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