A New TELUS International Study Reveals That Social Media May Give Brands a Second Chance to Make a First Impression with Millennials

62% of Millennials Would Likely Recommend a Brand That Has an Exceptional Social Media Presence, Even If They Were Not Initially Happy with Their Product or Service

A new survey commissioned by TELUS International, a global customer experience innovator that designs, builds and delivers next-gen digital solutions for global and disruptive brands, and conducted online by The Harris Poll to over 2,000 US adults, found that 62% of millennials (ages 18-34) would likely recommend a brand that has an exceptional social media presence, even if they were not initially happy with their product or service.

“Millennials are poised to represent 30% of retail sales, and are clearly in the driver’s seat when it comes to influencing where and how brands need to engage with consumers in order to remain relevant and top of mind”

Brand loyalty is linked to social media for the majority of millennial consumers

Given the ‘always connected’ nature of millennials, experts at TELUS International predict that consumers representing this generation (or age bracket) will increasingly connect with brands through social media, highlighting its importance as part of an overall customer service delivery strategy.

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The survey reveals that nearly three quarters (72%) of millennials (vs. 47% of Americans age 45+) would be more likely to be loyal to a brand that responds to feedback via social media over a brand that does not. It also revealed that 43% of millennials (vs. 21% of Americans age 45+) say if a brand they purchase from does not have a social media page to provide feedback on, they would consider purchasing from a different brand that does.

“Millennials are poised to represent 30% of retail sales, and are clearly in the driver’s seat when it comes to influencing where and how brands need to engage with consumers in order to remain relevant and top of mind,” said Jeffrey Puritt, President and CEO, TELUS International. “An authentic and strategic social media presence that provides consumers with personalized, informative and immediate responses is no longer a ‘nice to have’, but a necessity in the digital age when customer experience, not price, is the top competitive differentiator.”

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Feedback on social media is ‘gold’ for brands

The survey also reveals that 38% of millennials (and 24% of Americans overall) say they provided feedback to companies they purchased from using company social media channels once a week or more often in the past 12 months, and that nearly 1 in 5 millennials (18%) most prefer to leave positive feedback for a company they have purchased from via company social media channels while 13% most prefer this channel for providing negative feedback.

“Considering the highly-public nature of feedback posted on social channels and its significant influence on purchasing decisions, brands must constantly monitor and quickly respond, or risk losing customers and other potential patrons,” continued Puritt. “If brands can apply this high touch approach with high-tech support in the form of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics to mine terabytes of data to uncover trends and track individual preferences, they will be able to deliver the sought-after personalized and proactive customer experiences that drive loyalty and growth.”

The infographic, based on insights from the TELUS International/The Harris Poll survey, reveals additional statistics behind millennials’ brand engagement with social media to help brands review, evaluate and update their social engagement strategy and current practices.

“Whether directly in their personal lives or through influence in their workplaces, millennials will lead the spending charge in the not-so-distant future, and it will be the ‘survival of the fittest’ when it comes to how quickly and effectively brands can adapt to their preferences around social interaction to capture market share,” concluded Puritt.

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