Do’s and don’ts of selling to Millennials

Beth Berry, vice president of business solutions for Real Green Systems, says millennials are more diverse than any other generation before them, and when it comes to home improvement, they use contractors more than other generations, too.

With such a diverse group, businesses need to adjust the way they market to this unique type of client.

“You have to make it easy for them to buy from you,” says Berry. “They aren’t going to fill out a survey by hand and mail it back.”

Here a few tips from Berry to get the attention of the generation that is spending the most money.

Do email marketing. But not too much. Berry suggests sending one marketing email a month, unless it’s breaking news that they would need to know right away. While they read 88 percent of their emails on a mobile device, 24 percent say they have email fatigue.

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Do offer reward programs. Millennials enjoy incentives, especially for referrals. They are more likely to trust a recommendation from a friend rather than a brand.

Do keep an updated website. Millennials leave websites that are outdated, lack mobile capability and lack a clear call to action. You have to ask them to participate, not tell them.

Do social good. Buying products that make a person “feel good” about the purchase matters to the millennial generation. They pay attention to company values, so if they expect your company to offer organic lawn care treatments, they’ll make sure that’s what they are getting.

Don’t call them. Most millennials feel that a phone call is a distraction, and they won’t be effective when trying to market your business or product. They are more inclined to read and respond to a text than they are to pick up a phone.

Don’t use the mail. While this type of marketing may be effective to your baby boomer clients, millennials have a habit of throwing away their mail because they get their important bills emailed to them.