Right now, millennials represent the generation most likely to impact the growth and success of your insurance agency. That’s why it’s more important than ever to prioritize them in your marketing and communication strategies.

How can you do this? The best way to reach the millennial audience is by ensuring you’re up to date on their preferences and providing the online and in-person consumer experiences they expect.

Let’s look at what it takes to attract and maintain millennial customers. You’ll need to:

• Invest in a modern, mobile-friendly website.

  Millennials are internet-savvy and have high expectations when it comes to the online experience companies provide. They expect you to have a website that is easy to use and operates seamlessly on a desktop or smartphone, so make sure to provide them with a mobile-optimized experience.

  To build brand loyalty with millennials, you’ll need a modern website designed specifically for insurance customers. The website should allow you to respond immediately to your clients’ insurance needs, including letting them access documents, run quotes and request policy changes. You’ll also need to offer online payment options as millennials prefer a simple and secure digital checkout experience, just like they’re used to on their favorite websites in other industries.

• Focus on local networks of contacts.

  Millennials may have a reputation for being always online, impacted by trends and social media, but when it comes to choosing brands to do business with, they tend to be highly influenced by the in-person bonds they share with close acquaintances. For this generation, family and friend referrals greatly influence how they find an insurance provider. In fact, millennials are much more likely than other generations to base their choice of insurance provider on who their family members use. This is good news for agencies since they can capitalize on the brand loyalty of their older customers to reach younger millennials.

• Use social media channels to connect.

  Although in-person recommendations matter a lot to millennials, optimizing social channels is still critical for reaching this generation. To capture their interest, you’ll want to use captivating images and short videos with concise captions. Agencies can also connect with millennials on social media by harnessing user-generated content and creating a branded hashtag that consumers can use and incorporate into their own posts to help your brand story feel more relatable and authentic. Businesses should also build interest by engaging with millennials directly through comments, direct messages and replies, and offering interactive elements such as polls and quizzes.

• Provide 24/7 customer service.

  As a result of having grown up connected to always-available products and services like Uber, Amazon, and food delivery apps, millennials prefer insurance providers who offer 24/7 customer service and features like mobile-optimized websites and quote by text message that enable access anytime and from almost anywhere. Since 24/7 easily reachable service is such a must-have for millennials, if agencies don’t deliver these customer service features, today’s young consumers may find other alternatives and could also share negative feedback about their brand experiences on review sites and social networks.

  By providing online self-servicing round the clock, you can keep these customers satisfied and save time and money otherwise spent on in-person service requests. To keep millennials happy, you’ll need to offer a mobile-optimized online portal where clients can access their policy documents and ID cards any time, print and share confidential documents easily and securely online, request policy changes, and view coverages.

• Encourage and respond to online reviews.

  Online reviews are a crucial source of user-generated content businesses can use to promote their brands. Younger demographics use search engines extensively, and their brand choice is often influenced by online reviews, which they trust as much as personal recommendations.

  For visibility, trust-building, and customer engagement, insurance providers need to promote positive online reviews, for example, with software that encourages satisfied clients to leave enthusiastic responses. Agencies also need to respond swiftly to reviews to demonstrate the brands’ transparency and willingness to improve based on customer feedback.

• Offer multiple communication touchpoints.

  Millennials don’t distinguish between online and offline worlds and are drawn to brands that offer multiple communication touchpoints, both online and off. To win millennials over, you’ll need to offer a variety of options when it comes to connecting with your business, including in-person, phone calls, text, email and social media. When insurance agencies are able to provide these omnichannel touchpoints, they’ll have the opportunity to build relationships with millennial customers in the traditional in-person ways and in the modern digital ways that will keep business flourishing.

A last word on millennial customers

Millennial clients may, at first glance, seem very different from previous generations of consumers in their always-online lifestyles and preferences. But when you take a closer look, you can see that millennials are searching for high-quality, professional and knowledgeable service, as well as connection, just like any other generation. Insurance is complicated, so in addition to using digital services and 24/7 access, millennials seek advice from agents in a variety of ways, so make sure you offer all of these options. At the end of the day, it’s about meeting prospects and clients where they are.