The oldest millennial is 38 years old. Take a minute and let that sink in. No, not 28, 38. In fact, as we publish this eBook, the ‘millennial’ generation is aged between 23 – 38 years old. This entire demographic has (for the most part) completed their education and economically contributes to society. And while millennials are not price sensitive, they are price-aware – they will be critical in determining whether your hotel provides value and is worthy of their spend.
So why is it so important for us to understand the mentality and buying behaviour of millennials, the statistics speak for themselves. Forbes, tells us that 84% of millennials don’t trust traditional advertising which means we have had to adjust and adapt our strategic approach to understanding their needs.So who do millennials trust when it comes to the all-important buying decisions. According to Neil Patel, 89% of millennials trust recommendations from friends and family more than the brand itself. In this regard, we need to ensure customers are receiving the best possible experience that is word-of-mouth-worthy. When creating content for this generation, you need to ensure it is engaging, creative and relevant. Share compelling, shareable content that seeks to enhance the visitor’s online experience.
How can you build trust with millennials?
Reviews
Review sites now act as a voicing platform that requires a high standard from millennials. Guest reviews do have a direct impact on conversion. We ran a test through Allora – Avvio’s AI-powered booking platform, where we tracked conversion rate with ReviewPro enabled vs disabled. Although minimal, the results still solidify our reasoning. With ReviewPro a London-based hotel saw a 4.97% conversion rate, without it the conversion rate dropped to 4.21%.
If you don’t have reviews on your site, you risk losing guests to a competitor or online travel agent who does. Maximise your reviews by showing them on relevant landing pages.
Be present on the right channels
An emphasis needs to be placed on channels that millennials are utilising. This typically involves social media – and more specifically Facebook and Instagram. Instagram, in particular, has grown in popularity for this demographic due to its visual appeal and real-time sharing capabilities. Ensure the channels you’re utilising build trust. It’s estimated that one out of four millennials uses social media sites to find their holiday accommodation. Influencers also play a vital role in this process, specifically within the travel industry. 83% of millennials said they would be more likely to book a hotel after seeing images from someone they follow on social media.
Don’t be disheartened if your hotel can’t afford to work with well-known, expensive influencers. You may still find substantial success in working with a nano-influencer: someone with a relatively small community – 1,000 to 5,000 followers. This means of advertising is kinder on your marketing budget but still generates trusted advertising.
Encourage guests to generate their own content
This means that your website content needs to include video and images where possible. Consider videos to answer your frequently asked questions: infographics and video tours are top of the list when it comes to interactive content. A recent stat from Think with Google, stated that 70% of millennials use YouTube to learn how to do something new, or learn more about something they’re interested in. Take this opportunity to be at the all-important research stage of the buying process. Emotive content about an experience over a hotel room can set the scene. Micro-moments can now be a part of your overall strategy. Google Ads now allows you to target by life experiences such as marriage or moving home.
User-generated content (UGC) is any form of content that have been posted by users on online platforms and is a great way for your brand to build trust with a millennial audience. Travel trends for millennials have changed from the stereotypical alcohol-enriched club holiday packages to move experience-based ‘Instagrammable’ holidays.
