On October 1 Forrester Research published a report titled How Email Marketers Should Capitalize On Youth Communication Patterns. The report offers some interesting insights for ecommerce marketers looking to target this market segment since it touches on the viral communications patterns of youth and how incorporating viral strategies into email campaigns can help to improve engagement with this market. And since engagement is a key component of social commerce, ecommerce marketers should take note.

According to Forrester, there are some key differences in how youth use email versus adults:

• Youth share and forward emails more frequently (versus only 20% of adults)
• They aren't interested in sweepstakes, often a key tool in email acquisition
• Youth don't opt in to email newsletters as frequently as adults do
• Seventy percent of US online youths report that they spend less than an hour a day interacting with email
• Youth prefer alternate communication channels such as social sites and mobile devices over email

So how can ecommerce marketers leverage email campaigns to attract and engage the youth market?

Your email marketing strategy needs to incorporate the viral and social aspects of email especially the sharing of email on mobile devices. Forrester reports that in a recent survey of 4,172 US online youths (ages 12 to 17), 62% of respondents indicated they forward email to a friend and 23% indicate that they share email content on social sites such as Facebook.

This means marketers also need to look more closely at creating wireless application protocol-formatted landing pages that can easily be viewed via a mobile device.

Forrester advises marketers to promote social sharing mechanisms as well as promote forward-to-a-friend tools in their email creative. The addition of social marketing in your email campaigns can also increase your SEO ranking, which can also help support opportunities for social commerce.

Incorporating viral components into your email campaigns supports youth communications patterns and ties your email campaigns to web and mobile channels. As a result, you provide youth consumers the power to make purchases online and to share product comparisons, promotions, wish lists and more with their online and mobile network of contacts. All key components to a successful social commerce initiative.

To purchase the full report, visit the Forrester website.