Who runs the world? Millennials. Sorry about it Beyonce, but no one could have predicted the impact this generation was going to have on society, pop-culture, and the consumer behavior as a whole.

For those who somehow live in isolation, the millennial generation was born between 1980 and 1996, so their ages range anywhere from 20 to 37 years old. You’re probably thinking, “So what? What makes this generation so much different than the rest?” Well here’s a little fun fact for all you skeptics:

Millennials make up almost 50% of today’s traveler.

Whether you’re pro-millennial or not, why would you want to ignore such a large potential market?

But in true millennial fashion, their marketing preferences are just as different as everything else about them. They know very well who they are, what they like, what they want, and how they want it delivered – and they aren’t afraid to speak up when they don’t agree with something.

Luckily for the vacation rental industry, millennials LOVE to travel. Here’s some more fun facts for you skeptics:

79% of millennials want to visit all 50 states, and over 70% say they want to travel internationally as much as they can and visit all seven continents.

But regardless of the type of travel, just exploring new places is a top priority for this generation. With these facts, it’s pretty safe to say that if millennials could just quit their jobs and travel the world, they would.

So how do you market your vacation to such a “self aware” group of people? By being genuine, that’s how! Authenticity is key with millennials. They want an authentic experience from the moment you grab their attention all the way until they’ve returned home to tell their friends.

Grabbing the attention of millennials is only hard when you think too much about it.

Pop Quiz: What’s one thing millennials use the most?

Your first thought was probably “their smartphone,” and while you’re not technically wrong, let’s get a little more technical than that. Millennials are two things: totally mobile and seriously social.

That’s right, the correct answer to our little pop quiz was social media. Social media is something that millennials took and ran with, and you’re never getting it back. So if you aren’t tweeting about how perfect the weather is from your beach villa or posting pictures on Instagram of the mountain view from your cabin, how are millennials supposed to know how great your rental is? (It’s not like they pay attention to traditional forms of advertisement.)

Blogging is also a great tool when marketing to millennials. It’s a way to tell the story of your vacation rental, (just make sure it’s a nonfiction story). Millennials want to hear about real experiences at your rental, just as if it’s their best friend telling the story.

You’ve got their attention now, but social media only gets you so far if they can’t enjoy the remainder of their experience on the go. This is where smartphones and mobile responsive websites really come into play. Millennials are strange creatures, they want a real, authentic experience, but they want to plan for everything leading up to this experience virtually.

Confusing, I know. But like I said earlier, they know what they like, what they want, and how they want it delivered and they won’t have any hesitation going somewhere else to find it. But if you give the millennials an experience of a lifetime, they’ll keep coming back every time.