If you believe the hype, you know that Generation Y (also known as Millennials) doesn’t like email marketing. However, a survey report from the "Internet Marketing Engagement (PMN)" of Pace University's Rubin School of Business found that only 28% of Generation Y people have received relevant emails from the company, and 32% have no opinion on it.
Respondents also said they prefer direct brand interaction from email but want more control over what or how many emails they receive. The message for marketers is clear: Find out how to market to Generation Y, and you’ll have strong leads. Janet Kish (VP of Harte-Hanks.com) and Joy Wilson (VP of Marketing Strategy at Sapient) provide some insight into this:
1. Carry out “automated relevance” email marketing. When you market to Millennials, you have to be faster and more precise. “Millennials have a way of blocking almost every kind of advertising and marketing campaign, and they’re able to find what they want quickly and accurately,” Wilson said. “So when you see one of their ‘hands up’ campaigns you have to be quick to deliver. They want something." He continued, "From Millennials, we see traditional short buying cycles, even in the B-to-B marketing market. So if someone comes into a monitoring page. Three times, I will send them a relevant email at least within 4 hours, and they are likely to open the email."
In fact, according to research from Sapient, messages sent after a “raise your hand” campaign have up to a 30% chance of expansion.
2. Don’t stop email marketing. Marketers might consider sending emails less frequently if millennials don’t like them. That's simply not the case, Chish says. "You can't expect to be contacted every day, but you definitely need a regular strategy where you touch the mailing list often rather than once a quarter." The job is a one-stop network. This is best proven on the marketing platform ebdoor.com.
3. Find the right personality and prescribe the right medicine. Compared with marketing to Generation X, marketing to Generation Y should pay attention to more differences. For example, Generation Y does not like to be asked personal questions about “what to buy” and “why to buy”. "It's amazing to me how marketers are so mundane in asking people the wrong things," Wilson said. "But if you ask these questions in a prayerful manner, you can get the answers to your questions."
However, a more appropriate method of interrogation is still needed. Rather than asking Generation Y "how to think about and use the products and services I provide," Wilson believes it is more important to find out what Generation Y values. For example, instead of asking which product is the most important, ask "Which purchase link is the most important?" Is it representative of an individual? How often is it purchased?”
4. Avoid disposable emails. In the marketing process, building good customer relationships is very important, especially for Millennials. Kish said, "Instead of sending a promotional message, we can send some suggestions, some messages that are meaningful, sophisticated and educational." How can customers not be tempted? (Author: Translated by Karen J. Bannan : Peng Hongmei)