If a brand intends on communicating with consumers, it’s imperative to know how consumers want to communicate.
And, as a Yes Lifecycle Marketing survey showed, consumers, with regard to email, are intent on controlling the communication. More than one in three (36%) have opened separate email accounts solely for brand communication, while millennials specifically increase it to more than half (58%).
While these results show consumers with marketing-only email accounts check in more frequently for promotions, Erin Gade, marketing strategist of agency services at Yes Lifecycle Marketing, says it also exposes the importance of personalizing a marketing message.
“The most important thing a marketer must ask themselves is ‘Am I equipped to deliver a personalized experience for the customer today and continue to evolve with their needs for tomorrow?,’” says Gade. “Data and technology are key enablers that must be incorporated into an overarching strategy that puts the customer first.”
Of the 58% of millennials that maintain a separate email account just for brand communication, 83% have made a purchase from email in the past three months. Additionally, 62% of consumers who have a separate email account for promotions check it frequently.
These results indicate that consumers want to receive brand emails, yet Gade cautions against thinking that these results provide a one-size-fits-all approach to content.
“Marketers in today’s highly competitive landscape must be even more attuned to the behaviors and desires of different audience segments in order to engage and convert customers,” says Gade.
The survey exposed the different attitudes from these audience segments, by showing the different approach by generations.
Only 26% of baby boomers have a separate email account for brand messages, while centennials are less engaged with email than all other generations.
“As competitive pressures continue to increase, the landscape evolves with new communication platforms, and generational gaps grow further apart the sooner a marketer recognizes and embraces the need for a one-to-one marketing approach the more successful they can move towards becoming relevant to their customers,” says Gade.
The results were based on a survey of more than 1,000 consumers, centered on generational preferences and behavior, who have received a marketing email in the past year.
