From home buying to home furnishings, millennials spend a significant amount of time online researching before purchasing compared to older generations. This generation lived through the transition from physical to digital media. As such, nobody understands the importance of digital media more than a millennial. As a creative marketing agency with several furniture clients, we at Versa Creative understand the furniture buying habits of millennials and want to share with you what we have learned through experience.
Social Media
Millennials are considered the largest generation since baby boomers. From a marketing standpoint, it makes sense for businesses to work to understand what millennial consumers value. In many cases, marketing to millennial consumers requires different tactics compared to previous generations. This age group’s deep understanding of social media requires marketers to have professional knowledge of this medium. The most important thing to understand about millennial consumers, social media use is their need for genuine content.
Design & Copy
Creativity is at the core of millennial marketing. Old advertising methods do not create brand engagement in the same way that ingenuity does. Creative strategy shines through with unique design and copy that’s able to capture the attention of a typical user scrolling through their news feed. If a post or ad is able to break up the monotony of endless scrolling, then that is the first step to capturing the attention of the millennial furniture buyer.
Relatable Content
Humor is a universal language that speaks to the consumer more than anything else. If you can create relatable content that can make your audience laugh, then that is a positive connection that your audience is making with your brand. The best outcome from this type of content is to have your target audience associate good feelings with your products, as well as establishing your brand as trustworthy and genuine for being able to break down the wall between consumer and company. Most millennials shy away from companies that feel robotic, cold, and “corporate.”
Contests
A great way to garner engagement for a furniture brand is to create contests/giveaways that encourage follower participation. The increased engagement will keep the post at the top of the news feed, as well as alert followers, friends to the page. This will also result in gaining followers.
Furniture Company Contest Ideas:
- Gift card giveaway: have followers comment on their favorite piece of furniture to enter the drawing for a gift card.
- Furniture giveaway: have followers share a picture of their old furniture that they wish to replace in order to enter the drawing for a free furnishing. Make sure to have them tag your company’s social media page.
Product Reviews
Whether your audience reads through social media, review apps, or Google reviews, product review responses are not only for the person who has reviewed a company to notice, but other potential customers who are researching that company. Responding to reviews in a prompt and professional manner shows potential customers that your company is trustworthy. Millennials put a lot of stock into online reviews, basing purchase decisions heavily on whether the reviews are positive and how the company is responding to these reviews.
Both positive and negative reviews will roll in occasionally, and it is important to address both types through reputation management. The best response to a positive review is to thank the customer for their feedback to show that they are being heard and that their support is appreciated. Depending on the review, you may even make the message more personal, especially if they are a big fan or returning customer.
Responding to negative reviews can get trickier, but it is important to start out the response in a similar fashion to a positive review, by thanking the reviewer for their feedback. After that, you may consider whether it is appropriate to apologize, depending on if the feedback is specific enough. Lastly, it is good to end the response to a negative review with an invitation to make things right with the customer who may have had a bad experience, either by leaving a phone number or email with which they can contact a representative.
Online Shopping
When it comes to buying furniture online, the biggest pull is the ability to have furniture delivered straight to one’s door. Many consider the extra shipping fees well worth it to avoid the hassle of transporting furniture themselves. While older generations still appreciate the tangible nature of brick and mortar stores, the preferred millennial shopping experience involves a simple internet connection. Most successful furniture companies understand this need to appeal to online shoppers, offering the online browsing experience to those who prefer to sit in their pajamas at home while they shop. The great thing about having a website that shoppers can be redirected towards is the chance for new potential customers to discover your brand through Google search, either because they clicked on a PPC (Pay Per Click) ad or an SEO (Search Engine Optimized) blog. With PPC especially, it is possible to track things such as cost per click, click-through rate, quality score, and more. These metrics allow you to hone your ads as time passes in order to draw in more and more attention to your site.
An Ad Agency for Furniture Companies
Now that you have a deeper understanding of millennials’ furniture buying habits, your next step is to find an ad agency who understands your needs as a furniture company. With over a decade of experience in advertising across several industries, Versa Creative has proven itself to be a champion choice for furniture companies and beyond for their superior marketing services. With top-notch digital and traditional marketing services to choose from, Versa Creative will work with you to achieve your desired goals.
