In this third ‘Millennial Buying’ article series, the below important topic will be investigated:
- The importance of ethics and brand to a Millennial – what are they looking for when they decide to purchase goods or services?
Here’s an important factor that impacts millennials’ buying decisions:
✅ Current Millennial Statistics:
75% of millennials research a company on social media before deciding to buy a service or product from them (Correct Careers Coaching, 2020).
Millennials are the first generation brought up in a technology-led world. It is the ‘norm’ for us to research online when deciding to purchase something.
This behaviour is the same for meeting someone in person – and they are a Millennial – they will still check you out online/social media before deciding to buy from you. This research is now part of the face-to-face buying process – the two things are becoming inextricably linked.
If your business is not visible on social media – will a millennial:
- Buy from you?
- Choose your service/goods over your competitors?
- Get in touch with you to sell you a service or product your business needs?
A C-suite contact I was speaking with last week, asked me – “Jamie do you think you are doing too much on social media.” Those were his thoughts from his generation.
However, for a Millennial who is used to tracking the ‘story of their day’ on social media what is too much? Their ‘too much’ is likely to be far more nuanced e.g. too many passive-aggressive quotations, too much ‘woe is me’ or too much ‘don’t I look great’, or too many selfies.
We must accept that social media is, for millennials and Gen Z, a vehicle to document their lives, loves, and hates, also to keep connected with their friends. It’s a personal news service for them and applying the mantra to an older generation who didn’t grow up with that, doesn’t change that reality. After all, it’s the Generation X who created the internet. They created the environment for this to happen.
If you think and operate in that way – then you will inevitably be influenced by the products and services you see online – being experienced by others you respect. You will feel safer doing your own research before deciding to make any investment.
My thoughts are:
I don’t always receive engagement on my social media posts, however, when I speak with my business network, they remark positively about my business Correct Careers Coaching – the majority of these remarks are from Millennials – stressing my company’s services and brand are being seen.
Communicating and the language used to and from Millennials is different! Especially in a changing business world post-COVID-19.
Businesses need to embrace developing their millennial staff to sell differently utilising modern techniques such as social media. They also need an understanding of how to engage with older generations. This might be as simple as improving their technique on that instrument we call the telephone. Is this part of your organisation’s induction or training programme?… More to follow on for this area of interest.
I’m Jamie Martin (Founder and Managing Director) of Correct Careers Coaching, author of the Anomaly Crystal and podcast host. I’m an award-winning sales professional, an experienced Modern Sales Trainer, and Sales Strategist.
Even more importantly I’m a Business Millennial, born between 1980 and 1994 and I’m a thought leader.
Please do contact me directly (details below): if you are a Millennial and want to be included within these surveys or if you are a business and you would like me to identify any specific areas of interest to you?
👉 Watch out for the next Millennial Buying article coming soon.
The links to the two articles within this Millennial Buying series:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-business-millennial-buy-your-serviceproduct-jamie
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/im-business-millennial-we-read-your-reviews-our-jamie
Jamie Martin of Correct Careers Coaching.
Jamie@correctcareerscoaching.com or 07599 332178
www.correctcareerscoaching.com
My Castbox Podcast ‘Business Millennial’: https://castbox.fm/va/2750129
LinkedIn: Correct Careers Coaching
