Millennials Prefer Facebook, YouTube For Purchasing Decisions

Millennials prefer videos when it comes to learning, including when researching business products, according to a new study that looks at marketing channels, content types and other factors that affect the business decision-making of young professionals.

Their preference for videos has most Millennials turning to YouTube and Facebook, which frequently embeds video content. The report was commissioned by Sacunas, an integrated business-to-business (B2B) marketing agency.

Sacunas phone surveyed 2,000 millennials across the United States about their buying habits, their usage of social channels and causes that they care about in regard to making B2B purchasing decisions.

“Our findings contradict the traditional belief that social media is a secondary influencer on purchasing decisions for B2B brands,” said Director of Research and Strategy Heather Wadlinger. “We’ve confirmed that not only do Millennials turn to social media for information about B2B brands, but they overwhelmingly prefer Facebook and YouTube to other social platforms like LinkedIn.”

Sacunas research also details the desire of Millennials to work with vendors who have a social conscience.

“To successfully market to Millennials, B2B companies need to understand the unique behaviors and psychology of the Millennial buyer,” said President Adam Vasquez. “B2B brands not only have to optimize their customer experience, but they must also evolve to have meaning beyond the products they represent.”

According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015 there were approximately 55.2 million Millennials in the U.S. workforce, surpassing Generation X as the largest demographic in the labor force. The Department of Labor predicts that by 2025, the workforce will grow to include 74 million Millennials.

The full report is at: sacunas.net/research.