Wichita Eagle; Millennials can easily navigate this digital world

Millennials want a seat at the table. But what can our generation offer today’s workforce? Fresh out of college, lean on experience, how can we provide measurable value?

The answer: An innate understanding and drive for all things digital.

Millenials were born in the 1980s or ‘90s. That means we have never known life without technology and should use that to our full advantage professionally. Technology can let us step seamlessly into the job market. Strength in digital projects fuels our ability and eagerness to contribute.

It’s practically organic to us, our own niche. We’re familiar with technology, we use it all the time, and it should come as no surprise that we want to utilize it in the business world. We pick up the material fast and have a quick understanding of how to manage and run with it.

So what qualifies as “digital?” Practically everything. And if it isn’t now digital, chances are, it soon will be. Analytics. Click-through rates. Measurable results. Mobile. User experience. Quantifying everything. These are a few of the ever-evolving aspects of digital that push millennials’ buttons.

What was once a simple direct mail event invitation may now also include an email campaign, a website landing page, an online RSVP and pushing out the event on social media platforms. Now, there are countless digital opportunities to promote our message and to measure results. Technology has transformed the entire world to be our marketplace.

Many of us became fascinated with all things digital when we began diving into Google Analytics to analyze website traffic and consumer behavior. It’s amazing the depth of data that can be curated and the marketing plans that can be put into action from this information. Technology has trained us to think in terms of measurable outcomes, and how best to deliver value effectively and efficiently.

Millennials get a lot of flack for wanting everything bigger and better. There’s a different way to view this. It helps us think in terms of return on investment for the end consumer and to provide a higher-quality deliverable.

While both daunting and energizing, what a great challenge. Our competitive spirit for the digital world has us primed and ready. We have a leg up; let’s use our digital capabilities to revolutionize our communications.

Digital world: Bring it on. Millenials, it’s go-time.

This column ran in the May 28 issue of the Wichita Eagle.