As a millennial, I have noticed a distinct uniqueness to my generation and what works, and what doesn’t work, on drawing us to buy a product. So much goes into our decision making. Is it at a fair price? A good product? A brand that I can trust? My generation has a personality of its own with a whole new set of marketing rules. The previous generation, know as Gen X, was fairly simple to market to. The push marketing method of, “Buy my product because it’s better,” screaming infomercials, and the notion of “everyone else is doing it so you should too,” is gone. It worked well for a generation of “Keeping up with the Jones,” and getting the best deal, however the newest generation is proving to be much more difficult to entice.
The millennial generation was born and bred in a world of technology where you question sources and are aware that everything that shimmers isn’t gold. We make up a skeptical generation and for you to win us over, you must first earn our trust. Who cares if your commercial claims that your mascara will elongate our lashes an astonishing centimeter? We are more likely to believe it when we see a glowing review on a blog by an everyday person like ourselves. Even then we may question, “Were you paid to say this?” and scan the review section before we buy. Whereas our generation is skeptical and difficult to win over, once you hook us you have a loyal customer for life. Millennials build relationships with brands that gain our trust. We will go so far as to defend your brand if it’s integrity is ever questioned because hey, we love you and you’re our friend. We have an emotional connection with our brands. How do you build this relationship with us? Well, it’s easier than you might think. We love freebies, and if they are unexpected, the better. Chegg won my heart when I opened my school books and was pleasantly surprised with a Tide pod and Starbucks Refresher beverage. What does Tide have to do with school books? Nothing. But I will forever use Chegg as my go-to book supplier because of this. Even if the price is a couple dollars higher. Chegg’s CEO also leaves you a nice little recorded message on your phone reminding you when books are due. This simple, personable message is much more effective than a threatening email from a company telling us we better return our book ASAP or else. We also like feeling special and unique. Individualization in a crowded world is key. When you make a millennial feel like they are one in a million, you will gain their trust. Coke’s campaign of names on their soda cans is the perfect example. Finding your name on a coke bottle was everything, and photos of Coke cans and bottles overtook social media. The beauty supply company Sephora has a little piece of my heart, and should be your marketing inspiration. By including freebies and samples with every purchase while simultaneously having a point-reward system for every dollar spent, I have been hooked with buying their multitude of products. I can immediately count at least five products that I have gone on to buy after being so impressed with the samples, and had I not been able to try before I buy, I would have never given them a thought. In addition, with their curated beauty box of deluxe samples that is delivered monthly for ten dollars called Sephora Play!, Sephora as successfully captivated me into a monthly purchase , even though I am far from a makeup enthusiast. It’s like receiving a monthly present, and we millennials love special presents. Another excellence Sephora has is communication. Brands and companies that interact with the millennial-drenched social media platforms gain our love. Something as simple as a reply tweet will make our day. If it’s especially cunning, we may even screenshot it and share it so that our friends can see our interactions with our favorite brand. Yes, we know it’s an intern at the other end. No, we don’t care that it’s only an intern, because that intern made us feel special. Not responding to or engaging with your customers via social media is one of the most detrimental things that you can do for our trust towards you. We praise your brands, share photos of your brands, free advertise your brands, and all we want in return is a little praise and recognition. Of course it isn’t as simple as glittering generalities and coddling our generation to win us over. As mentioned previously, a lot goes into our purchases and decision making. But once you realize that this new generation is complex and will take a lot of work to draw in, the loyalty that you’ll receive for a lifetime will threefold your investment. If you invest your time and energy into the millennial generation, they will invest in you.
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Author@littlemissmktg is a current marketing student at Northern Kentucky University. She loves all things branding and marketing and welcomes any comments or insights. Archives
January 2017
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