If you bombard millennials with generic messages about products and services, there’s a very good chance that they will ignore, and unsubscribe from, your digital communication efforts.
Millennials are 44% more likely to permanently disengage with brands if they receive a high volume of mass generic email communications, according to recent research from Toronto-based Aimia Institute, which studies marketing practices. In contrast, members of Generation X (generally considered to be those born between the mid-1960s and late 1970s) are 13% more likely to disengage if they feel overwhelmed by communication from brands.
This is not a surprising conclusion as millennials have spent more time online than the previous generation and are looking for very specific types of information, says Richard Heft, co-executive director of Ext. Marketing Inc. in Toronto.
“We know millennials are looking for strong, informational content. That’s what they thrive on,” he explains. “So, canned generic content such as the daily email reminder about your products is going to get ignored.”
Aimia refers to this group of millennials as “high volume sensitive” in which 59% of participants in the Aimia survey state that they are overwhelmed by the amount of email communication they receive from brands. The research indicates these clients will only engage if the content they receive is tailored specifically to them.
If the information is not personalized and is sent too frequently, 80% of millennials would block a company’s phone number from sending them text messages; 84% would unsubscribe from an email list; 82% would delete a company’s app; and 86% would no longer follow the brands through social media channels.
Avoiding this outcome is important as Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) makes it harder to re-engage digitally with these consumers once they have opted out, as they would have to provide express permission to you to rejoin a subscriber list for communications such as emails or text messages.
Knowing your clients and the type of information that will serve a purpose in their lives is critical to preventing that fallout, Heft says.
“They’re becoming a generation that is starting to couple, starting to get married, having children and buying a home,” he adds. “Look at what your client base is doing.”
In addition, the information they need does not have to centre on financial planning. Lifestyle articles that provide tips on topics such as choosing a first home, starting a small business or healthy living can be beneficial and strike the right tone with clients.
“It’s not going to amount to immediate sales but it will amount to trust and a long-term relationship,” Heft says.
Aimia’s research was conducted in November 2014 and surveyed approximately 10,000 consumers, more than 2,000 each within Canada, the U.S., France, the U.K. and India. Students at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management conducted further analysis of the research.