In 2018, Consumer Focus™ Marketing conducted several Millennial focus groups across the Northeast to gain insight on preferred marketing channels, consumption behaviors, attitude toward the energy industry, and interaction with products and services.
So, what’s all the fuss about Millennials? The Millennial Generation consists of individuals born between 1982 and 1997. They represent 35% of homeowners in the United States, with that number projected to climb. As a group, Millennials outspend Baby Boomers and make up 21% of consumer discretionary purchases. Additionally, a study by FutureCast found that Millennials hold significant purchasing power and influence the consumption patterns of older generations. [1] This means adjusting your marketing strategy to include Millennials will help you reach the preferences of other generations that are following their lead.
Marketing Strategies to Effectively Target Millennials
It is evident that marketers should incorporate Millennial-targeted campaigns into marketing strategy in order to appeal to this growing consumer group and the additional groups it influences. Results from Millennial focus groups offer key takeaways that marketers can use to target this audience segment:
1. Get online, already!
Focus group results showed that Millennials prefer to engage with service providers online. It is crucial that your business has a mobile-friendly website that displays your key services and provides multiple ways for users to get in touch with you. The majority of the group prefers to use digital communication, like live chat or text messages, for quick reminders, questions, and online billing. Phone is still preferred for booking appointments.
2. Keep it simple
Millennials are constantly consuming media, which means marketers should keep their messaging clear and concise. Focus group participants agreed that they did not relate to family-focused imagery and preferred images that focused on technicians, community involvement, nature, or animals.
3. Print isn’t dead
While digital media and online communication was the highlight of focus group discussion, results found that print isn’t considered totally archaic to the Millennial generation. In fact, some participants agreed that a compelling, concise print marketing piece may be more likely to catch their attention than one of the dozens of emails they receive daily. End of story? Diversifying marketing efforts to include a variety of print and digital media is the way to go.
4. Stay active on social media
You’ve heard it before, you’ll hear it again: Millennials are using social media to interact with businesses. Specifically, findings show that Millennials use Facebook to get information about businesses and they use Instagram to interact with businesses. It is important to use both platforms to reach them effectively. Share special offers, information about Bioheat and environmental advancements, and other relevant info on your social media platforms.
Want to get more details about our Millennial focus group research and results? Contact us to learn more about our findings.