It is no surprise that millennials engage with social media. But their attitudes about social media can be instructive for marketers. A recent study from TELUS International yielded significant information about how millennials use and perceive social media. 

The survey included 2,038 US adults, of whom 570 were millennials. Among the survey findings:

• 38% of millennials used social media to give feedback to companies at least once a week.
• Two-thirds of them consider speed of social media response an important factor on which to base their brand loyalty. In fact, almost three-fourths (72%) of survey respondents age 18-34 will likely be loyal to a brand that replies via social media. Less than half of older respondents (age ≥45) agreed.
• Millennials strongly consider the presence of social media when considering a new purchase, and 43% would not buy from a brand with no social media presence.
• Almost 20% of millennials prefer to leave positive feedback. Even when their feedback is not positive, 62% of them will still recommend a brand with great social media engagement, compared to 50% of all adults.
• Only 19% of millennials surveyed make purchases based on brand loyalty, so marketers seeking the millennial demographic need to focus on social media response.