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Emily Nash

By: Emily Nash on May 24th, 2017

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Email Market To Millennials Like A Member Marketing Pro

Email Marketing | millennial generation

mailto:demo@example.com?Subject=HighRoad Solutions - interesting article

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You don’t need me to tell you that millennials have surpassed baby boomers as the largest living generation. You probably already have your eye on this coveted generation of 18-34 year-olds with $200 billion in annual buying power. With great big numbers of over 75 million according to the Pew Research from April 25, 2016, comes great opportunity; so how are we reaching them?

Only millennials can eschew traditional media of television, print, and direct mail while wearing vintage threads, shopping at artisanal local shops for kitchey crafts, and snapping #throwbackthursday photos on their instagrams. My point is millennials can appreciate nostalgia for an earlier time as long as it doesn’t take up too much of their time.

If traditional media is out of the question, how does email play a part in getting millennials to pay attention? It turns out, according to an Adobe Study, that email plays a vital role in the moments that matter with millennials. They are proven to be checking their emails on-the-go: while they work, eat, play, shop - more than any other age group.

It’s a different way of thinking. A well thought out approach to reaching and engaging with millennials is a must. Stop what you are doing immediately and answer one question: Is your email marketing responsive for mobile? Then, go one step further and consider whether your email marketing is mobile-first, meaning that hero images are not too busy, calls-to-action are big enough, and the content is interesting. This could be a campaign that exclusively offers tips of the trade, free tools for members only, or the latest information from capitol hill that savvy millennials wouldn’t otherwise have access to elsewhere. Associations are in a unique position to possess exclusive information for members - so use this positioning to create a relationship of value and interest in your content.

According to the Harvard Business Review, millennials are checking emails in bed. So, change your timing. Send after 9pm on a school night for those less crowded late-night checks or first thing before sunrise. Then, go one step further and make sure your content is relevant to that time of day.

Millennials engage with brands differently than other generations. According to an article by Litmus, this generation interacts with email to engage with brands for that personal, relevant experience that only email - and not Snapchat or Instagram - can offer. Associations are especially poised to hook millennials by tying their message into a larger, revolutionary message to bring millennials on board. To make that point again, don’t forget the bigger message and how this generation is central to the larger goal of the association.

This leads me to my next pro tip, send a message with the next step in mind. This means sending off one-off messages are a thing of the past. It’s time to consider marketing automation. Make it a two-way conversation with personalized emails based on personas, engaging content such as surveys that gather feedback, and calls-to-action that lead to valuable resources or your latest industry blog article. Even better, how can your audience co-create with your brand? Get them involved by volunteering, giving you feedback, and playing a role in your organization and communicate based on each individual digital footprint.

So to recap on a few of my pro tips, not only should you consider email as a viable channel for reaching this generation - you should wholly focus on campaigning and communicating with this generation via email. Shift away from bulk emails and instead send messages that are more one-to-one and personalized with a bigger picture message in mind. Finally, consider using visual imagery and design wherever you can to get your message across. Think infographics, gifs, images, video, and photos. Then, send outside of work hours in those on-the-go moments with the next step already in mind.

Not sure where to begin with reaching this generation? Operating with templates that aren't responsive? An agency can help. 

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Information courtesy of Business 2 Community

About Emily Nash

With a unique background in start-ups-to-studios, and consulting-to-corporate settings, Emily specializes in solving for unknowns, pioneering new services, and collaborating with marketers and strategists. In her community, she served on the board of American Institute for Graphic Arts as their Communications Director to help promote networking and mentorship opportunities for area designers and creatives. She’s also a co-producer for Rethink Association, a podcast for associations.