Understanding how to earn millennial loyalty is a valuable use of time in business today. Millennials are the largest generation in the Canadian workforce, accounting for roughly 35% in 2015. It’s expected that millennials will make up 75% of the global workforce by 2025. 

Clearly, millennials are a vital demographic for businesses to attract. Gaining a millennial customer today is a good goal, but earning millennial loyalty is better. Keeping a customer costs less than attaining a new one.

So how do you achieve this? Here are 5 ways to attract millennial customers and earn millennial loyalty.

Authenticity Increases Millennial Loyalty

Only 1% of millennials say they are influenced by advertising. If advertising doesn’t work to attract them, what does? Authenticity. 

Millennials won’t take what a brand says about itself at face value. Instead, millennials will pay attention to brands that deliver authentic, quality experiences consistently. In other words, don’t just “say” it – “do” it. Millennials demand that businesses prove they are who they say they are. 

If your business wants to offer an exceptional customer service experience, it needs to happen consistently at every point of contact – whether that’s in person, on social media, via email, or on the phone. 

The more personal your interactions with millennials are, the greater your likelihood of gaining them as a loyal customer.

Use Multi-Channel Marketing to Earn Millennial Loyalty

A majority of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising. Even online advertising might not be the best strategy for targeting millennials since they’re most likely to use an adblocker. 

Diversify your marketing across multiple channels and use various methods to increase the effectiveness of your efforts. Focus on developing a content calendar targeting millennials across as many social media platforms as possible. Find out where your target audience is online and meet them there. 

Make sure your website and other online marketing channels are optimized for mobile devices. Millennials use their phones more than desktop computers for shopping, research, and general browsing (typically via social media platforms). 

Effectively marketing to millennials requires thinking outside the box. Enlist a few millennials to brainstorm fresh ideas to share your brand in ways that will attract a millennial audience.

Offer Rewards & Incentives to Improve Millennial Loyalty

A vast majority of millennials trust recommendations from friends and family more than claims by the brand. Reviews and referrals are the most powerful form of advertising to a millennial audience. 

Create opportunities and motivate millennials to participate in social media sharing and referrals. This will increase online engagement and multiply your marketing efforts.

Rewards and incentives for this type of engagement can be things like:

• Coupons for first-time purchases or new sign-up discounts
• Contest entries for sharing on social media, tagging friends, or posting a review
• Discount codes for both referring customers and referred customers  

Shared Values Impact Millennial Loyalty

Milliennials support causes they are passionate about and identify with. While a successful business is a profitable one, consider partnering with or supporting charities and causes that matter to millennials. 

This might matter more than you think. Over half of millennials find charity support a reason to buy, and 65% of shoppers base their purchase decision on values of a business that align with their own.

Create Experiences & Engagement for Millennial Loyalty

Millennials love communities. 

Find out what interests your millennial audience and how they communicate. What concerns them? With this information, you can create a community experience to increase engagement. A few ways you can do this:

• Develop an awareness campaign for a cause that matters to millennials. Encourage them to get involved. 
• Use your product as the basis for your community. Some brands encourage customers to send in pictures of customers using their product in unique ways or locations, for example. Those photos are then shared on a large wall or across online platforms. Some turn it into a contest for the best or craziest picture. 
• Offer classes and workshops on topics relating to your product or service. 

Make it as convenient as possible for millenials to connect with you. Be sure to engage with your millennial audience in the way they most prefer. Business communication via text messaging, for example, might be more effective than more traditional email or phone calls. 

Earn Millennial Loyalty

Millennials are a valuable segment to target for your business. Develop a business culture that:

• Focuses on authenticity
• Diversifies your marketing strategy
• Offers rewards and incentives
• Cares about what matters to millennials, and
• Creates a community to engage with your customers

To find out how SelectCom can help your business target a millennial audience, contact us today.