Turning Millennials Into Brand Loyalists

Last week I had the pleasure of joining PRWeek for its annual conference in New York City. This year’s theme “Swipe Right: Converting millennials and digital natives into brand loyalists” centered around key trends and insightful tactics on how brands can best reach millennials. Not only do millennials make up one quarter of the population, their spending power is estimated to reach in the 3 trillions next year. From the CMO of Facebook, Gary Briggs, to persuasive influencers, the conference had it all.

Here are some top takeaways to keep in mind when trying to turn millennials into brand loyalists.

Where to Best Reach Millennials: Mobile First

When thinking about how to reach consumers, in particular millennials, you must understand where they are getting their information. What are they most in tune with? There has been a huge shift to mobile for millennials. Facebook shifted to mobile in 2012 and now requires everything they create be mobile-friendly. In a world where consumers are constantly staring at their smartphones, brands (and social media apps) must align with where their target audiences are. WE Communication’s Stories in Motion research saw just this — the smartphone rules them all.

Putting Value at the Center of It All

The CEO of Boxed, Chieh Huang, delivered an impressive session explaining the company’s journey from a startup to a leading brand. What does he attribute his success to? A little bit of luck — it got into the market at the right time in the evolution of retail — and an impressive work ethic. Chieh, a millennial himself, has created an environment where people come first. Not only does he pay tuition for the children of his employees, and also for their weddings, he aligns the company with important issues such as unfair pricing for women through their #RETHINKPINK campaign. When consumers see a brand place importance on both social good and effective products, they are far more likely to be brand loyalists. WE’s Brands in Motion study proves that more than half of consumers expect brands to take an active stance on social issues that are of value to them.

Constructing the Right Message

In today’s turbulent environment, there is a much higher expectation for brands, and oftentimes a brand is represented by the messages it puts out in the universe. Savannah Huddleston, corporate communications editor at The Home Depot, discussed how Home Depot constructs the “right message.” To get more in touch with its consumers, Home Depot created a corporate website and digital newsroom. This highly visual and interactive space focuses on real stories about real Home Depot associates, all living the real values of the company every day. From community stories on disaster relief efforts to DIY stories, geared specifically toward millennials who take great pride in doing and creating something on their own, the newly constructed site reaches consumers through uplifting and inspiring messages.

Be Authentic to Who You Are

As the ways in which brands interact with consumers changes, brands must learn to be flexible with how they approach their customers, but they need to do so with authenticity. Brands still need to stay true to who they are at the core — you can be relatable while still being real. Keeping top of mind what is going on in the environment around you is important; however, what’s “on trend” is not always what resonates with your brand, or your consumers.

Building Brand Reputation

Millennial consumers are activists and deeply in tune with ethical issues. A brand’s reputation holds just as much weight at the brand’s products. MWWPR’s CorpSumer study uncovered that one out of three Americans are classified as customers that care deeply about a company as a whole and feel strongly a company’s’ work conditions and equal opportunities for employees. Another key thing to note: It is imperative for a brand’s reputation that it stay true to its messaging. Sara Mitzner, vice president of creative and branding at Swimsuits for All, discussed how the innovative swimsuit company was created as a response to a grassroots movement of women discussing not being able to find swimsuits in their size. They continue to have these important conversations with their consumers by making it the center of their marketing and ad campaigns. This aids in building the brand’s reputation as one that cares about their consumers and values what is important to them, which creates lasting brand loyalists.

Whether you’re an influencer like Liz Gumbinner, from Cool Mom Picks, the CMO of IBM, Michelle Peluso, or a startup company just hitting the group — millennials are today’s voice; they are today’s consumers. To be successful, you must master how and where to reach them, and to reach them in a positive and effective way. Thank you to the PRWeek Swipe Right Conference for bringing together a stellar lineup of masterminds and a great day full of insights and learnings.