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Kathryn Fisher

By: Kathryn Fisher on July 18th, 2017

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Let's Get the Millennials!

Lead Generation & Growth Strategies | Change Management | millennial generation

mailto:demo@example.com?Subject=HighRoad Solutions - interesting article

Being a millennial, I have heard it all; from how difficult we are to sell to, work with, and understand. 

Milennial.jpg

We get it, we are a very specific group who are requiring you to rethink and evolve the way you have done things; but is that really a bad thing?  Yes, we grew up with internet and most of us had a phone before we were a legal adult but let’s be fair here, our generation didn’t invent those things.  Most of my friends would agree, we wished we could go back to a time where things were not so readily available to us. 

“Millennials are 49% more willing to digitally “detox” while on vacation then their Gen X counterparts.”

Keeping on the trend of de-bunking stereotypes, we are also always said to be self-centered, which I not only personally hate but also still not completely sure of how we got that classification.  Nonetheless, we are one the of most charitable generations in history:

“85% of millennials make annual charitable donations and 70% volunteer their time to causes they care most about…”

Are you asking yourself why I am giving you these facts?  I hope so!

When I started my professional career, an association was the last thing on my mind and it was also something I really had no idea about.  I had a few associations reach out to me but I kept wondering how an association could benefit me or what in general it was for:

  • A resume booster?
  • Another way to network?
  • Learn more things?

Before I had time to get an answer on the above, they would get to the price and without hesitation I would say “Nope!” Thinking to myself ‘Don’t they get I’m freshly out of college on a barely there salary?! Where do they think I am going to find that kinda dough?!’

  • We make 20% less than our parents did; Average salary for a millennial is $40,581 and if we consider inflation, that puts us at about $10,000 less than our parents made at this age
  • 3% of millennials are unemployed
  • As a whole, we are $1 trillion in student debt

Fast forward a few years and I found myself a job where they decided to sign me up for an ASAE membership, and so began my educational journey into this very fascinating industry.  While it wasn’t much exposure, it was enough for me to not only see value but it also became a cause for which I began to care. You know what I did next?  I joined NAPW and on my own dollar…

Fast forward to today, and I am not only working at a company who focuses only on associations but also a huge advocate!

Now, I understand the journey above is not a normal one when becoming a member, however, there are pieces of my journey we can learn from:

  • Seeing is believing: While I had to see it firsthand, 48% of Millennials say that word-of-mouth influences their product purchases more than TV ads. Furthermore, only 1% of us said we would buy based on an advertisement; after all we are a generation that opts for subscriptions like Netflix to avoid advertisements. 
  • Finding the value: I needed to be around people and see the association in action to fully see the value. Looking at millennials as a whole, 43% prefer authenticity over content and make buying decisions based on blogs because it is from a person with which we can connect.  Also, 75% said it is important a company gives back instead of just out to make a profit. 
  • Closing the deal: Being able to engage one on one with the executives of the associations and seeing their passion for the industry was my selling point. While again we can’t all talk to an executive, 62% of millennials say if a brand engages with them on social media they are more likely to become a loyal customer.  Which also goes into retention because 66% of us  say we are often or always loyal to a brand we are currently purchasing
  • What about the cost: So even I wish this would change so more millennials could afford to be members. That said, we do better with subscriptions since they don’t have much of a commitment tied with it and it is a way to “try to buy.”   Honestly, I would have like 4 or 5 more memberships if they were subscription based.

Again, we won’t be an easy generation to pin down but it is possible.  Unfortunately, we not only have grown up in a different time which has influenced how we buy but we also have many obstacles standing in our way financially. 

In my opinion though, we’ll be the best members you’ve had yet if we could work out that payment thing…