R-E-S-P-E-C-T the Generation (Find out What It Means for your Business)

While attending the Professional Retail Store Maintenance (PRSM) conference in Dallas, Texas, HCP had the opportunity to attend various education sessions. In one of the discussions, the keynote speaker made a comparison to Baby Boomers and Millennials. He said you should respect the generation. For example, if you’re contacting a client who is a millennial, you wouldn’t call and leave them a voicemail, you would text or email instead. A Baby Boomer is more likely to return your phone call.

That got us thinking. How else do you connect with Millennials?

Millennials are the “always connected” generation. Email is their preferred method of communication. But you should be flexible. If the client texts, you text. If a Baby Boomer calls, regardless of your age, call them back.

According to Forbes, the average person spends over 100 minutes per day on social media. A clever way to grab a Millennial’s attention is to speak their language. Use a funny meme or video to get your brand across. And when it comes to social media, use it. Brands need to figure out which platforms fit with their image.

It’s also important to think about your website. When you’re not at the office, how often do you search the web on a desktop? Millennials spend more time on mobile devices, so it’s imperative your site has the mobile functionality to look great on any device.

For Millennials, it’s about experience, rather than tangible things. Would you rather spend $100 on a Keurig or on a night out with friends on the beach? Some Baby Boomers may gawk at the price tag to achieve those experiences, but Millennials are kind of like Nike, they just do it.

Businesses are tapping into the way Millennial consumers are buying. Forbes recently released an article on the future of car buying, driven to Millennials. Instead of strolling down an endless row of cars in different makes and models, it will be based on virtual reality. You’ll personalize a car for a virtual road trip, then walk into an actual showroom, putting facial recognition to push a personalized purchase.

The workforce is changing and it’s all thanks to Millennials. They are the largest generation at work and becoming the most influential population in the world. Even the office space is changing for millennials. As more Baby Boomers retire, the cubicles or partitions are coming down, creating an open floor plan where Millennials thrive.

Who knows how to appeal to Millennials? Other Millennials of course. At HCP, we’re a mixed bag; half of us are Millennials, the other is Gen X and we have a couple of Baby Boomers. Together we come up with creative ways to strategize and market our clients to reach the demographic.