Companies strongly desire to turn the millennial generation into their brand advocates, but in her recent article, Natalie Petouhoff, Ph.D. indicates that this is a challenging task because they are a different generation than ones in the past. It’s best to embrace the changes on the way and get ready to adjust to them instead of hoping they’ll adjust to you.
According to the article, 1 out of 3 consumers prefer social media to traditional phone customer service. And this will most likely continue to get higher as the millennial generation gets older because many of them have been utilizing mobile technology and social media their entire lives. In addition, 75% of millennials have a social media account and 70% of them recommend their favorite brands via social media and other online channels. The reason Petouhoff gives this data is simple: you have to evaluate how well you know the millennial generation if you expect to gain real brand loyalty from them. Petouhoff gives six tips to gaining brand loyalty from millennials.
1) Map Your Generational Customer Journeys: As with any market research, it’s important to learn the variety of customer journeys from their stages of research, purchase, product/service usage, and feedback. The general route is very similar to previous generations (read reviews and information, buy the product or service, use product or service), but where the main difference comes into play is the feedback. Millennials are more likely to talk about your product online, and if your product isn’t up to standards, they’ll have no problem criticizing it publicly.
2) Learn Why Millennials Trust Your Company Enough to Buy from You: As with most previous generations, the main reason a millennial will buy from your company over others is your pricing, but this actually isn’t the most important factor in determining their trust in your company. The biggest factors in building trust are product quality and fast service. However, customers in the millennial generation are the most likely generation to jump from brand to brand as opposed to staying with one their entire lifetime.
3) Learn How Millennials Decide to Buy from You: Have you ever considered your brand’s social or political values? Well, millennials sure have! 34% of millennials buy from a brand based on the company’s social or political values. They are also likely to visit your brick-and-mortar locations specifically to see your product in person and then compare it with other products from similar company. The product that has the better features and ratings and the lower price will earn the sale.
4) Engage Millennials Around Life Events: Many customers in the millennial generation care about products and companies that actually have an effect on their lives. If your company wants to make an impact, engage them in real milestones of their life such as graduating from school, getting a job, having children, etc. Show them that you are there for them during real moments of their life and they’ll be more likely to show you loyalty.
5) Don’t Separate Marketing and Customer Service: Your company is generally viewed by millennials as one giant entity and not from the perspective of separate silos. In other words, they expect you to treat them the same no matter which department or communication channel they contact. Just a reminder, negative comments and stories about poor experiences from your company will spread all over the internet in this day and age, so it’s a good idea to take this concept seriously.
6) Consistency Among Departments: Consistency across all departments and communication channels are a requirement for a great customer experience. There should be no separation in language and information regarding customers. Every department should be in the loop for what has been promised to the customer, what their expectations are, and how best to deliver the best product and service possible. If you focus on a better product and service, you’ll be able to deliver authentic marketing and people will be more likely to support your company.
This blog post was based on an article from CustomerThink. To read the original article, please click the link below:
What You Don’t Know About Millennials Will Hurt Your Bottom-line – Natalie Petouhoff, Ph.D.
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