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"\r\nToss around the term &amp;quot;Millennial&amp;quot; in your favorite search engine and it brings up perceived characteristics attributed to the generation. There\u2019s the how-to on working with them, why not to hire them, how they are narcissistic and selfish (yet still love/rely on their families), and most of all, their &amp;quot;always connected&amp;quot; obsession.\r\n\r\nThe U.S. age group varies according to source, but the generation is roughly composed of those born between 1981 and 2000,\u00A0according to Pew Research.\r\n\r\nMillennials are a generation of tweeting, SnapChatting, friending, checking-in, texting, selfie-taking diverse individuals interweaving the Webs of cultivated collective online profiles. Digital use is not just an action, like jogging or eating; it is a lifestyle. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation\u2019s 2012 report\u00A0The Millennial Generation Research Review\u00A0cites 80 percent of millennials sleep with their phone next to the bed.\r\n\r\nComfortable with technology and used to constant emails, can the old-school electronically mailed message stand out midst the noise? Marc Apple, owner and chief strategist at\u00A0Forward Push Media, said that no one is on social networks 24/7, but across generations most people check email every day.\r\n\r\n\u201CIn my opinion, email is the original social media,\u201D Apple said.\r\n\r\nJoshua Lingenfelter, director of marketing for\u00A0Clowes Memorial Hall of Butler University\u00A0(and a millennial born of the early 1980s!), said that in part, the growth of social media is tied heavily to email.\r\n\r\n\u201CIf you look at Facebook and Twitter today, they are very different than they were years back. In addition, you have even more new platforms that have come about like Instagram, Pinterest and SnapChat.\u201D Lingenfelter said. \u201CIn the midst of all this change and new innovation, one thing remains constant. You need an email address to create an account on all of them. As these tools change, improve or go by the wayside, but email remains.\u201D\r\n\r\nSo, millennials are still receiving emails, but what keeps them from easily app-swiping to delete the mail, and encourages an open and action?\r\n1. Content is key\r\nOptimally, all email components work in beautiful branded harmony around the starring player, content. From the meat of the message, brands can then craft creative, compelling subject lines, headers and a user-friendly layout.\r\n\r\n\u201CContent by far is what a millennial is looking for when a business reaches out to them via email,\u201D Apple said. \u201CIt\u2019s just not any content, it must be relevant and relatable content.\u201D\r\n\r\nLingenfelter suggests that a short and entertaining video linked in the content is often more successful than just a text and image email.\r\n2. Test for the best\r\nResearch states that Tuesdays and Thursdays are the highest volume days for email sends. Additionally, subscribers are most likely to open an email after 12 p.m. However, industry averages may not apply to a demographic of mobile-attached millennials.\r\n\r\n\u201CEvery brand\u2019s audience is different, which is why I am a big believer in testing, and then testing again,\u201D Apple said.\r\n3.\u00A0Check that list twice\r\nOpen rate statistics can be misleading if a recipient list is out-of-date. All the correct time and day research in the world won\u2019t help you if an individual hasn\u2019t opted-in or filtered your sender address as \u201Cspam.\u201D\r\n\r\nValerie Camarda, marketing consultant of\u00A0Marketing Sense, reminds marketers that an opt-out link helps maintain list hygiene and is considered honorable email etiquette. Isn't that what all millennials just want: respect?\r\n4.\u00A0Make it mobile\r\nRoughly 50.3 million millennials are mobile Internet users and over half (49 million) of the 86.2 million strong generation use a smartphone, according to a 2012 eMarketer study,\u00A0How Digital Behavior Differs Among Millennials, Gen Xers and Boomers.\r\n\r\nNot only do brands need to ensure the CTA is clear, when the millennial on their iPhone or Android clicks through, don\u2019t disappoint with a poor mobile user experience or unrelated information.\r\n\r\n\u201CConsider that more often than not, your email will be read on a smartphone or tablet,\u201D Camarda said. \u201CYour message must get to the point quickly and provide useful information that the reader needs, wants or values.\u201D\r\n5. Click and share\r\nLingenfelter has noticed that millennials and older generations may both open the same email but interact with it differently.\r\n\r\n\u201COlder generations tend to click on \u2018view as a webpage\u2019 and review the entire email in their Web browser and then forward directly to friends,&amp;quot; \u00A0he says. &amp;quot;Millennials tend to review the email quickly on their phone, find the info they are excited about and then share on Facebook.\u201D\r\n\r\nSocial share buttons specific to the content, not the entire email, make increased engagement rates more achievable. This also allows a message to reach a larger population than the original recipient list.\r\n6. Special is better\r\nSometimes referred to as the \u201CMe Generation,\u201D millennials respect brands and companies understanding who they are on the Web. Whether it\u2019s a presale opportunity based on previous purchase history, a special sale discount code or entertaining extended content, extras work wonders for encouraging engagement. Lingenfelter added that \u201Cexclusive\u201D is a key word in his work for increasing open rates.\r\n\r\nIn your experience, what has worked best in marketing to millennials? Share your thoughts in the comment below.\r\n\r\nImage credit:\u00A0Eugenio Marongiu/Shutterstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2013/12/03/optimize-emails-millennials-get-open/>