Too Many Emails Annoy Millennials June 12, 2018, | Posted by erin

A recent study conducted by Fluent discovered that when it comes to Millennials--the largest demographic gaining prominence amongst consumers--found that when it comes to marketing to this group, there’s a definite sweet spot; and old rules set for Baby Boomers and Gen X just don’t play the same way with the new target demographic. As we’ve mentioned before, the brand loyalty of Millennials is tricky to predict and sometimes difficult to maintain, but at Site Impact, we’re always looking for ways to improve strategy--so we’re definitely interested to put the new study to good use.

According to the survey, 31% of Millennials ranked email as the “least annoying” channel to receive marketing through, compared to 48% of the older participants. This can seem to spell a bad future for email marketing, except that 50% of Millennials also said that they had purchased something through a promotional email in the last 6 months. So clearly, even if Millennials are annoyed by email, they still participate actively in that marketing channel.

The issue, of course, is in finding ways to engage with this generation in email marketing efforts. The single biggest driver of lost engagement seems to be brands not understanding Millennial values; while only 16% of Millennials stopped purchasing from brands that pursued policies they didn’t like, compared to 15% of Millennials ceasing to purchase from brands whose marketing messages don’t communicate clear value. In general, Millennials seem to feel that only about 20% of email marketing messages they receive appeal to their core values--which means that there’s a major opportunity open to those who know what those values are, and how to provide a proposition that resonates with those values.

It’s clear from the Fluent study that many brands still aren’t comfortable with or confident in their efforts to reach out to Millennials--if they were, there would be a higher proportion of those consumers who feel their values are appealed to. As the older generations lose ground more and more to Millennials, it will become absolutely vital for brands to know how to speak to the dominant generation; important key points should always been at the top of marketers’ minds when it comes to appealing to them.

In addition, understanding Millennial behavior as regards email is important: more than older demographic groups, Millennials are accessing their emails on mobile, whether that’s smartphones or tablets. This means that focus should be--among other things--making sure that emails are formatted properly to appear best on the smaller screen, and minimize the need for copious scrolling. In trying to appeal to core values, it’s important for marketers to know that Millennials place finding a well-earning job higher than older demographics, and place faith-based issues much lower.

Overall, the important take-away from this study is that while Millennials are open to emails, there remains a substantial gap in what brands think Millennials want to hear, and what they actually want to receive. Companies seeking to connect with this increasingly powerful consumer group should invest the time and effort into understanding what it is Millennials are looking for, and target their messages appropriately. Contact Site Impact today to find out how we can help you reach out successfully to a variety of demographics.