• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, July 17, 2017

Millennials have long been thought of as email killers. But that’s a stereotype.

In fact, 22% of them are “very likely” to open an email, a higher percentage than older age groups, according to a study by Campaigner, as covered last Friday on MarTech Advisor. 

But don’t Millennials prefer social media for commercial messages? No so, according to another source: Team Fanbridge.

”For millennials, social media is where the relationship is created and fostered at first, and email is used for communication once a sense of trust has developed between brand and buyer,” Team Fanbridge writes on Hypebot.com.

This is, of course, part of a larger picture.

According to Campaigner, 44% of all consumers prefer email for brand interaction overall, and 85% of online shoppers are at least somewhat likely to open an email from a brand.

Only 24% of consumers like to engage with brands on social media. Of those than do, 54% choose Facebook.

Millennials do stand alone in some regards. For example, 64% would rather shop online than in a store; Baby Boomers prefer stores, according to Campaigner.  Also, Boomers are more likely to shop in the morning, Millennials at night. In fact, one out of five Millennials orders from bed.

Finally, interest in coupons and promotions decreases with age, with 80% of Millennials expecting them vs. 64% of Baby Boomers.

“Millennials are not ruining email marketing, but they are giving marketers a run for their money,” Team Fanbridge writes.

So how do you market to Millenials via email? Team Fanbridge says you should never:

• Lump subscribers into one group.
• Force slang/hashtags/memes into your content if they’re not a good fit.

Meanwhile, Campaigner adds that you should watch your email frequency.

“Online shoppers’ (49% have a primary complaint about marketing messages: They receive too many of them,” writes Seamas Egan, associate director, revenue operations at Campaigner. “Most recipients (29%) prefer to hear from a brand less often than once a month, while only 11! prefer to get brand messages more than once a week.”

Here’s one more tidbit: Avoid the turgid papers put out by some B2B marketers, or slipshod pieces by authors well past the Millennial years. And don’t use the hard sell.

On the do side (courtesy of Team Franbridge):

• Provide a health mix of social and email.
• Optimize your email for mobile devices.

We’d add that you shouldn’t take anyone’s word for it. Test to see which channels work for which audience. And do the same to determine creative approaches. Do that, and you may win not only with Millennials, but with GenXers and Boomers.