This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities advice.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katherynrivas87@gmail.com. 
It might seem appropriate to squeal with glee, "You like me, you really like me," every time a new customer or potential client becomes a new "fan" of your Facebook small business page. But according to a new study, if those clicking the "like" button are Millennials—young consumers between the age of 18-and 29-years-old –then chances are they really don't like you as much as you think they do.



That's not to say that they "hate" you, but becoming a fan of your online small business Facebook page has a very slim chance of ever translating into real world purchases or establishing a thread of loyalty— that's because 69% of study subjects confessed that once they "liked" a page, they rarely or never returned to visit it; those that did return to pages, only did so for the discounts and free samples almost exclusively.  So, you may just be wasting your time trying to strictly appeal to young consumers via Facebook.

For the study, 414 Millennials from three different universities were asked about their Facebook habits.  Eighty six percent of surveyors admitted to accessing Facebook every single day and a whopping 75% "liked" at least one organization or brand in their lifetime. That’s good. But as mentioned before, the "likes" aren’t always genuine. Most Millennials admitted to "liking" a page solely because their friends did so and it came up on their feeds.  Few brands, even big national brands, are able to get through to Millennials. While some organizations and brands can break through to the fickle age group of consumers, typically they are already close to the subject in an offline world, such as the consumer's fraternity/sorority, Alma matter, favorite sports team, or a non-profit organization he or she is involved with.

So while it makes perfect sense why you'd like to spend most of your  time, energy, and finances marketing to Millennials—after all, not only are they tech savvy but  have more than $170 billion in annual purchasing power–it might be a waste. That's not to say that you should avoid them entirely, but Millennials are picky consumers. So many different things turn them off, including:

• Excessive Updates—they find them annoying and will most likely "unfriend" you.
• Saturation of Coupons—coupons are favored but "too many" are less appealing. This too can lead to an "unfriending." They also need to be strictly "excusive" meaning the same coupons cannot appear on your website.
• Phony/ Insincerity—Millennials are young but they are highly educated can read straight through generic posts.  

So what do Millenninals like? While the subject hasn't been researched that thoroughly, a majority of Millennial say they highly favor contests and sweepstakes—younger people love to publicly display their skills and talents via social media; they also like to win prizes. Brands that host monthly contests and give their fans the opportunity to win a prize and boast about it are typically favored. Remember to always publicly announce winners as well, so they know your contests are legitimate. Millennials also are a generation who wants to work towards helping their environment and their community. Thus, those brands that have some sort of philanthropic cause— for example Aldo's Shoes launched an Aids awareness campaign in 2011—are also favored.

You don't have to stop working towards gaining young consumers' attention entirely, but it is important to realize how they function and know that simply "liking" your page doesn't hold that much weight.

Image Credit Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net