Understanding and Grabbing The Attention of Today's Millennial Customers When a brand consistently delivers unmatched products and services, it lays the footing for a long-standing relationship, thereby ensuring repeat purchases

Every generation has an impact on society. Their influence impact, not only the various social, cultural and economic norms of the world they live in, but also the generations after them. Their behavior, habits and influence define how they are perceived by society and the practices that should be adopted by various groups like corporations, organizations and others, if they wish to engage them.

The above holds true, especially for today's Millennial generation. With their increasing purchasing power and influence driving demand across industries, it is crucial to re-evaluate this generation and create strategies to engage them.

As opposed to earlier generations, technology is second nature to these Millennials. They started using technology the minute they could walk and talk. They're often labeled as being entitled, impatient with short attention span, and seek immediate gratification rather than delay it. They are constantly seeking and exploring new ideas and products to improve, simplify, and help define their life.

Hence, the challenge for any brand today, is to determine what is relevant for the Millennial generation. While trying to find commonalities may be difficult owing to their differing desires, tastes and goals, there are some underlying insights that can be leveraged to establish a stronger connect.

Establish fair value of the products

For the generation which is very conscientious about how it spends money, it is important for every brand to ensure their products and services speak quality and relevance. The key here is "Value of product vis-a-vis its price'. Millennials are not likely to buy into expensive flashy, self-promotional products or ads. If you want to earn their trust and make them buy your product, you must justify the value of your products.

If communicated well, a unique proposition paired with a robust back story, can help establish credibility, relevancy and connect with the customer, thereby raising the value of the products among buyers.

Be Relevant

The amount of information available with Millennials to make choices is vast; they are constantly exposed to and influenced by diverse experiences. This can be challenging and therefore, it is important to convey relevant information and content to them quickly and clearly, to stand out from the rest.

Make sure the content or information you are offering such as videos, blogs, tweets or info graphics are engaging, visually appealing, interactive and most importantly, digestible. Engagement is necessary to keep them interested and make them feel like the brand is adding value to their lives. Therefore, instead of focusing on being progressive or quirky or retro, brands should drive focus on being relevant and proving their effectiveness to the Millennial audience.

Gain Trust and Respect

Right from online sales to offline visits, every touch point is an opportunity to form a relationship, based on mutual trust and understanding. Be honest and deliver what you have promised. Instead of selling products, sell experiences. When a brand consistently delivers unmatched products and services, it lays the footing for a long-standing relationship, thereby ensuring repeat purchases.

Use Influencer Power

For the generation that is hooked to social media, social media influencers play an important role in driving customer decisions and thus, cannot be ignored. However, it is important to choose the right influencers who maintain your brand tone appropriately and do not appear forced or unnatural in their communication. Failing to do this, may risk the loss of credibility among your target audience.

Investment in Online Channels

When marketing to millennials, it is essential to invest in a progressive online marketing strategy. This generation puts a lot of emphasis on how your products are perceived by its existing customers, and rely on the feedback from others to help them make their choices.

With smart phones being their primary device of use, it is important to have a great mobile-friendly website. Therefore, if your website is not quick to load and easy to navigate on mobile devices, you will not even be able to attract the Millennials, let alone, retain them. Hence, invest in optimizing your website for suitable devices.

Last but not the least, invest in social media - Merely creating a profile on social media is not enough. You need to serve trending and captivating content that provides quick and actionable information about your product and services. In order to engage Millennials, it is essential to communicate quickly, clearly and take their feedback seriously.