Gone are the days of the voice call. Technological advances have changed the way we communicate today. Millennials, or the generation between 18 and 34 years of age, make up the majority of people taking advantage of the latest in communication.
More than three-quarters of Millennials prefer to text rather than call. This is because more than half believe texting to be less distracting than voice calls and less than a quarter actually check their voicemail.
The challenge many companies are facing today is how to market to the Millennial generation since they are vastly different than their more mature counterparts. While texting gets through to Millennials, 70% of Americans believe direct mail to be more personal.
Even though most Millennials prefer texting to actual calls, only 30% reported actually receiving text reminders from companies. These numbers could soon change as more companies are noticing the communication trend among the most influential group in the market.
Social and mobile media is growing increasingly popular among Millennials, who use them far more than other generations do. An increased sense of convenience and self-service is the reason most Millennials prefer shopping on a mobile device over visiting brick-and-mortar stores.
Providing the opportunity to allow customers to redeem discounts online, at their own convenience, and through the method of their choice is what many companies are now doing to service the new generation of customers. Making shopping as easy as possible will almost guarantee return customers and increased revenue.
“Whether it’s sending them an alert that their package has arrived or offering customer support via texts instead of calls, using SMS allows companies to communicate exactly how and where Millennials like,” said Jay Emmet, General Manager for OpenMarket. “Nearly half of Millennials are more interested in receiving texts from businesses now than they were two years ago, proving that SMS is becoming more essential for connecting with this growing segment of customers.”
Millennials expect for companies marketing to them to really understand them. For this, they are more accepting of their online and shopping habits to be tracked in order to market material specifically catered to them. If direct marketing, social and mobile marketing could integrate, marketers will have the best advantage at reaching the most influential generation worldwide.