Email Marketing for Generation Y

Gen Y’ers were born in the mid 80′s and later. These kids were born surrounded by praise and adoration by their parents the baby boomers. Some characteristics to describe this generation are Tech-Savvy, Team Oriented and Attention Craving. Often, this generation feels motivated to “take it to the next level” or get the task done now so they can move on regardless of the quality of work.

When Gen-Y kids were growing up, they were nurtured and pampered by parents with a family-centric point of view. You will notice that more Gen-Y kids return home after college as opposed to previous generations. A good idea to encapsulate this generation is when playing in a soccer game the Generation Y kids did not keep score, and at the end of the game everyone gets a trophy.

Generation Y reflects the same attitude as the previous generation, Generation X. They have been overexposed to print advertisements and skip over them as if they were not there. There is a specific way to advertise to Generation Y, as perfected by companies such as Nutrogina and Cover Girl Cosmetics. The best way to advertise via print advertising for this generation is to involve a celebrity or incorporate a bold/provocative word. This Generation is more likely to research a product using Social Media to find out what their friends think before making a purchase.

Due to the level of parental involvement in their lives this generation has a group or team oriented perspective meaning “we can do more as a team that I can do individually.” This lends itself to more creative thinking and the drive to seek out new challenges without the fear of asking too many questions. As opposed to the Gen-X kids, the kids born in Generation Y will not be happy given a task and being left alone to figure out the solution. This generation will want a mentor or project leader that will be able to answer their many questions so that they get it done exactly how the boss wants it.

To motivate a Gen Y’er you will need a carrot at the end of the stick. This generation is always plugged in, so they are motivated by trinkets such as a new Apple product or a time motivator like an extra vacation day. They require a clear set of directions in order to complete a project correctly and they need constant indicators along the way to tell them that they are doing the task correctly. Once understood you will find that this is the most creative, ambitious and driven generation, sometimes to their own peril.