Email Matters To Millennials
Millennials, also called Generation Y, love email. This market segment ranges from those 18 to 34 years of age. When they were born, mom handed them a smartphone and a PC. The rest is history. Digital history. And, there are close to 20 million millennials in the US–a demographic and psychographic worth courting and understanding. By 2017, they will represent $200 billion in annual buying power.
Contrary to some assumptions, this generation does not see email as old fashioned. If fact, email is often their most preferred digital information tool. Don’t forget, email was the first social media tool. It’s not going away any time soon. Millennials see that. Be where millennials are–their inbox.
Below are some stats to prove my point:
- According to Adobe, millennials check emails more than any other age group.
- 88% of this demographic use a smartphone to check emails from the bed to the bathroom to the car.
- According to Harvard Business Review and millennial’s use of email: mobile; timing; picture usage; and frequency is critical for success. This article also suggests email may be the best way to communicate with millennials.
- Email is the “channel of choice” for communicating with retailers and well ahead of social media in overall impact.
- Email was the forth leading source for getting product information among college-aged millennials. In fact, email was equal to the internet for seeking product information.
- Email was the second most important channel for conducting product research for millennials.
- Make sure to integrate social media with your email marketing strategies. The social share bar on each email expands your reach to the friends, family members, and work colleagues of each Gen Y reader.
- Make sure both your email newsletters and your website is mobile responsive in design. If not, you are way behind your competition curve. If you are not mobile responsive, you are missing a huge cross section of your market.
- Get permission. Don’t spam any subscriber to your email list. By providing value-oriented content with low-key and minimal promotion you reduce your unsubscribe rates. Engage, don’t interrupt.
- Timing is everything. Gen Ys are more of a freelance generation and thus hold unique hours. A/B test your open rates for optimum engagement.
- Be personal and understand the lifestyles of your readers. Don’t be generic. Personal and custom works.
Email matters to millennials. Take it seriously so Gen Y will take your product and brand seriously.
By Stuart Atkins
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