Move Over Facebook: Where Millennials Are Flocking to Next And How to Reach Them.

As someone interested in trends among the millennial generation, there was one particular statistic that caught my eye and continues to pop up on the radar: Only six percent of 12- to 17-year-olds who use the web want to be friends with a brand on Facebook, according to a Forrester 2011 report.
Circumstantially, this was supported by a millennial conference I attended when a panel of college students all raised their hands when asked if they were thinking about logging out of Facebook for good. While it wasn't a scientific study, the observation spoke volumes as to where Facebook may be heading.
And now, fairly recent research backs it up. With more than half of teens stating social media plays a role in purchases, Twitter has surpassed Facebook as the site deemed most important, according to a fall survey by investment-banking firm Piper Jaffray. The report also found Facebook's popularity is diminishing among this key demographic, with 23 percent of teenagers stating it is the most important social network site, down from 33 percent six months ago and 42 percent a year ago.
In the past Facebook has denied this trend is occurring, but in its third-quarter earnings call this month, the company finally acknowledged the fact the social network site is waning among youths.
"Our best analysis on youth engagement in the U.S. reveals that usage of Facebook among US teens overall was stable from Q2 to Q3, but we did see a decrease in daily users, specifically among younger teens," CFO David Ebersman said.
What's going on here? In addition to the obvious problem of having to accept friend requests from grandma and long lost relatives, privacy is a big concern. Facebook just cut a privacy setting that kept all user names out of the social network’s graph search. It also specifically targeted the teen demographic when it decided to allow 13- to 17-year-olds the ability to share photo, updates and comments with the public, not just friends. The result? Advertisers now have access to private user information they didn't have before, a move that may not bode well with teens.
So how should marketers respond to this rapidly changing social environment? Here are three tips for approaching millennials -- no matter what social platform they flock to in the coming years:
Listen rather than speak. "[Brands] might be better off being more reactive than proactive, and they should listen," according to the same Forrester report referenced earlier.
Indeed, the advantage that the proliferation of social platforms and social media monitoring tools now offer brands is an opportunity to easily keep their pulse on what consumers think and, possibly even more important, if there is anything going wrong. If you sell something, chances already are that someone, somewhere, is already talking about your product.
Act on those insights. By focusing on listening to those conversations already taking place, brands can provide better customer service, respond to problems before they escalate and easily identify areas for innovation. The simple act of tweeting information back or addressing customer service issues upon learning of problems can lead to big public relation wins for brands. Why? Millennials aren't necessarily expecting a brand to personally reach out to them to fix problems. In fact, it's even considered "cool" among millennial consumers when a brand takes the time to personally reach out.
Beyond being a nice gesture, why does this matter? We're talking bottom line impact if done right. According to a 2012 survey by American Express, social media users are willing to reward companies for top-notch service, spending 21 percent more with those that provide it. And thanks to the millennial consumers' larger presence on social networks companies that provide excellent customer service reap huge rewards when a happy millennial consumer shares one of these memorable moments with his or her friends and associates via Facebook or Twitter.
Seek out and engage your biggest brand advocates. If you're taking time to listen to what's being said out there about your brand, you'll not only be able to identify potential problems and opportunities to provide better customer service, but you'll also know who your biggest brand advocates are.
The benefit? These individuals are the ones who are already more likely to want to engage and help support your brand. It gets to that 80/20 rule: Twenty percent of the consumer base is typically responsible for 80 percent of the profits. Utilize the access those social media platforms provide by reaching out and engaging them. It could range from customer surveys you may be conducting to getting their feedback on marketing campaigns or even getting their input on new product development. As research has uncovered, millennials enjoy collaborating and knowing that they've made an impact on things, especially if it involves your next, new product offering.
Combining these tips together, brands will be poised to win no matter what social platform millennials choose to flock to next.

Fashion Trend for 2014: Country Couture on the Rise

Fashion

Cowpoke couture is back in the saddle again. A new generation of consumers is embracing western-style snap shirts, cowboy hats, boots and accessories, a trend inspired by the crossover success of bestselling country and Americana performers such as Taylor Swift, Blake Shelton, Mumford & Sons and The Lumineers, as well as prime-time TV hits like Nashville and Justified.

"Over the last two years, we've had an increase in sales, and we're getting a lot more new customers who've never been in our store before," says Richard Alcala, president of Alcala's Western Wear, a 41-year-old family-owned retailer in Chicago's trendy West Town neighborhood. "It seems to revolve around country music and concerts--when there's a big show coming into town, we see a big spike in sales."

Twenty-eight percent of U.S. music listeners cite country as their favorite genre, more than any other format, according to The NPD Group. The research firm credits country's cross-demographic appeal to its diversity and accessibility. And it's happening in major metropolitan markets: This year New York City welcomed Nash FM, the Big Apple's first country radio station in 17 years.

Steve Weil--president of Denver-based Rockmount Ranch Wear, the venerable western apparel manufacturer founded in 1946 by his grandfather Jack--credits the 1980 film Urban Cowboy for initially driving country music and apparel into mainstream popular culture. In fact, he maintains that the urban cowboy trend never really faded away, but the media simply shifted its attention.

"I disagree with the contention that this is a recent resurgence. This is classic fashion that has been in vogue for decades," Weil says. "What makes Rockmount different from other brands is that we're not trendy. We don't follow seasonal cycles that come and go. We make successful products that have extremely long life cycles. That's our secret to survival."

Weil says interest in western apparel is a lifestyle choice, not a fashion craze. "We're trying to bring out products that appeal to a wide range of people who like the idea of the West," he says. "I design for my friends. They're not cowboys--they're people from a variety of professions, from banking to retail to resort real estate."

Rockmount's adherence to traditional western style doesn't mean the company is stuck in the past. "As a small business, we're extremely agile--we work on new designs every day and bring out new products monthly, if not weekly," Weil says. "Rockmount is also known for bringing disparate things together in a new way. For example, the fabrics we use are not necessarily used by others in this category. Everything we do, we do with a distinct twist."

Most Rockmount apparel is manufactured domestically and shipped to retail partners at home and abroad. The "Made in the USA" imprimatur is essential to western wear's enduring consumer appeal, says Alcala, whose store stocks thousands of boots and hats from American companies. "Europeans appreciate it even more than we do," Alcala says. "When they see stuff not made in the USA, they ask for something made here. They know if they buy something made in the USA that it's still high quality."

Overseas visitors make up just part of Alcala's clientele--neighborhood hipsters are a constant, lured by the store's Crayola array of Levi's jeans, and celebrity customers like Robert Plant, Bill Murray, John Malkovich and Steven Tyler have walked through its doors as well. All come in search of something colorful, comfortable and unmistakably classic.

"We're not competing with Sears, Macy's and Nordstrom. We're not selling the same products they do. We have something more unique," Alcala says. "It's not just country music that people like. It's the lifestyle. Europeans come to our store because they want to take something back with them that's American. Western wear started here. It's 100 percent American."

Marketers: The 3 Differences Between Millennial Guys and Gals

For anyone looking to get a handle on what makes the influential millennial consumer tick, don't forget this simple truth: not all millennials are alike, and this is especially true when it comes to the sexes.
Like all populations, millennials can be segmented into unique and specific subgroups, and you'll want to add gender to the top of your list when approaching your segmentation strategy. Because when it comes to the sexes, there are some key differences in their lifestyle and purchase behaviors.
What are these differences? First, some stats. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women are quickly climbing the ranks, earning 60 percent of master’s degrees, about half of all law and medical degrees, and 42 percent of MBAs. In the workplace, women have also made strides, now holding over half of managerial and professional jobs—up from 26 percent in 1980. And in the professional fields, close to one-third of America’s physicians are now women, as are 45 percent of associates in law firms.

Despite these advances, women continue to face barriers with pay equity being a key concern. Fifty years after the Equal Pay Act, women are still paid an average of 77 cents for every dollar paid to men. But take heed: according to a 2012 Pew Research Center study, 40 percent of American working wives now already out-earn their husbands, and according to one blog on the subject, referencing a Boston Consulting Group study that predicts, in 15 years, women will not only close the income gap with men but out-earn them.
Given this assertion and assuming things relatively equal in terms of buying power between millennial guys and gals, here are three key differences:
1. Millennial males are more likely to be early adopters
From the research, millennials, across the gender divide, are 2.5 more likely as non-millennials to be early adopters. But when parsing the differences between the sexes, millennial men express a heightened interest in being the first to try the hottest new technologies available.
This finding holds true when considering their shopping habits. Indeed, eMarketer recently highlighted a 2013 DDB Worldwide survey of US Internet users that underscores the increasing influence of male shoppers between the ages of 18 and 34. Not only did 40 percent of male millennial respondents say they would buy everything online if they could versus 33 percent of female respondents, but male millennial consumers are more likely to shop online auction sites, more likely to use a mobile shopping application and request a price match via their smartphone and are more likely to use a retail store app than female consumers.
The bottom line? Given their early adoptive nature, the male millennial consumer is an increasingly interesting target for digital marketers these days. Case in point: The Dollar Shave Club, an online razor subscription service, became a household name and go-to brand for men thanks to a viral video and a bevy of amused millennial males who couldn't wait to share the hilarious video with their friends

2. Men are "lone rangers"
In general, millennials are highly social, both off and online, and are significantly more likely to do things in groups, like traveling together, than non-millennials, research shows.
But, again, when parsing the differences, the research shows that you're more likely to find millennial men enjoying a "lone ranger" lifestyle from eating to shopping to traveling alone. On the other hand, women like to do things with their gal pals and families in greater numbers, according to one study.
To reach them effectively, create custom experiences that appeal to these consumption behaviors. For instance, in the case of male travelers, focus on providing efficiencies like quick check-ins and outs via kiosks where human interaction could be viewed more as a nuisance when a long wait time is involved. When targeting women, consider offering group travel discounts or "girls night out" exclusive brand experiences for the ladies to win their loyalty.
3. Moms are taking charge
With this final point, it's not that moms matter more than dads. However, according to the research, millennial moms are finding themselves in the position of being the key decision makers on big decisions, as opposed to the past, when men were the heads of the household. Today, moms are "calling the shots" when a situation involves major household purchase decisions.
Indeed, a Pew Research Center survey found that the woman makes decisions in more areas than the man in 43 percent of all couples. Men make more of the decisions in only 26 percent of all couples, while couples that split the decision-making responsibilities comprise the remaining 31 percent.
"Mothers are now directly influencing the for a family unit," says Christine Barton, as quoted in Marketing to Millennials (AMACOM 2013). "Not surprisingly, there is a lot of consumption of mom opinions thanks to an overwhelming number of mothers, especially first-time moms, turning to social media for product research and advice. There is a tremendous amount of power in mom advocacy as a unit."
These moms are indeed influential, with 50 percent of them making a brand or product recommendation either daily or weekly, and 21 percent talking to their friends and family members about products at least once per month. So when targeting millennial parents with a new or existing product offering, step into the shoes of these savvy moms and think about how you can cater directly to their needs.
Given these differences, it makes sense to think of millennial men and women as two different groups. Spend time getting to know your target consumers and the differences, whether by segment or by gender. It will lead to a bigger payoff in the end.