Marketing to Millennials: Understanding What They Want from Brands on Social Media

Understanding the mindset of Millennials makes it easier to understand what they expect from your company. There are specific things that Millennials look for when connecting with a brand. They would rather respond to useful information that speaks to their needs rather than their checkbook. They want an honest connection that is meaningful to them.

Here you get a taste of what Millennials want to see from your company.

Millennials appreciate trustworthiness and authenticity

Millennials are particularly interested in buying from brands that are trustworthy and authentic. They have grown up with traditional advertising, and many ignore it completely. They want something (or someone) they can trust. They know that images can be faked and changed in Photoshop and are likely to disregard them when deciding what to buy.

For example, they care about the ingredients in their packaged goods and the chemicals in their cleaning products. Brands need to step up and demonstrate their commitment to “clean and real’ rather than just displaying nice images of trees and farms. They want to see a commitment to the farmer.

Millennials have a cause-minded attitude

Millennials are careful about how they spend their money. They are also concerned about how your company spends its money. They want to see that you are worried about the needs of the broader community. According to research by Millennial Marketing, fifty percent of Millennials would be more likely to buy from a company when their purchase supports a cause, and would even be willing to pay a bit more!

Millennials want brands who are respectful of privacy concerns

With all the concerns about data theft and misuse, Millennials are much less willing to trade their email addresses for information like Baby Boomers and Gen Xers did. They also eschew “sneaky” ways of showing them ads.

According to its study “Marketing to Millennials in 2019,” listwithclever.com found that Millennials are “creeped out by ads that follow them.” These ads are facilitated by a technique called remarketing, which lets advertisers show an advertisement for a product in your browser after you have shown an interest in it on its website. If you’re targeting Millennials, it’s a good idea to use less intrusive ads that don’t make them feel that their privacy is being violated.

Millenials like companies who are open to collaboration with customers

Millennials are used to being asked about their opinions and enjoy giving feedback to companies about their products. Many of them have created online content and consider themselves creators. You can gain their loyalty by soliciting their thoughts about how they use your products and how to improve them.

Trust matters. Don’t ask them for their input if you don’t intend to use their suggestions. They consider their time way too valuable to spend with companies who don’t care about them. After you have shown to be uninterested in their ideas, they won’t come back.