With all the marketing and branding focus on influencer marketing through Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, email marketing just seems like a thing of the past. Right now, 85% of Generation Z says they use email at least one time per month. That doesn’t sound like a lot to those of us who live in our inboxes every day.
These numbers may make marketers question whether email is still a viable marketing tool for CPG brands. In 2015—the newest information available—62% more brands offered email registration, but then 33% of them failed to send even one message. Chances are, those companies either weren’t organized enough in their email methods to complete a campaign or, perhaps more likely, they believed email wouldn’t be as effective as other marketing options.
Before you toss it out altogether, let’s consider some alternatives. After all, email is still growing to the tune of $22.16 billion by the year 2025. It can’t all be bad news, right?
Be Mobile Friendly
It’s absolutely time to optimize your email marketing for mobile devices, and yet many brands still aren’t with the program. Up to 60% of emails are opened on mobile devices, and yet 33% of food and beverage brands still don’t sent mobile friendly emails.
Aside from the poor user experience, which absolutely will not pass Generation Z’s 8-second attention filter, why spend so much time creating an email campaign and individual emails that your customers won’t be able to read?
Segment Your List
With younger generations checking email on a monthly rather than hourly basis, your emails will start to pile up. No one likes to be overwhelmed by a mountain of messages, regardless of how often they check. Make sure your potential buyers aren’t facing this every time they open their inbox:
A little information can go a long way toward helping you reach buyers with the right emails. What types of products have they purchased before? Has a sale prompted a purchase in the past? Do the stores in their area even carry the promotion you’re advertising? Targeted emails with offers that actually appeal to the recipient are much more likely to be opened.
Personalize Email Offers
The information you gather can be used for more than simple list segmenting. Personalizing the experience is a great way to get those buyers to click on your message. Remember: personalizing is so much more than simply addressing the buyer by name. You want to offer an experience tailored to their exact needs. For instance, you may have some insight into their buying history. What if you provided special offers on those items each customer buys the most?
By adding information about specials, deals, and free trials at locations near each consumer, you up the chances of getting those buyers out with wallets in hand. In fact, 68% of Gen Z says that email is important to them for the chance to get coupons and discounts, and 62% said they had coupons from their emails that they intended to redeem online. And yet, only 4% of food and beverage brands are emailing coupons.
Offer Exclusivity
FOMO is a thing. Younger generations don’t want to feel like they’re missing out on anything. Give them the opportunity to enjoy something exclusive, and they’re all in. That might be the chance to attend a hot event in their area, an opportunity to access new products before anyone else, or even the chance to help you develop your next product. By presenting these options in your email marketing, buyers may be more likely to open additional emails as they receive them—all in the name of not missing out on their next big experience.
These are just some basic ways to reach younger audiences with email marketing. Add in a mix of tried-and-true methods (loyalty programs, anyone?) and a bit of the new (emojis are so 🔥 right now), and you’re even more likely to see increased response. As always, if we can help in any way, reach out any time.
