I live with two members of Gen Z. Thanks to them, I know about trending TikTok audio, Temu, and K-pop. They’ve given me skincare and makeup advice.

And they use the library… not because I’m their mom, but because it has books and videos and music for free. One is working part-time while dealing with health issues, and the other is working two jobs to save for a house.

Like many young adults, they worry about their financial future. And they value institutions that build community.

Millennials and Gen Z combine to make up 53 percent of the world’s population. Born between 1981 and 2009, they’re the largest adult demographic.

And while I generally think it’s foolish to lump an entire group of people together for marketing purposes based on their birth year, there are some things we can say, based on research, that these two groups share.

• They are readers.
• They love BookTok, the special subsection of TikTok dedicated to readers.
• They are more educated than previous generations.
• They value experiences, like travel and entertainment.
• They prefer shopping online to going to a store.
• They do their research before buying products. 

Now, more research suggests your library can promote books and reading recommendations to teens and young adults using one main promotional tactic.

Email.

I know what you’re thinking: “Young people today don’t read email.”

Have I got some statistics for you!

Millennials and email

According to Pew Research Center, Millennials encompass anyone between the ages of 27 and 42.

• 1 in 3 millennials check their email as soon as they wake up.
• 73 percent of millennials prefer that companies communicate with them through email.
• Nearly 51 percent of millennials say email influences their purchasing decision.

Now, of course, your library is not selling anything.

Or is it?

Most of the libraries I work with have two overarching goals:  increase circulation and increase visitors.

And while library users do not have to pay to participate in those activities, it makes sense for libraries to use the same strategies that brands do for selling products.

So here are four ways to finesse your email to appeal to millennials.

Design is important.

Millennials have a sophisticated eye for visual content. Whatever email marketing platform you use, be sure you follow the best practices for email design. That includes templates with beautifully designed graphics or photos, particularly of faces showing emotion.

• Use as little text as possible, in a font of at least 14 points.
• Keep your color choices within your brand… no glowing neon blue fonts!
• Promote no more than 4 things in your email and add plenty of white space between the email blocks for a clean look.

Here’s a great example from Camden County Library.

Be friendly and as personal as possible.

If your email provider allows you to personalize your emails with a first name, do so. That’s a great way to capture the recipient’s attention in the inbox.

But for true personalization, focus on the content. Spend time thinking about what they want and need from your library. Then, create interest groups based on those wants and needs.

Follow Delafield Public Library’s example. Their newsletter signup is on their homepage.

That link leads to an opt-in page with Hobbies and Interests choices right at the top.

How are you supposed to know the wants and needs of your Millennial audience? Well, if your library does an annual survey, segment your results based on age. What are the aspirations and motivations of this group? For example, if they say they are looking for a place to network and find community, your email messages should focus on the services you provide that meet those needs.

If your library doesn’t do an annual survey, look at the statistics you have on hand, such as circulation or program attendance. You can get a sense of what your patrons in this age group want and need from your library.

You can also reach out to partner organizations that work with this age group for their input on how your library can serve and market to millennials.

Finally, you can use Google Analytics to see what users in this age group do when they come to your website. Use your promotional tactics to market those sections of your website.

Watch your language.

Remember how your high school and college English professors praised you for using big words and complicated sentence structures? They did you a disservice.

The most effective text in email for Millennials is conversational and casual. For your library emails, move away from formal language. Instead, talk to this audience as if they were real people, standing in front of you at the desk.

After you write your email, read it through slowly and check to see if there are any sentences or phrases that you could say more simply. Read it out loud. If your email sounds professorial, try re-phrasing your text to be more conversational.

Share stories of other Millennials using the library.

Millennials love social proof. They want to see people their age using the library.

I know you’ve been gathering stories to share in your marketing campaigns. You can share those stories in your emails as well.

Use a few lines from a story, with a photo in your emails. If you have a longer version of the story on your blog or in video form, add a call-to-action button that allows readers to see the full version.

Gen Z and email

According to the Pew Research Center, Gen Z encompasses anyone ages 14 to 26.

I’m just going to say this again because I know it’s hard for you to believe. But Gen Z does read email. In fact:

• 58 percent check their inbox more than once a day.
• 57.5 percent say they don’t mind if a brand sends them emails several times a week.
• But here is the biggest statistic I want you to remember: According to Campaign Monitor, the average member of Gen Z gets only 20 emails a day.

That’s an advantage for your library because you don’t have to compete for attention in the inbox. Don’t make the mistake of most brands, who assume this audience doesn’t read email!

Here are three ways to create emails that appeal to this important age group.

Keep it short.

Gen Z members have spent their whole lives scrolling Instagram and TikTok. They are accustomed to short digital content, especially from brands (Yes, they do read and enjoy long books and movies). But their expectation from brands, including your library, is for shorter content.

• Send more emails that contain fewer pieces of information.
• Limit your text to 2 or 3 sentences.
• Use images and white space to break up your text.
• Have one call to action button.

Here’s a great example from Community Library.

Keep it visual.

Gen Z members love a good visual. Graphics work really well with this audience to convey information in a simple way that is accessible to many audiences.

And Gen Z brains are hard-wired for visuals. They’re used to glancing at a graphic and processing the information quickly. So try an email with a graphic to see if you get better engagement than with plain text.

Make it interactive.

Gen Z likes to have fun online. And that’s great for you because it means you get to have some fun creating your emails!

There are four ways to incorporate interactivity into your emails.

• Create quizzes using free quiz creators like Slido or Quizmaker.
• Add a GIF.
• Add a poll or survey to your emails. Google Forms is my go-to for these and it’s free.
• Add a countdown timer.

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