Is your small business aiming to attract millennial customers? Check out our top 5 tips to engage this generation right away.
Connecting with millennials can be challenging. This group is less responsive to traditional marketing methods like direct mail and expects top-notch service all the time. In fact, 57% of millennials have stopped doing business with a company due to a bad customer service experience—a higher percentage than both Gen Xers and baby boomers.
Despite the challenges, the millennial market is essential for small businesses. According to the Pew Research Center, millennials will soon outspend baby boomers. Yet, only 15% of small businesses currently market directly to them, leaving plenty of opportunities. Here are the five best marketing strategies to reach this valuable demographic.
1. Invest in Marketing Automation
About 51% of companies already use marketing automation, and 58% of B2B companies plan to adopt it. Marketing automation lets you target specific customers with the right messages at the right times, improving conversion rates and revenue. It also reduces the costs of digital marketing by automating many processes, saving you time to focus on other areas of your business.
Common marketing automation campaigns include:
– Welcome campaigns to introduce your business to new customers.
– Onboarding campaigns to help new customers get started.
– Re-engagement campaigns to attract inactive customers.
– Post-purchase campaigns to thank customers, ask for reviews, or suggest additional products.
– Reminder emails for appointments or unpaid invoices.
– Winback campaigns to convert potential or lapsed customers.
2. Use Customer Service Tools
A majority of consumers (42%) expect a response to social media complaints within 60 minutes. Millennials, however, expect even quicker replies, with 25% wanting a response within 10 minutes. Using customer service tools can automate responses through chat messages on your website, app, or via targeted emails, ensuring you can respond 24/7.
Chat messages are essential, as over half of US customers, including millennials, prefer web-chat over phone calls. This not only meets their preferences but also saves costs, as agents can handle multiple chats simultaneously.
Reasons to set up automated chat messages include:
– Welcoming customers.
– Answering questions or offering help.
– Announcing updates or new features.
– Understanding customer needs.
– Collecting feedback.
– Guiding users through your website or service.
– Promoting targeted messages.
3. Offer Self-Service Options
Around 70% of millennials look for self-service options like appointment booking, payment portals, and online request forms. These features provide ease, control, and convenience, allowing millennials to get what they need without calling customer service.
Adding self-service tools to your website, such as a knowledge base or FAQ page, can help customers find answers quickly and move them through your sales and marketing pipelines. Make sure your knowledge base is always up-to-date to maximize its effectiveness.
4. Be Active on Social Media
About 95% of millennials follow brands on social media, preferring platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram over traditional communication methods. Regularly updating your social media pages and responding quickly can boost engagement and visibility among millennials.
Ensure your messages are consistent across all platforms to build credibility. Responding to direct messages and comments also shows you are interactive and responsive to your customers.
5. Embrace Mobile Marketing
Mobile marketing is crucial for reaching millennials, who use smartphones more than any other age group. Research shows 98% of 18-24-year-olds and 97% of 25-34-year-olds own a smartphone.
First, make sure your website is optimized for mobile by considering:
– Responsive design that adjusts to any screen size.
– Large, clear text and buttons.
– Consistent content across mobile and desktop sites.
– Fast page loading speeds.
These factors affect how Google ranks your website, with better rankings likely leading to higher visibility in mobile search results.
Key Takeaways
To effectively target the millennial market, use marketing automation, customer service tools, self-service options, social media, and mobile marketing. Understand their preferences and meet their expectations. Follow best practices like using social proof and being authentic, focusing on how your business can make their lives easier and more convenient.
