Millennials Value Sustainability — And It Drives Their Buying Decisions
75% of Millennials Will Pay More for Eco-Friendly Products
Suppose you’ve done your homework researching the Millennial generation as a potential target market for your product or service. In that case, you already know that one of the biggest motivators for Millennials is eco-friendliness. According to Nielsen, 75 percent of Millennials (those born between 1981-1996) are eco-conscious to the point of changing their buying habits to favor environmentally friendly products. And a vast majority of them say they are willing to pay more for eco-friendly products versus their cheaper competitors.
Suffice it to say if you can appeal to this sensibility in your marketing practices; you can build considerable brand loyalty among Millennials. That said, there are right and wrong ways to approach this strategy—so let’s explore some dos and don’ts regarding marketing to eco-conscious Millennials.
DON’T Make False Claims
Millennials are very Internet-savvy, and they will research your claims about your product or service. If you say your product is environmentally friendly when it is not, they will find out—and when they do, not only will you fail to win their loyalty, you’ll build the opposite of brand loyalty. In other words, these people are more likely to tell others not to buy from you. Unless you want to self-sabotage your efforts, make sure you only make claims that can be verified.
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DO Pursue Legitimate Eco-Friendly, Sustainable Practices
The best way to win brand loyalty among eco-conscious Millennials is to be an eco-conscious brand—period. If you’re a startup, you have the advantage of being able to build this core value into your foundation from the beginning. If you haven’t yet adopted sustainable practices, look actively for ways to do so—even if it costs you more money to produce your product. (Remember, Millennials are willing to pay more for it, as well.) Most importantly, be genuine about your commitment to these practices, as Millennials can spot insincerity a mile away.
DO Weave Environmental Consciousness into Your Brand Story
Being a sustainable and environmentally friendly company doesn’t have much traction if your target market doesn’t know about it. What’s more, if you’re serious about developing this ethic (see point above), it needs to become part of your branding. Study the examples of successful eco-friendly companies like Patagonia, Whole Foods, LUSH Cosmetics, and Seventh Generation to see how they’ve woven their ethic into their messaging.
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DON’T Ignore Social Media Marketing
Millennials often choose products and services through recommendations from others, and social media is one of the most significant avenues for word-of-mouth recommendations these days. Furthermore, if you have an eco-conscious brand, 95 percent of Millennials will recommend you to their friends. Thus, one of the best ways to spread the word about your product/service to this demographic is through effective, targeted social media marketing. Find out where your target market hangs out online, engage them in regular conversations, and provide helpful content interweaving your brand story and your ethic.
If eco-consciousness is a selling point for your brand, Wicked Bionic will utilize cutting-edge techniques and technologies to get your message to resonate with the right people. Reach out to find out how we can help.
– By Dana C. Arnett
About the Author
Dana C. Arnett is the Founder and CEO of Wicked Bionic, a Los Angeles-based multicultural communications and advertising agency. She works with government and private sector clients, specializing in paid media campaigns. With over 30 years of experience in entertainment production and a decade building authentic connections between organizations and diverse communities, Dana is a recognized leader in culturally responsive marketing.
