Commentary

"You Join Us" is The Millennial Mindset

According to a new SDL study, Millennials are 56% more likely to discover marketing content on social networks than via search engines or email. The average Millennials check their smartphones 45 times a day. The study is part of a series titled “Five Truths for Future Marketers,” which details five key ways that marketers must adapt to engage the next generation of highly connected and informed consumers, whose digital preferences may not respond to traditional marketing tactics.

Millennials

  • Born 1978-1996
  • Age 18-36
  • 1 in 4 people in the US is a Millennial
  • HH Income

             <25K   10%
              25-50K   20%
              50-100K   42%
            100-150K   17%
          >150K   11%

Millennial consumers orchestrate their own brand experiences, across multiple channels and devices, often as many as four devices in one day. Email is one of their last choices of preference, and they share content with peers and trusted brands. In order to win their trust, brands must create a consistent experience across all channels. Millennials want content that finds them.

60% More Likely To Share Personal Data Based On Past Experience And Brand Trust

Share if

Disagree

Agree 4-6

Agree 7-9

It should feel the same when dealing with a company whether online, in a store or on the phone

3%

33%

64%

Expect to be able to engage with a company whenever I choose and through whatever channel I choose

4

33

63

I like it when a company reaches out to me and not just to sell a product

4

36

60

I would be more likely to provide personal info to a trusted brand… a company I have purchased from before

5

35

60

Do business with  company that can make good offers in real time

4

39

57

I like it when a company makes recommendations that make shopping easier

8

37

55

I would be prepared to give more data to business if it meant they didn’t waste my time on offers that are not relevant

6

40

54

No issue with companies using the data I provide them to give me a better experience

10

38

52

Don’t like companies using personal data to target offers

12

37

52

The majority of companies don’t know how to market to my generation

13

52

35

Source: SDL, March 2014

Paige O’Neill, CMO of SDL, says that “… there is an important transformation taking place in the minds of the current and next wave of consumers regarding how they choose to interact with brands… the traditional marketing funnel is now irrelevant, making traditional campaigns extinct… brands must break through millennials’ personal junk filter… for a longer-term view of building brand advocacy… brands that shift focus from a campaign approach to one focused on the customer experience will see the most success…”

5 Of 6 Millennials Choose To Connect With Companies In Social Media, But They Want Something In Return

Connecting to Get:

% Want in Return

Discounts

62%

Free perks

56

Better customer service

46

Complain or be heard

26

Don’t connect

16

Source: SDL, March 2014

Key findings in this study about Millennial consumers include:

  • Millennials embrace brands on social media: Five out of six millennials connect with companies on social media networks
  • Social networks and customizable news feeds dominate content discovery: The top three channels where millennials discover online information are Facebook, Twitter and YouTube with customizable news feed sites surpassing traditional news sites and email for content discovery
  • Customers want the inside track to freebies: The top two reasons for engagement are discounts (60%) and free perks (55%). The freebies are more important than a long-term relationship
  • Growing a customer relationship isn’t always about getting a sale: 60% of consumers like it when they receive a touchpoint that’s not related to selling a product (i.e., holiday or birthday card)

Millennials Discover Content On Social Networks And Customizable Online News Feeds

Typically Discover

% of Respondents

Facebook newsfeed

49%

Twitter

33

Search engine

33

Email recommendations

33

YouTube

32

News sites

27

Google

24

Pinterest

23

BuzzFeed

23

LinkedIn

17

Tumblr

12

Source: SDL, March 2014

For more information from SDL, please visit here, or to view Slides, Charts and Graphs, go here

 

 

1 comment about ""You Join Us" is The Millennial Mindset ".
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  1. Craig Mcdaniel from Sweepstakes Today LLC, April 4, 2014 at noon

    I would be interested to find out if Millennials had to give up one of the following, which would it be?

    Smart Phones
    Home Computers
    TV
    Cigarettes
    Alcohol drinking
    Sex

    I have a pretty good idea what the answer(s) would be but still interested in finding out.

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