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The “Dreaded Millennials” – Changing the Brand Game For the Better

Last updated: July 17, 2023

Over time, millennials have created some negative sentiments towards them in society. We’re sure you have heard all of the qualities and behaviors that are attributed to the millennial profile — from looking things up on Twitter and posting what they are about to eat on Instagram, to changing jobs too quickly and expecting too much from businesses.

The truth of the matter with millennials is, everyone needs them – as a customer, as an audience member and as an employee. They aren’t going anywhere. People may not admit it out loud, but millennials are changing the game of how business is done, and even more impactful, they are forcing brands to be more personal. If brands are not responding, millennials will make it personal.

Here are four key areas that millennials are forcing brands to change for the better:

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• Customer service
• Keeping brands honest
• Relatability – Feel Good Moments
• Brand Loyalty

Better Customer Service

Millennials have higher expectations for overall customer service. If they have a question, they want the answer immediately. Don’t make them dig around your website (or app) for it because they will move on to the next company, which will most likely be your competitor.

Millennials expect companies to know and understand them. For several publishing companies it is time to look closer and understand how this younger audience interacts. Which leads us to our next important stat… are you up to speed on SEO?

89% of millennials use a search engine to find the answer they are looking for before reaching out to a customer service line. It is 2019 – it is critical that you are optimized.

Keeping Brands Honest

No one shares more on social media than millennials. To be clear – NO ONE. What does this mean for brands? It is critical that brands get it right the first time. Millennials place value on an experience, recommendations from others and they are not afraid to pay extra for the perfect experience.

Getting it right the first time can be rewarded over and over again on social media. Millennials are keeping everyone on their toes, and they will reward you for it by engaging and returning. Get it wrong the first time and it could become a PR nightmare.

Relatability – Feel Good Moments

60%of millennials tend to gravitate towards purchases that make them feel good by brands that they can relate to by expressing their own personality. Translation: What are you, as a company, doing for a community that is helping someone in need? Here are two examples of brands that are doing just that, and millennials are rewarding them for it.

Bombas– Bombas creates and sells socks. For every sock sold they donate a sock to a person in need at a homeless shelter in the United States. Bombas has donated over 28 million socks, which means they also sold over 28 million socks. By the way – their customer service is stellar.

Toms– Similar concept to Bombas.  Toms sells footwear and for every $3 they make the give $1 away. They are not just in the United States but worldwide now thanks to their booming success. Their donations go towards physical safety, mental health and of course, footwear for those in need.

If you are on the B2B side of things and think that these are not good examples because they are consumer focused, think again. Millennials will be (if they aren’t already) making the decisions for companies on who to buy from, and they will want to be associated with a company that is doing good vs. one that may not be doing anything at all.

Brand Loyalty

Millennials want to be courted.  A staggering 95%of millennials love it when they are not just courted via email but actual mail as well. Yes, hard copies of stuff. Treat millennials like they are one of your own and they will act like it, forever. Get adventurous with print and personalized letters to your millennial clients.

The word ‘Millennials’ shouldn’t be a taboo word. Millennials are forcing brands to be more effective and efficient. They are engaging with your social media and can become an active part of the conversation. Improving your customer experience and creating a brand that they can relate to and find value in, will go far to create brand loyalty and engagement. Don’t miss out in the millennial space or fall behind by neglecting this critical audience.

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