adaptable

It might sound for a minute like it's all about the technology. Or that only hyper-social mega brands like the Shake Shacks and Coca-Colas of the world have a chance to compete and really impact their bottom line by courting millennial consumers. Not so.

First off, don't assume you know enough about this generation by what you've heard or read. Sure, they are environmentally-focused and earth-conscious, but millennials love SUVs as much as the Toyota Prius. They are changing the location of much of America's business activity, growing smaller cities like Austin, Texas and Portland, Oregon into influential hubs that rival New York City in certain industries.

Also, they're not just hipsters. Authenticity is more important than what's trending. They make excellent CEOs too.

Certainly it is important to have an understanding of the platforms millennials are using. But you need not be an expert. Just by having an active social presence on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat or whatever platform works for your business, you are in the game with this audience.

DesMarais also dishes up some old world wisdom and a common sense approach to customer building. She also writes that any business hoping to gain millennial customers for the long-haul must also do these things:

• Focus on word-of-mouth
• Meet them in person
• Be transparent
• Sell not your products but your purpose

What seems to be true of any customer of any age or income level seems to be most true of millennial consumers. It's simply magnified by the emergence of social media, smartphones and other technologies. Better yet, technology itself is a must-have in huge quantities for any millennial.

Marketing the Brand and Message

We at Idea Custom Solutions are not sociologists or generation exerts, but we're as excited to learn about and adapt to the preferences and tastes or millennial consumers and business owners as we are curious about what's next. Our expertise is in enabling our clients to aid small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in promoting their brands, including to these young but very important customers.

So it was very encouraging that the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) recently considered the topic of marketing to — and earning the trust of — millennial consumers. In discussing the subject on their website last summer, they put it very simply:

"Millennials now make up the largest generational block in the U.S. and hold about $1.3 trillion in annual buying power. By 2020, they’ll comprise 50% of the U.S. workforce. Increasingly, studies show they also hold more influence on B2B purchases. Simply put, ignoring the sales opportunities millennials afford is a very bad idea."

In addition to the prevailing wisdom about keeping up with trends and tech, ASI echoed DesMarais's sentiments about delivering on promises and coming across as authentic. Moreover, ASI writes that providing something of value for free is a great way to start.

"Offering something at no cost to millennial decision-makers — even something intangible — will go a long way toward building trust . . . Whether it’s advice or insight, or something you can do that is of value but doesn’t cost them anything, that’s what you’re really trying to accomplish in order to start the relationship."

To better illustrate their most important findings about millennials, ASI also published an excellent infographic.

When it comes to promotional products, it's clear that SMBs and our partners (the businesses that serve SMBs) are in luck. According to ASI, millennials love outerwear, use desk items about as much as their tablets or smartphones and often store data on USB drives.

That said, ASI also points out that millennials may still be a little rebellious. They're not big users of the classic desk calendars. And when it rains, they take their chances. Only 10 percent of millennials are likely to have a branded umbrella handy!