INSIGHT
FIVE EMAIL STRATEGIES
TO DRIVE ACTION
FROM MILLENNIALS
Although it’s widely believed that social media is the only way to connect with Millennials, Corey Padveen
says email can be equally effective in capturing the elusive demographic, if you tailor your offering correctly.
THERE IS AN OVERWHELMING
PRESUMPTION that email and
Millennials do not go together. Email is
seen as an archaic form of communication
that modern Millennial players do not
respond to as openly as some of the more
commonly perceived Millennial platforms,
such as social media. Like many of the
other assumptions marketers and operators
make when it comes to Millennials, this is a
little misguided.
There are a lot of considerations you
need to take into account when justifying
the use of email in your marketing
strategies. First, email and mobile now
go hand-in-hand, and Millennials live
on mobile. Email is also one of the only
singular focal points consumers have
when it comes to marketing materials.
more regard than some of the sponsored
content that Millennials come across online.
Personalisation is a key component of any
successful acquisition or retention strategy.
Studies also show that email is a
hugely viable medium for connecting
with Millennials. An Adobe study found
that Millennials are more likely than any
other demographic to check their emails
everywhere from the car to the bathroom.
Another study conducted by email
marketing software form Adestra found
that 73% of Millennials prefer to receive
brand communications via email. These
are all compelling arguments that might
persuade you to reconsider the resources
you devote to email, but to capitalise on
the medium, a few strategies need to be
implemented on an ongoing basis.
“An Adobe study found that Millennials are more likely
than any other demographic to check their emails
everywhere from the car to the bathroom”
What does that mean? It means that unlike
social media, or even television, an email,
particularly on a mobile device, is the only
item on which a user is focusing when it
appears on screen. Moreover, email is a
very personal platform, and so it is given
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iGB Affiliate Issue 63 JUN/JUL 2017
Build your own lists
Taking into account modern consumer
behaviour and habits, there is no greater
waste of an operator’s or affiliate’s assets
than renting or buying an email list in
the hopes of generating tangible results
from Millennial prospects. While
Millennials may be receptive to email,
that comes with some contingencies.
First, spam is spam. It doesn’t matter
how you spin the email or where your
rented lists come from, if a recipient is
unfamiliar with your brand, they will
not be open to engaging with your offer
or message.
The majority of the media on which
Millennials are engaging with brands has
become subject to paid content. This means
that there are not too many refuges left
where content can be controlled. Email is
one of those last platforms. Spam filters
have become smarter, and Millennials
are happy to use them. Build lists by
running campaigns on other media, such
as Facebook or Twitter, in the hopes of
driving subscriptions to your lists from
an initial source, thereby increasing the
likelihood of engagement from email
content in the future. And don’t forget to
take that extra step and double confirm
the email subscribers who sign up. Doing
so will guarantee that your recipients
are aware of your brand and that your
emails aren’t blocked, bounced or sent
to a spam folder, which might have the
perilous effect of sending your domain
to a dreaded blacklist.