I’m not a typical Millennial. At 24 years old, I purchased my first house. I pay bills with checks instead of online or automatic bill pay. And I think it’s safe to say that I am at least somewhat compassionate and am interested in helping the community, which doesn’t sound like a self-entitled narcissist like Millennials are made out to be.

Scott wrote a blog a couple years ago on the secret to marketing to Millennials is to STOP marketing to Millennials. And as a Millennial, I am here to say HELL YEAH! (It’s also my goal to see how many times I can say Millennial in this blog.)

When I read articles with click bait headlines like “The Fastest Way to Sell to a Millennial” or “Why You Want to Hire Millennials” or, my personal favorite, “Why Millennials are Totally Destroying This Country“, I can’t help but laugh. How can you lump us all together and assume you have us figured out? Every person is different. We have different buying styles, personalities and interests. Rather than targeting a mass group of humans within an age group, it’s better to target people with similar interests. Not only would your time and money go further, but you wouldn’t be pushing away the other generations who could be potential customers.

I don’t identify as a Millennial. I am a young, female adult who enjoys spending money on travel and activities rather than physical goods. I like creating memories rather than keepsakes. I am rooted and am building my future here in St. Louis, I’m not looking to move. I like Disney and Harry Potter, but can’t stand Pokemon Go. I get frustrated with social media and wish I could escape to my own little hobbit hole in a forest somewhere with a book and zero humans. So do those things make me a Millennial? Am I who you’re looking to target?

What I’m trying to get at in this blog is this: don’t lump people together based on generations. When searching for your target demographic, look into your customers buying habits, interests and lifestyles, rather than their generation. You’ll have a higher success rate. And the next time you see an article summarizing Millennials and who they are, I would recommend clicking away. You’ll save at least 5 minutes of your valuable time.

*NOTE: I spent several minutes researching Millennials and other generations, therefore I am now an expert on this subject.