It can be tough to engage Millennials, but it’s worth a try since they are more inclined than previous generations to become vocal advocates for the brands they love and trust. 

Engage Millennials by Understanding What Makes Them Unique

A deeper understanding of these six characteristics of Millennial consumers could be the key to engaging these digital super-consumers and turning them into brand advocates, in the process.

What – Exactly – is a Millennial?

The term Millennial is used to describe the generation born between 1980 (or 1982) and 2000. Deriving their name from having seen the beginning of a new millennium with the turn of the year 2000. The word “Millennials” is just one of many phrases used to describe this generation, which has also been deemed:

• Generation We – they see themselves as part of a larger whole, from their social circles to all of humanity
• Generation Me – kids who were offered choices, control and autonomy to a greater extent than previous generation and who were encouraged to pursue individuality and creativity over conformity
• Peter Pan generation (who will never grow up)
• Boomerang generation (because so many of them come back home after becoming adults, many more than once)
• Net (or Internet) Generation
• Echo Boomers
• Generation 9/11
• Trophy Kids – a name reflecting the trend away from a ‘winner takes all’ mentality when it comes to competition in sports or in schools, awarding kids for participation alone
• Gen Y

Here are 6 Things You Need to Know to Engage Millennials and Turn them Into Followers, Fans and Brand Advocates

1. It’s not just that Millennials can be found online, it’s that they can be found online most of the time.

A November 2013 study by comScore found that Millennials spend upwards of 3 hours a day online, and may well consume 18 hours of digital media in a given day (often consuming media simultaneously across devices). When they are online, their top activity is social media, where they can be found on:

• 91% have Facebook accounts (and 76% of their social time is spent on Facebook)
• 46% have Instagram accounts
• 39% have Twitter accounts
• 27% have LinkedIn accounts
• 17% have Snapchat accounts

At about 3.2 hours per day, Gen Y is online more than any other generation. Gen Xers spent just under 3 hours per day online and Baby Boomers 55 and up just less than 2 hours a day in the November 2013 study.

2. It’s not just that Millennials use the internet, it’s that they use the internet while multi-tasking and on multiple devices.

91% of Millennials used the internet regularly in 2011 and confessed to spending about 25 hours a week online, according to Forrester Research on adage.com. Among the devices they use to access the internet are:

• 59% use smartphones
• 35% use tablets
• 70% use laptops

3. It’s not just that Millennials consume digital content, it’s that they are digital content super-consumers.

“Millennials are spending as many as 18 hours a day skimming the Web, watching TV, texting, playing videogames and using social media, among other activities.” (WSJ.com, How Many Hours do Millennials Eat Up in a Day) Remembering that activities are not mutually exclusive, and that multiple sources of media may be consumed simultaneously, here’s what a Crowdtap/Ipsos MediaCT survey by Statista found in terms of how many hours Millennials spend on the following activities every day:

• 3:34 browsing the internet
• 3:12 on social networks
• 2:19 watching live TV
• 1:47 playing video games
• 1:47 watching recorded TV
• 1:15 going to movies
• 1:15 listening to the radio
• 1:04 using communication (email, text) apps
• 1:04 talking about brands, products or news
• 0:32 reading print magazines or newspapers

4. It’s not just that Millennials are leery of hard-sell tactics, it’s that they prefer — and trust — user-generated content (UGC) far more than they do a brand’s own marketing messages.

Millennials devour user-generated content (UGC) which include posts, reviews, ratings, comments, photos, videos, and more. Millennials rely heavily on UGC when it comes to decisions about buying:

• electronics – 59%
• autos – 54%
• major appliances – 53%
• and for things like travel and mobile phones

In fact, nearly a third of Millennials media time is spent consuming UGC. Five of the top seven resources they use to determine whether they trust a brand or product is content that is user generated, according to another Crowdtap/Ipsos report titled Social Influence: Marketing’s New Frontier, a white paper available for download. Here’s what the study found most influences Millennials’ purchasing decisions:

• 74% – conversations with friends/family
• 68% – peer reviews and opinions
• 64% – pro industry reviews (cnet etc.)
• 56% – email/text/IM with friends/family
• 50% – social networking / content
• 49% – information from a brand website
• 48% – blogs, bulletin boards, forums, etc.
• 44% – print magazines / newspapers
• 40% – online magazine/news sites
• 37% – radio
• 28% – movies
• 19% – banner ads

5. It’s not just that they shop online, it’s that they shop online but still value — and visit — brick-and-mortar stores before buying.

While you can count on members of this generation to heavily research purchases online (usually on mobile devices), they still want the opportunity to visit a store and see, touch or even do additional research before making a final purchasing decision. They may be virtual researchers, but they are brick and mortar buyers.

More than 75% prefer to buy at brick and mortar locations. By 2016, mobile-influenced offline sales are expected to reach $700 billion (Millennials Aren’t Afraid of the Phone, or Human Connection, John Busby, Ad Age, April 9, 2014).

6. It’s not just that Millennials consume more information online, it’s that they share more information online, too.

Outnumbering Gen Xers by 63%, this generation could single-handedly power your WOMM (word of mouth marketing), referral and online review engine! They are more than confident enough to share their opinions and are far more inclined to self-publish content and share commentary on brands, products or experiences than previous generations (Cracking Today’s Digital Natives, Womma.org).

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