The E-Mail Extinction Conundrum

OK – for all of you that are fans of The Big Bang Theory, yes I tried to title this piece like the writers of that show title their episodes.  Unfortunately though, I wasn’t able to connect with Jim Parsons (Emmy-winning actor that plays Sheldon Cooper on the show) so you’re stuck with me injecting my own brand of humor.

I have been talking to a lot of credit unions recently that are focusing more of their efforts on reaching younger generations.  It comes as no surprise that this is happening and I’ve discussed it before on this blog.  Many of these credit unions have formed focus groups with potential members and are asking great questions about what would make a 20-sometihng or 30-something join a credit union.  Many of the answers are what you would expect – convenience, technology, and innovation.

One answer that enlightened me; however, was the fact that a lot of young potential members do not see the value of e-mail.  In fact, many of them don’t use e-mail unless they have to at their places of employment.  For a Gen X-er like me, that is fascinating.  Remember – Gen X folks managed to get through elementary school, high school, puberty, etc. without cell phones, laptops, and yes….e-mail.  To us, e-mail was (and still is) a primary method for communicating with others.  Of course, we’ve bought into social media as well but we still use e-mail.

Apparently, this is not the case with many teenagers and 20-somethings. But I had to test theory this for myself.  I asked my 17 year old niece to give me her e-mail address.  She gave me the link to her Facebook page.  Same thing with my nephews and other people I know in their 20’s and even early 30’s.  After doing this, I was more sold than ever on the power of social media marketing.

One of my favorite topics to discuss with my clients or with conference attendees is the transition of marketing to electronic forms of advertising and communicating.  While the title of this piece suggests that e-mail is going away, I’m not necessarily convinced of that.  However, as I mentioned, I am convinced that in addition to e-mail marketing, credit unions must continue to create effective marketing and business development messages through social media.  We are being told repeatedly that social media has become the primary “influencer” for young people.  We need to listen and take that edict seriously.

I’m still a fan of e-mail though!

Have a great weekend!