In this day and age, many brands are shifting to focus on attracting the attention of millennials more so than any other generation. Millennials are some of the most important consumers, simply due to the size of the generation. Making your brand attractive to this demographic can open up a lot of possibilities. Millennials as consumers are not going anywhere.
Millennials (those who were born between 1981-1996) are very powerful consumers, but what matters to them can often be more than the material product. This is evident with the fad culture we’re living in where a product is hot one day and gone the next.
Very Strong Values
They tend to look at brands and choose to support them and buy from them based on the views and opinions that the brand decides to support themselves. More than 50% of millennials are more likely to buy from a business that supports causes that they care about, and it’s not just based on political and ethical issues, either. Millennials are more likely to promote brands that prove to be honest and truthful to their customers. Trends show they care more about brands that are genuine and authentic.
Value Experiences and Excitement
When shopping, millennials prefer an “experimental lifestyle environment,” or a retail environment in which shopping is more than just a simple transaction. The joy of being in a store isn’t just the product they bring home.
Hyper-Social Age Bracket
A well-known fact about millennials is how social they are online and offline – even more so in situations where online and offline realities interact or overlap. They are the generation that Snapchat their everyday life, Instagram their food, and post what they care most about to Facebook.
In this day and age, millennials are a generation of ad producers, and they might not even realize it. A friend or follower of a millennial is more than likely to find a brand through a post made by a person they follow through social media.
Distaste for Ads
Most millennials use ad blockers these days, and though it may seem like these apps will significantly decrease your chances of reaching an audience, fear not. Many social platforms are not compatible with ad blockers, and most millennials report that even if they have an ad blocker, they are more than likely to still see ads or know of brands through their ads. They’re also known to whitelist websites with non-intrusive ads or websites they genuinely enjoy and support.
If it makes sense for your company to be targeting millennials make sure to keep all of this information in mind.
- Be honest and transparent while making your values clear.
- Put a bigger emphasis on the consumer experience – even if it’s virtual.
- Take advantage of the social network these consumers frequent (ex. have them tag you in posts with your products)
- Find creative ways to reach this market without ads (ex. social media mentions, blogs)
