As the largest generation by share, the Millennial Generation (21.8 percent) has emerged as perhaps the most influential generation on current culture, politics, and markets. Yet while Generation X features a much lower share (19.3 percent), their impact is shown through similar cultural and economic dominance still resonant today.
For private schools looking to better hone their marketing to Generation X and Millennials (Generation Y), understanding what drives the parents, grandparents, guardians, etc. of each student informs resonant communication and conversations. When done right, these campaigns create strong relationships between family and school that power recruitment and re-enrollment efforts.
Let’s explore the demographics and motivations of each before going over ways to best communicate with each age group.
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Who Are Generation X and Y?
Often shortened to Gen X, Generation X includes people born between 1965 and 1980. They’re younger than the Baby Boomers, the generation that followed World War II, but older than Generation Y. They were one of the first generations to integrate technology like computers and cellphones into their daily and home lives, but they remember the days before these tools. Because they lived through so many technological advancements, they’re now adaptable and resourceful while still preferring human-based communications.
Generation Y is more commonly known as millennials or Gen Y. Born between 1981 and 1996, they’re the largest generation in the United States, accounting for more than one-fifth of Americans. They’re the first generation to grow up with the internet and technology defining their childhoods. Many of their childhoods were shaped by the 2008 financial recession, changing their family dynamics.
More of Gen Y is unmarried. Among younger Millennials, 19 percent of men and 11 percent of women live with one or both parents, contributing to nationwide birth rates falling from 2.07 in 2008 to 1.66 in 2022 and negatively impacting financial stability, according to the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).
Only 44 percent of Millennials were married between the ages of 23 and 38, while a large share cohabitates with long-term partners. These nontraditional family models mean teachers and administrators might interact more with partners, step-parents, and grandparents.
The Millennial cohort is also known for significant racial and ethnic diversity. Brookings reports minorities represent more than 50 percent of the population in ten states, largely fueled by Millennial and Generation Z growth, with significant representation across the country. The NAIS also reports students of color now make up 34 percent of the total private school student body, up from 30 percent at the beginning of the decade.
How to Communicate With Generations X and Y
While members of Gen X have been parents for some time, Millennial parents are becoming more important recruiting targets for private schools. Further, Baby Boomers, while aging out as parents, are becoming grandparents who may hold sway on where their grandchildren attend school.
When communicating with and marketing to Generations X and Y, understanding the preferences of each can help your school finetune efforts to best reflect your school’s mission and impact to changing parent populations.
Social Media
About 70 percent of adult Americans use Facebook, and that number hits 78 percent when broken down to the 30-49 age range, making it the most used social media platform. At second, Instagram holds the attention of 50 percent of Americans, and channels including TikTok, LinkedIn, WhatsApp each hold approximately one-third of audiences. While not thought of as a traditional social media channel, 85 percent of the country watches YouTube, providing opportunity to attract views both organically within the site and sharing on social media and your school’s website.
Continue to deepen your social media strategy through breaking down use by generation.
- Adults aged 19-29: As the youngest Millennials fit within this range, these young adults have a unique social media use. They seem to like Instagram the most, with a 76-percent usage rate. This rate declines slightly for Facebook to 68 percent. Young Millennials by far dominate Snapchat, TikTok, and Reddit compared to older users.
- Adults aged 30-49: This age group mixes older Millennials and younger Gen X, highlighting how the divide between the generations isn’t entirely black and white. Around 78 percent of this age group uses Facebook, making it their most utilized social media app (and the largest age group to have an account) by far. Compared to the younger Millennials, Instagram use for this group drops moderately to 66 percent. They are the largest users of LinkedIn, Pinterest, and WhatsApp.
- Adults aged 50-64: Like the previous age group, older Generation X parents prefer Facebook, with a 70-percent usage rate. They use Instagram the least out of any of these age groups, with only 36 percent using this platform. In fact, older Gen Xers use social media the least across the board, with only one-third of members active on LinkedIn, their third most-used social media platform.
When you understand your audience makeup and their most-preferred social media platforms, you can make more targeted content and decide where to best allocate time and resources. While most Millennials and Gen X seem to use Facebook, channels such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Reddit provide opportunities to market to and communicate with relevant households.
Generation X Communication Preferences
Generation X values efficiency and convenience. They’re more adept with technology than Baby Boomers, allowing them to feel more comfortable navigating smartphone apps and digital platforms. However, they also see the importance of verbal communication. Because of this, they require a more mixed communicative effort.
When communicating digitally, email allows them to receive comprehensive information without interrupting their workdays or activities. Try to keep your messages concise to optimize their time and your effort. Face-to-face and phone conversations are ideal when a longer discussion is needed.
Some tips for communicating with Gen X parents include:
- Sharing calendars with appointment slots: Optimize communication by creating a shared calendar showing your team’s available times for calls and in-person meetings. They can efficiently schedule a time to speak without back-and-forth.
- Emailing updates and newsletters: Email can be a great way to share regular updates and announcements. Teachers can keep parents in the loop about curriculum progression, while administrators can remind them of upcoming events.
- Announcing updates on Facebook: Although they’re older parents, they’re comfortable with cell phones and social media. They use Facebook more than other platforms, making it a great place to make announcements and updates. With dedicated pages and groups, families can form a strong community where they communicate and collaborate with administrators and each other.
Knowing what you can do to better reach Gen X parents can help you form stronger relationships and better help their children learn and grow.
Generation Y Communication Preferences
Millennials tend to be even more comfortable with technology than Gen X, and many consider themselves digital natives. The key with this generation is immediate and low-effort communication. They expect more technology integrations in education, classrooms, and recruitment, which means your teachers and administrators may need to leverage more modern solutions with this demographic.
When communicating one-on-one with teachers, Gen Y parents prefer text messaging. Like emails, this communication method allows them to respond quickly on the move and from anywhere. You can even place them in group chats with other parents to send out general updates promptly and efficiently while connecting them with their school community. They’re also more likely to respond to video calling.
Some options for communicating with millennial parents include:
- Exploring group chat apps: You can host group chats on several apps, such as GroupMe, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. When parents might own different smartphone models, third-party app can ensure easier accessibility.
- Sharing available communication channels: Millennials are accustomed to convenience, so they’ll likely take the communication method that works best for them. Communicate how they can reach administrators and teachers so they are able to adjust strategies to their needs and preferences.
- Determining texting priorities: Your students’ families might share communication information with several individuals, from partners and spouses to grandparents and exes. Direct better communication efforts by establishing a hierarchy or schedule among families. Maybe parents want you to call the grandparents first because they’re home and available, or prefer you text their partner if they don’t respond in a certain amount of time.
Millennials are a unique generation, and your marketing and communication efforts should be flexible and varied to reflect their needs and preferences.
3 Tips for Administrative Communications
Regardless of which generation your school communicates with the most, administrators should know some general communication practices to maintain positive relationships with students’ parents and guardians, which helps you create the best learning environment possible.
Here are three tips to get started:
1. Clarify Communication Standards
Every parent has different communication standards and etiquette, and administrators have many responsibilities they must juggle. You can maintain healthy boundaries and accurate communication expectations with parents by stating your school’s communication standards and processes. When sharing multiple communication methods, you might explain how parents can use each one. For emergencies, they might call you, while other requests can go through text or email.
You might also set open office hours where parents have opportunities to schedule meetings or reach out. You might also want to offer alternatives if they can’t reach certain individuals, like a receptionist or another administrator with a similar role.
2. Urge Parents to Volunteer
Asking for parent volunteers can emphasize to families the importance of their involvement in children’s education. Optional volunteering gives family members a chance to bond with their school community at convenient times. Administrators can email and text volunteer forms to parents for upcoming events or classroom opportunities. Because Gen X and Millennial parents are comfortable with technology, signups are easy to navigate.
At events, administrators can better get to know families, learning what types of events parents are passionate about and what skills they bring to the table. They might offer critical information about what they love about your school and feedback for improvement, which can be used to optimize recruitment, retention, and day-to-day classroom experiences.
3. Offer One-Way and Two-Way Communication
Administrative communication efforts might have multiple goals, so you need methods to address each.
One-way communication is a type that requires no response from recipients, such as newsletters or updates. These methods are often shared with multiple people at once via email lists, group texts, and social media posts.
Alternatively, two-way communication involves two parties having a conversation. For this type, you might use texts, emails, calls, and video chats to directly engage family members. This is usually between two individuals to give parents and administrators a chance to discuss personal issues and performance, though you can have interactive group messages through email, text, and social media for a more collaborative effort.
4 Tips for Family-Teacher Communication
While a teacher’s guide for communicating with each generation is helpful, it’s also important to understand what daily practices they can implement for better conversations in general.
1. Ask for Preferences
Teachers can better direct their efforts when working with multiple generations by asking parents for their preferred communication methods. Even though generations have general preferences, individuals will vary. At back-to-school nights or syllabus week, teachers can invite families to share communication expectations and preferences. Having this information on a form ensures preferences are easily remembered.
2. Create Communication Logs
Streamline family-teacher communication by recording each interaction in one place. Whether you choose a spreadsheet or a journal, a communication log can provide teachers with several pieces of essential information. Reflect on old interactions to refresh talking points, recommend solutions and personalize information. These records can create stronger connections and build rapport with families by reinforcing previous topics.
Further, teachers can use their records to highlight trends. Teachers might notice they talk with parents about similar problems each time, allowing for better interaction predictions.
3. Include Alternatives to In-Person Meetings
Parents have varying schedules. When teacher-parent touchpoints are integral for sharing student progress, discussing concerns, and getting parents involved, teachers might have to add some flexibility to communication efforts. Accommodate busy parents with virtual meeting options.
4. Share Positive Accomplishments
Teachers can develop stronger relationships with parents with praise for student achievements. When teachers only reach out about problems, parents might dread communicating and working with teachers. You can share many positive messages with parents, including academic, social, and artistic achievements.
If a student does something well in class, improves significantly, accomplishes a goal, or does something kind for another student, share it with the parents.
Boost Communication Efforts with Ravenna® Solutions
To improve how your school communicates with families, you need the right tools. Ravenna designs high-end school software for private and independent K-12 schools, supporting the unique applications and needs of each.
Ravenna Admit® helps your school better manage its admissions process, including communication and marketing efforts with Millennial and Gen X parents. This comprehensive solution offers custom-built applications, interview management, and flexible integrations to ensure best-fit families have the best experiences.
Automated features keep families updated on their progress, saving your front office valuable time as they juggle hundreds of applicants. The platform will automatically send out notifications and reminders about upcoming deadlines. Applicants can set their preferences to efficiently receive information as they desire.
Once enrolled, Ravenna Student Management® creates a unified student records database. Teachers easily upload assignments, communicate with students, and complete grading with a centralized academic portal. With a unified login system, accessing Ravenna Student Management is easy through phone, computer, or tablet.
Recap
Q: How can K-12 schools best market to Gen X parents?
A: Schools can embrace a mix of digital and person-to-person communication channels. Digital channels may emphasize email, Facebook, and phone conversations, while person-to-person communication will include in-person parent-teacher conferences and video chats.
Q: How can K-12 schools best market to Millennial parents?
A: Schools can further prioritize digital channels when communicating with Gen Y parents and family members. While in-person and traditional communications will continue to serve a vital role, these younger parents prefer social media, text blasts, and group chats for information and updates.
