Gen Z teenagers, the current group of prospective students that colleges and universities all over the world are recruiting, change constantly and have specific ways they want to receive information. But they’re not the only ones higher education institutions are appealing to; they are marketing to Gen Z and their parents as well.
Parents play a key part in the decision-making process when it comes to helping their children select a college, so it’s important that we market to them each uniquely.
Quick Stats:
- Birth Years of Gen Z: 1995-2009
- Birth Years of Millennials: 1977-1995
Reaching Gen Z:
- Short attention spans — You better hook this group quick. It is said that they have an attention span of about 8 seconds. Showing your value early on is essential.
- Optimized for multiple screens — Gen Z is switching back and forth between five different devices all of them time. They are receiving their information on phones, tablets, desktops, etc. Your site and emails better display well on all of them, or you will risk losing their interest.
- Emails are NOT lost with teens — It’s still OK to send an email to Gen Z. They will get it and likely read it, but it will be better received if it includes images and more importantly a video.
Reaching Their Parents:
- Their Parents — Millennials are the parents of Gen Z.
- Best Days to Send — Emails are most likely to be opened if they are sent on Tuesdays or Thursdays.
- Best Times to Send — Research shows that the best time to send emails to this group is between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. Another popular time is between 8 p.m. and midnight, as people like to check their email before bed.
Win Them Both Over:
- Short Subject Lines — Both Gen Z and their parents appreciate short subject lines. It’s good to keep them between 6-10 words to get a better open rate. If the subject is too long, the preview will get cut off.
- Sender Name — It is more likely that people will open emails when the senders name is an actual person instead of a business or institution.
- Don’t Get Marked As Spam — Do not include words like “Upgrade” or “Confirm” or include characters like question marks. Those things are sure to get you marked as spam.
With these quick tips on communicating with and marketing to Gen Z and their parents, you should be in good shape to start improving your emails today.
By Kristen Fisher, Brand Manager, Capture Higher Ed
