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BAM Agency A group of University students joyfully throwing money into the air. Their arms are raised, and they are smiling and laughing. The background is bright, creating an energetic and lively atmosphere. BAM Agency

How students prioritise their money at Uni

University has become a solid right of passage for most young adults in the UK, with the number of undergraduates increasing year on year. However, while it can enrich lives bringing forth a whole host of unforgettable experiences and valuable skills, it also comes with a huge price tag. This can be challenging; as the cost of living rises in the UK, so does the amount students have to spend on their daily outgoings to survive.
student-money-survey-2016-results-save-the-student
The main cost for students, and certainly the biggest, is of course university fees, but these are normally out of the way before a student even starts their course whether paid outright or via their student loan. Rent, according to Natwest’s Annual Student Living Index found that apart from accommodation, groceries were found to be the biggest expense. So with university fees, accommodation and food being a huge and expensive outlay, this leaves little for students to ‘play with’ – this means brands are fighting with each other for the rest of the pot.

It’s no surprise that students’ income mostly comes from their loans, maintenance grants, part-time jobs, and of course the bank of mum and/or dad if they’re lucky. This raises an important question for marketers hoping to target the student audience – what do students spend their money on, and are they going to spend it on what I’m selling?

Accommodation
A recent survey from Save the Student revealed what students spent their money on, which is a great source of information for brands as this gives huge insight into their spending power as well as their priorities/biggest costs. It’s no surprise that the main cost for students is accommodation, with an average of £385 being spent on rent each month.

Groceries
Students spend on average £124 a month on food, including stocking up on cupboard essentials and going out for meals or ordering takeaways. This figure, while relatively high, could suggest that students aren’t necessarily going out for restaurant meals all that often, which could present an opportunity for restaurants. There are tonnes of deals out there for students to encourage them to have an active social life between all the studying. Daily deals or student discounts are a great way for relevant brands to encourage sales and are extra appealing for cash-strapped students.
Socialising
The next highest spend on the list is ‘social’, including going out for drinks, nightclub entry and any other social activities such as bowling, cinema etc. This being the third highest spend among students shows that making and maintaining friendships is a strong priority for students during term time. This is useful for marketers to know as any advertising or marketing activity can take these personal priorities into account. Also, any brands wishing to appeal to the students’ social sensibilities can run promotions to tap into this further (e.g. 2 for 1 on drinks with a student card).

Travel
Next on the list is travel, presumably students travelling to university and also home for visits with family. Again, this is another important cost on the minds of students which marketers can tap into, whether considering promotions or delivering appropriate messaging and information. Students can often become homesick when moving away from family for the first time, so this is likely why the spend comes so high up in the list, as well as taking the rising costs in petrol and train/bus fares into account.

General
Household bills (such as internet, gas and electricity) followed by clothes, books, drugs, and ‘other’ are also part of a student’s outgoings. Clothes came in at £34 per month, which suggests that looking good and keeping up with trends is an important focus while at university. We all remember that first dress-down day at school and how important it was for us to look good – this is what students probably go through each day, so it’s not just down to how they look, it’s how they feel and demonstrating their individuality. We don’t know exactly what ‘other’ encapsulates, but it may be things such as music and other entertainment, beauty products and household items as well. Again, showing that social elements are of the most importance to students.

Study & Communication
The final bit of spending is on books – we’re going to assume for university studying – and mobile phone bills, which again leans toward the social aspect of students spending. Students will be using their mobiles not only to keep in touch with friends and family, but also as a study aid, so this is a key spend although not a high one. More often than not, students will already have a contract with a provider in place before heading off to uni, but for those that don’t striking while the iron is hot, i.e. as soon as the new term begins, with deals or switch over offers is a great way to get students on board.
So, what we can gather is that the social aspect of studying and being at university is what takes priority. This suggests that these feelings are what marketers need to focus on when appealing to the student market. Not only that but as students cut back their spending in certain areas to save for others, they will be more susceptible to promotions which target them, especially if you play on their personal priorities.

So are students on your brands agenda this year? If so, be sure to get in touch!

BAM Agency Stylized image of a mysterious figure in shades and a fedora, with a blue gradient. The figure wears a trench coat featuring a prominent @ symbol, embodying student engagement, with its dark silhouette mirrored in the background. BAM Agency

7 tips to help you connect with students

Wow, well it’s safe to say that 2016 has just flown by. Us marketers are looking to 2017 and what this may hold for our upcoming campaigns. Here are our top seven tips to ensure you hit the student market hard this year:

To Assume makes and Ass of U and Me
Never make assumptions about students. Our recent Freshers’ survey showed that many students had not heard of some major brands that were conducting activity before seeing them during September. It was a big surprise, but a reminder that students have a lot of choice about who to give their loyalty to. There are numerous contradictions in the wonderful world of students. For example we speak to many students who will say it’s important to be offered a deal when it comes to some purchases and yet at the next turn are happy to pay premium prices for a brand purchase that they see as important to them. At both ends of the pricing scale brand image is everything.

Blending the online and offline
Digital is a key part of students’ lives, so having a brand presence both online and offline is important, but make sure you have something interesting to say! Just being in front of a student is not enough. We have also seen some more traditional marketing routes really hit the mark recently with many students being positive about a return to being handed something physical to engage with. Students exist online and offline so the key recipe for a successful campaign is making both of these channels work hand in hand and with a coherent brand message.

Be Relevant
Students are now bombarded with advertising, much of the time to the point where it does not even register with them. The need to grab attention is as important as it has ever been. The good news is that students actually welcome marketing in every form as long as it offers something valuable to them. Discounts are always a winner; or a cause that helps them feel better about the world, and even direct mail is welcomed by students who have previously told us that it has an impact on their brand decisions.

Planning
Leave enough planning time for your campaign. The student space is a great one but can be tricky to navigate.

Gamify
Whatever your campaign message is or however you are communicating it, students love to play games and love to compete against each other and other student groups, as well as universities. Harnessing the playfulness of students has a major impact on student campaigns.

People Matter
Often the promotional staff delivering a campaign can be forgotten about. We see clients investing time and money into great concepts only to recruit badly. Having experienced staff to run the campaign effectively is a must. The team you use need to be on brand, feel part of the team and be fully trained and briefed otherwise a great idea will possibly not hit the mark.

Secret Gems
We love new ways of reaching students so a little gem that is new on the scene allows brands to advertise for free via on-campus printers. Students download an app which allows them free printing. This has allowed us to place clients as a banner advert at the foot of the document each student prints. Even better than that the student is served an in-app advert while they wait for the document to print. We have seen CTR of 16% on this media since it launched in September.

BAM Agency The image displays the word VIDEO in large, bold white letters against a blue backdrop. Beneath this, a collection of vibrant social media icons, slightly blurred, suggests a dynamic marketing campaign. BAM Agency

How video strengthens a marketing campaign

We all know by now that video is an important asset to include in your campaigns. In fact, it’s predicted that video will represent 80% of web traffic by 2019 (Moz). Including video as part of wider marketing campaigns helps to increase the audience reach and engagement in many ways. You can also increase reach further with your videos by optimising and promoting them too. You will often find that a video can help to tie a campaign together; whether it explains a competition, is a promotional video or describes the aim of the campaign, it can help to be a focal point for your audience who want to find out what the campaign is all about.

Choosing your channels

1212 Once your video has been created and you are ready to go, you’re faced with the decision of where to promote your video to get the best reach. Where are you going to find the largest audience? And where are you going to get the best ROI? The first answer to jump into your mind will likely be YouTube, but you’ll find now that Facebook is a strong competitor for native video. Facebook has been prioritising video content on newsfeeds for a while now, meaning that people that like your page are more likely to see video content from you in their feeds than text or image-based content. Also, another selling point for uploading natively on to Facebook is that if you decide to promote your video on the social channel you will see greater results and a wider reach for a smaller budget (when compared to YouTube). Facebook videos get more impressions and more views at a lower cost (Moz). Facebook wants to drive the success of video advertising on the site and as such has made a number of developments to further entice advertisers, such as 360-degree video and Facebook Live.

Increasing view numbers and engagement

Another element to be aware of on Facebook is that adding subtitles to videos has been proven to increase the engagement rate. Facebook users will scroll through their newsfeeds and when videos auto play they don’t play with sound; adding captions is a great way to instantly grab attention and increase video views, as often people will not be in a situation where they can watch the video with sound. Again, as Facebook knows videos with subtitles are so successful, the platform further prioritises these in newsfeeds. It is worth noting that there has been some debate regarding Facebook’s attribution of views, with many brands and advertisers seeing incorrect or inflated data. Also, Facebook counts views at 3 seconds whereas YouTube counts a view at 20 seconds, which can inflate the reach and impressions on Facebook. It is more beneficial to track unique views in this case as this is more valuable – especially if your objective is to raise brand awareness, which is often the case.

Video is also great for SEO

So, while Facebook is the platform to use for a wider reach in terms of greater views and return on investment you don’t want to neglect YouTube, not least
because it is linked to the world’s largest search engine. You’ll instantly increase the reach of your video having it posted on two platforms, but you’ll also increase the chances of it ranking in Google, and ranking higher in YouTube search – which is invaluable if you are looking to engage a younger demographic.

You can improve the Google ranking of your video, which will help to make your video discoverable by more people. You can do this by optimising your videos with keywords, tags, transcriptions, end cards, annotations, and a rich and engaging title. YouTube videos often show up at the top of Google search results, so if your video matches the search term and has gained enough views it may make it into the first page of results! Win!

Cross-promotion is key

There is also the option to upload videos natively to other social channels, such as Twitter and Instagram, which will further increase the organic reach and give more options to explore other paid promotion routes. These channels are working to improve their platform for video results but at the moment it seems to be key sectors that are finding their videos working well on these platforms. Beauty and style videos are finding their footing on Instagram, while Twitter is currently pushing live content and sports videos with a partnership with NFL. Twitter themselves tell us that video on Twitter is viewed 4 times more than other content on the platform (Twitter at SM London Live). Using other channels, like e-newsletters for example, also help to increase viewership and convert engaged fans from your database into new followers on social channels and subscribers on YouTube.

It’s important to review your insights on your videos’ performance across all channels to get a feel for what works for your audience and what doesn’t. This should help you to optimise your videos for future campaigns and therefore reach a larger audience with a more engaging video.

BAM Agency Silhouette of a person with colorful speech and thought bubbles, including circles, rectangles, and ovals, emerging from the top of the head against a light gray background. This imagery captures the essence of engaging with millennials through dynamic ideas and conversation. BAM Agency

Why is engaging with millennial’s different?

Millennials are always under the watchful eye of brands these days. Set to become the most influential spending power in the coming years, their opinion, and interest, is very important for brands looking to establish relationships with this huge demographic.

They are socially aware when compared to generations before them, which can be somewhat credited to the advancement in technology and the increased accessibility of information. Social media in particular has brought about a new way for consumers to interact with brands; they are now more involved than ever with the decisions and actions that they make!

Millennials are used to being able to interact and have their say in what a brand is doing, if they don’t like what is going on, they have no problem letting the brand know about it. Followers can easily post a message on social media that everyone can see. Many young people won’t want to engage with brands who don’t share the same beliefs as they do or those that are not being honest with them. To create a loyal following (what every business wants!), it is important to be transparent in your actions and promote an ethical image. Consumers have a lot more power over a brands reputation these days!

A major difference today is that people are able to have active conversations with brands and form online communities. Millennials are more comfortable and used to this form of engagement than previous generations. The brands with the best followings actually have some of their customers as brand ambassadors, creating sharable content, and advocating their message! Take the brand Go-pro for example, their marketing involves videos made by their fans, providing a testimonial to how good the product is.

Millennials may give more to brands, but they will also expect more from them too. They will want to be entertained regularly; this can come in many forms.
Here are a few tips to make sure you’re a hit with the millennial market:

• Humanise your brand and personalise your approach
Make interactions with consumers as natural, and real, as possible and engage with them regularly across the channels they are using. No one likes a robotic, one-size-fits-all approach, so be sure to respond to your fans on an individual basis and make them feel valued.

• Promote your values
Project the feelings and assume the tone you want your business to represent in your brand ethos and everything you do. This way consumers will know what you’re all about and want to buy in to your brand if it’s something they feel strongly about.

• Join in on conversations that millennials are having
Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion on what people are talking about, this can help your brand to connect with a wider audience. A great way to do this is on Twitter during key times of the year e.g. results day.

• Give them some advice
Who doesn’t need a helping hand now and then? Give your fans some useful life-hacks or informative how-tos about your product that they’ll find handy and they’re more likely to come back for more.

• Speak their language
Millennials are a diverse group that you can’t generalise too much, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try and tailor you approach to talk to them in the ways that they prefer. Definitely think digital, see our blog on why this is so important in the student market.

If you need any more advice or guidance on how to reach your millennial market don’t hesitate to get in touch here

BAM Agency A diverse group of seven people stands in a row, engrossed in their phones and tablets—a snapshot of modern social media habits. Theyre in a bright room with large windows and greenery outside, each person expressing a mix of styles and emotions. BAM Agency

8 habits brand should avoid on social media

Getting your social media activity right can sometimes be a little tricky; the landscape is always changing with updates and new features brought out daily, but there are a few things that can generally be frowned upon. Students are the most in touch with social media, they are also very savvy when it comes to interacting with brands and can often be very unforgiving if they see something they don’t like. Here are 8 tips to ensure your brand doesn’t get caught out on social media:

1 Using auto messages to welcome people to your social media pages
This can often come across as feeling fake and impersonal. Even more so if there is a link to your web page or sales offers. This can also be deemed as annoying and is likely to get you unfollowed. You need to get to know your audience before shoving a sales pitch in their faces

2 Setting your profile to private
If you are a business and you have your account settings set to private, it just doesn’t make sense. If you’re not willing to share your posts with people who don’t follow you, how will they know they want to follow you? You should be showing people content that makes them take an interest in your business, not hiding behind privacy settings

3 Tag people or other businesses that aren’t relevant to try and get more reach
Doing this when it’s relevant is obviously okay, but just doing it to try and boost a post where it doesn’t make sense will make you seem like you don’t know what you’re doing, and people will probably not want to read your posts. It’s also likely to anger the other brand/person that you’re tagging because it’s seen as spammy

4 Posting links to your website or trying to promote your product on someone else’s page
This is just disrespectful. Unless you’ve been given permission or are in some form of partnership with another business, you should never post on their page in this manner. Doing this to try and attract your target market away from other brands may actually damage your brand image and integrity

5 Randomly adding people to Facebook groups or events
This is just plain annoying, and likely to get you unfollowed quickly. Adding people to a group or event that you think they might be interested in is just not a good way to approach them, you should get people interested and make them want to join themselves. For example, on Facebook you could set up an event and invite people to attend – as long as it’s relevant. Alternatively you could use targeted advertising to promote the event to people who are likely to respond and appreciate the heads up

6 Using someone else’s content as your own or copying their content
If you want to share someone else’s content then that’s great as long as you give them the credit they deserve for it. Often businesses steal or try to rip off content from their competitors on social media because it is easy to do. This can devalue your brand and you shouldn’t do it. It’s okay to take some inspiration from your competitors, but try and be original – This is what will make your brand stand out

7 Spammy posts
Posts that don’t really have a point and aren’t entertaining will quickly become annoying to your followers. Messages like ‘buy! buy! buy!’ all the time should be avoided. Also promising fans one thing and sending them to another thing (i.e. using click-bait) will definitely open your brand up to abuse. So always share content that is authentic, engaging and does what it says on the tin

8 Sharing posts that are not credible
Sharing something from a source that is not credible can be damaging to your brand image, especially if the claim is something completely outlandish. You should always check your sources before posting on social media, whether it’s about your business or something completely random

BAM Agency A group of six people wearing blue Greggs shirts stands in front of Greggs-themed posters and a spinning wheel display, smiling for the picture. It appears to be a lively Freshers event indoors, possibly managed by an enthusiastic Event Manager. BAM Agency

BAM’s King/Queen of Freshers’ Award 2016

About the award

Our new award for this year’s Freshers’ King or Queen has been put in place to acknowledge an Event Manager that has shown the following exceptional qualities throughout the 2016 Freshers’ campaign!

They used their initiative to overcome any obstacles that we came across
They motivated their team to deliver a high performance – a motivated and enthusiastic team is essential at these campaigns
They went above and beyond their duties giving it their all to deliver a sensational freshers’ campaign

Our Freshers’ King 2016 – Oliver Bryan!

Campaign – Greggs, South West/ Wales Campaign

Event Days – 8

Why? – We’ve chosen Oliver as our Winner of the Freshers’ King award for a few reasons. Firstly, he helped in delivering an absolutely fantastic freshers’ campaign. Secondly, his attitude throughout the campaign was absolutely brilliant and helped to motivate the whole teams of Bas, which meant we got as many sign ups as possible – Thanks Oliver! Great Job!

Oliver’s Response:

“Wow… that was certainly an unexpected treat! It was great working with all the guys at BAM, and I look forward to many more successful campaigns with you!
It is always easy to sit back and take the accolades from a successful campaign as an event manager, but I am always quick to shun any limelight as this is and was a true team effort.
Without the team supporting me and the event, the success could not and would not have been achieved!
On the day regarding Reading especially, the figures would have been nowhere near as high without Liam, so a big shout out to him as well!!
Thanks again, and I look forward to working with you in the future, hopefully sooner rather than later!”

BAM Agency Illustration of key digital marketing elements: a hand holding a megaphone, pie chart, chat bubbles, envelope, clock, dollar sign, and light bulb. These symbols represent communication, finance, and technology tailored for the student market against a dark background. BAM Agency

Digital is key to the student market

We’re in full flow of the academic year; Fresher’s is a distant memory (•tear•) and students are now getting geared up for the Christmas break, so how do brands engage this crowd while fighting to grab their fleeting attention at such a crucial time?

Well, we all know that most students fall into the digital native category; they’ve grown up with technology all around them – they are the much-coveted digital generation. Brands are quick to turn to channels, like social media, to target this demographic – after all they have huge spending power. However, they pose a very particular set of challenges that often go overlooked; here are our five top reasons you MUST be operating digitally in order to build relationships with the youth!

1. It will let you cater to the needs and wants of the student market.

Students are almost guaranteed to be operating digitally. They’ll be using a variety of modern smartphones and devices, which makes it easier for them to make purchases on the go. Putting your business on social media, mobile applications and websites will allow you to keep up with what the modern consumer demands. It will also prove helpful in attracting new potential customers; millennials are always looking for the latest updates!

2. Using social media effectively is a great way to increase brand awareness.

The integration of social media in marketing campaigns is highly effective from a brand awareness perspective, but also because the majority of students will be active on social channels daily. Students check their smartphones and devices multiple times throughout the day, so there will be more chances to maximise the engagement with your brand.

3. It allows you to increase interaction with your customers.

Being digital means that your students’ experience will not end once they’ve bought your product, you can continue to interact with them via social media, apps and websites. This gives you multiple platforms where you can hear about people’s experiences and gather feedback (market insight). However, remember it’s not always one-sided – by sharing your audience’s feedback or engaging with their recommendations will make them feel valued, and if a consumer is engaged with your brand, they are likely to return for another purchase.

4. People will find you more approachable.

Talking to students online will help to humanise your brand. Being digital lets individuals approach the business as if they are speaking to a friend online. Consumers who feel comfortable approaching a brand will feel more relaxed about buying from them and will be more likely to recommend that brand to their friends and family.

5. You can keep a record of how your business is being represented and received.

Social media has made it easy for businesses to instantly portray their views and opinions, it has also means everything is trackable. Identifying hard results to determine the effect that social media is having can sometimes be challenging, but there will be a record of what actions have been taken to identify a concept of cause and effect, showing you what your consumers respond best to.

Don’t forget – Being digital is great, but it can mean your business is a lot more vulnerable to negative online attention. This is why it’s really important to always think your ideas through and make sure they represent what your brand is really about.

BAM Agency Three men in suits strike superhero poses against a neutral background. They wear colorful masks and capes—one in blue, another in green, and the third in red. With determination and confidence, theyre ready to tackle marketing tips for reaching millennials. BAM Agency

6 tips for marketing to millennials

The millennial market can seem a tricky one to crack to outsiders, with many brands failing to really connect with their desired consumers because they haven’t done their research. Making assumptions about your target audience is a common mistake, and can really have a huge negative impact on the effectiveness of your campaigns.

Here are our top six tips to help point you in the right direction and ensure your campaigns meet those objectives

1. They are an extremely diverse generation

Unfortunately a one-size-fits-all approach will not work for millennials. You’ll need to take the time to figure out who your target market actually is to deliver a campaign that will appeal to them and achieve great results. Think of it in terms of different market segments within the millennial age group rather than just a singular demographic – after all, they all have different interests; just because they are part of the same age group does not mean they will behave and respond in the same way.

2. They are more connected than ever before

Because millennials have grown up with technology, they are used to being connected with each other, this includes their favourite brands too. They operate across multiple devices and platforms at the same time and are comfortable approaching brands online if they need information or assistance, so make sure your brand is visible in the right arenas.

3. They like to share

It’s no secret to marketers that millennials spend a lot of their time on social media. It is a necessity for brands to be operating on key social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram if they want to reach this group. But also other channels like Snapchat should be part of the marketing mix. Choose social media channels that best represent your brand and the people you’re trying to reach. Creating and posting shareable content that millennials can engage with and share online is a great way to generate a buzz around your brand.

4. Don’t be a pushy sales person

Because millennials are used to having so much information at their disposal, they might not respond well to a pushy message about how great your products are and why they should buy them. However, this isn’t to say that they won’t respond well to other people telling them how great your products are. More and more brands are now using influencers to help market their products. Using an influencer that best connects and resonates with your target market is a great way to raise awareness of your brand and what you have to offer. We’ve found that millennials are much more likely to credit the testimonial of one of their peers over a brand.

5. Message delivery

It can be hard to track how millennials are interacting with brands. The introduction of smartphones and portable devices means you can’t just assume that people are in their homes using their desktops when they access your site. Your marketing must now be fully integrated, mobile optimised and cohesive to deliver the same message across all channels. This way it will be easier for millennials to receive it as they are always changing between devices.

6. Loyalty must be earned

Millennials are not as loyal as generations before them and are unlikely to stick with big name brands just because of their status. As millennials have become a major spending power, brands must now accept that they have to win over consumers and keep their loyalty through interaction and engagement.

To communicate with millennials effectively you have to find out what matters to them and what they will respond well to. Marketing is a much more varied process than in the past, so keep these six points in mind when trying to reach them to give yourself a better chance.

BAM Agency A group of six women, all smiling, stand side by side, embodying millennial thinking. They have diverse appearances and are dressed in professional attire. The blurred indoor setting accentuates their modern approach to millennial recruitment. BAM Agency

Recruit millennial’s with millennial thinking

A lot of students finish university ready and eager to start their transition into the working world. If your company wants to attract top millennials, you must capture their attention on the platforms that they use day to day. Is it a good idea to put out ads in the paper aimed towards the digital young adults of today? No!

Millennials are digital natives, so think digital!

What applications, media channels and tools are at your disposal to make top graduates want to work for you? If you want to get their attention you need to find out where they regularly consume their content and build relationships.

Find out what millennials are talking about, and join in on the conversation. It may be useful to get help, and if possible, testimonies from other millennials so that your approach feels natural.

Sales message, sales message, sales message…Just don’t!

This particular generation is different to the generations before it, don’t try to just market job vacancies towards them, you’ll need to engage with them. Social media is paramount, so having a genuine and meaningful social media presence is the way to get graduates to notice you.

Don’t spread yourself too thin

It’s better to pick a few social media channels and do them well rather than trying to reach individuals across all of them. Choose the platforms that best represent what your company is about and remember millennials will most likely be using a variety of technology, so be sure to cater to varying demographics within your target audience.

Twitter is inexpensive, instant, and direct – unless you use their advertising feature, which can get a bit pricey. It allows you to keep up with current events and lets you have your say. Joining conversations that millennials are interested in can also get them talking about you. However, LinkedIn was made for recruitment, and is a great platform to use for research as well as sharing relevant content – you can also be a bit more corporate and push those harder messages e.g. job vacancies.
Don’t make assumptions

It’s really a question of finding ways to appeal to your desired candidates, and finding out how to appeal to them. It’s easy to assume all millennials act in a similar way but they’re a very diverse group. A prerequisite to operating on social media could be visiting universities or online forums to discuss what students, graduates and post-grads like and dislike about recruitment, as well as hiring processes and what they look for in a job/company.

You don’t need to be corporate all the time

Doing something to stand out from the crowd is something else you can do to give yourself a better chance of success! Be fun! Don’t be afraid to ask them what they want too. Engagement on a regular basis towards graduates will ensure they are kept interested in working for you.

If you would like to know more about how we can help you engage students, no matter the objective, get in touch with us!

BAM Agency A graduation cap with a tassel rests on a pile of various coins, symbolizing the concept of education costs or student loans—a reflection of millennial shopping habits and their strategic spending decisions. BAM Agency

What do millennial’s look for when spending?

The millennial age group have grown up in a time of rapid change where there have been huge advancements in technology, and a new way of connecting and communicating brought about thanks to the internet. Now lumbered with higher university tuition fees and released into a challenging job market, their spending habits are likely to reflect this. Here are three major things that millennials are looking for when spending their money:

Value!

Most people will be seeking value when spending, but millennials are more frugal than the generations before them. This is because many will have been taught to be pennywise and compare prices whilst growing up during an economic struggle, and as we all know, money is tight when you’re a student! There are so many more ways to find out about brands via the internet, that they are now easily able to find the best possible deals for themselves with some quick online research. To appeal to a millennial you must market your product in a way that screams value! This often means offering something other than just the product…

Brand Experiences!

555 …Offer Experiences. To attract a millennial you must be appealing in the right ways; the trend these days appears to be brand experiences over ownerships. A person may buy a product or service from you, but have they been given an experience online or in store?

Even if you are selling something really simple to students there are still tons of ways to ensure they receive a full brand experience. Interaction and engagement are key to guaranteeing their custom. Even after they have made a purchase, you can keep them on board via social media and PR stunts. Millennials are way more likely to become a loyal customer if they are consistently interacted with on social media! Fresher’s Fairs provide the perfect opportunity to do something fun with your customers in a face-to-face setting, 80% of our clients believe this to be the most successful form of marketing!

Check out our blog ‘Three Brands That Are Smashing Their Student Marketing Out The Park’ for some inspiration:

Online presence!

Millennials have grown up with technology and are much more comfortable making purchases via smartphones and handheld devices when compared to older generations. Make sure your websites are optimised for other devices; this way people will be able to check out your products wherever they are!

What do millennial’s look for when spending?

Millennials are more likely to consult social media before making a purchase and more likely to be influenced by video content about a product so it’s worth investing time into your online presence. Sharing reviews and user experiences is another great way to get people talking about your brand! Millennials share a lot of information online and will often take each other’s advice over a brands; so don’t be afraid to put user experiences out there.

If you deliver these three things when selling your product you’re sure to be a hit! It’s also a good idea to follow the trends amongst millennials so you can join in on current topics and engage with them in a familiar environment So keep your ear to the ground or get in touch for some expert advice!