In marketing, for years, Millennials have been leading the parade. Born between 1980 and 1995, Millennials were the predominant generation and the primary focus of marketers, as a large share of goods and services were purchased by members of this generation.
However, as time flows, representatives of new generations are growing up and overtaking the market. According to the New York Post, in 2020, Gen Z had already surpassed Millennials in share. That is, they are now going to be the major driving force for marketing, and we ought to prepare!
Gen Z Profile
Generation Z is also known as Gen Z or Zoomers. This demographic group follows Millennials and precedes Gen A (Alpha). Different media outlets and researchers use different birth years to define Generation Z. However, most often, representatives of this generation are believed to have been born between the mid- to late 1990s and the early 2010s.
The main difference that sets this generation apart is that its members are the first to have grown up with access to portable digital technology and the Internet from a very young age.
Since early childhood, Gen Zers have learned to interact with a wide range of gadgets. They are pros in social media and internet search. And, as they grow up, they learn to use various technologies to make their lives easier. For example, Gen Z accounts for the largest share of users of essay-writing services and essay grading tools. If they need to boost grades or free up some time, they go straight to a custom writing service and get the help they need. Long story short, they are digital natives, and you can’t take it away from them.
And, due to the same reason, they have a very different outlook and understanding of this world.
As noted earlier, by now Gen Z has already outnumbered all preceding generations, and most members of this group are approaching adulthood. That is, the largest share of consumers today belongs to this group. That said, marketers should start paying closer attention to Gen Z to learn how to market to this consumer segment.
Gen Z and Marketing: 5 Tips to Reach Out and Engage Them
Here are five tips to help you start marketing to Generation Z and make the most of it:
Social Media
We already told you that Gen Z lives online. Unlike previous generations, Gen Zers don’t know a world without social media and the Internet. So, they tend to use and trust the web much more than anyone else.
What does this mean in terms of marketing? Gen Zers spend lots of time using social media and the Internet, and they expect brands they buy from to do too. They want to access brands and their products across multiple channels throughout their buyer’s journey.
How to use this in your strategy? Get active on social media! Your brand should be present in all popular channels and be active there. But, most importantly, don’t use it only as a marketing tool. Think of social media as an opportunity to communicate with your prospects and use it to provide them with funny, engaging, or valuable content instead of making only marketing posts.
Here is an example of how a popular essay writing service EssayService, is balancing marketing and non-marketing content by posting student and college-life-related memes:
Focus on Visual Content
Since Gen Zers love social media, they perceive information presented visually much better than in text. And they crave high-quality content.
What does this mean in terms of marketing? There are two things you need to know about creating visual content that will catch the eyes of Zoomers.
First, they are highly engaged social media users, so they see a lot of visual content every day. That is, your content must be high-quality and compelling to drive attention.
Secondly, as digital natives, they have much shorter attention spans. An average attention span for Gen Z is 8 seconds, compared with 12 seconds for Millennials. This fact explains the striking popularity of TikTok among younger users.
How to use this in your strategy? Invest in visual content! Provide eye-popping images with your posts and, also, try integrating bite-sized videos with music, effects, and overlays – these are proven to be effective for marketing purposes.
To give you an example of great visual content, look at how stylish and bright is the Instagram feed of Guess. Or check out the Fenty Beauty brand’s TikTok page to see their entertaining unpacking videos, makeup tutorials, and other eye-catching content.
Higher Purpose
The second one of the top characteristics of Gen Zers that we mentioned earlier is “They want brands to really care.” This generation cares about the world. Unlike many others, Generation Z members are well aware of environmental, social, economic, political, and other issues facing the world today.
They want to see that you care about these issues as well.
According to a study on Gen Z relationships with brands conducted by IBM and the National Retail Federation, more than 50% of Gen Zers would choose socially responsible and eco-friendly brands.
What does this mean in terms of marketing? This consumer contingent wants brands to represent their values and beliefs. Thus, the best strategy for marketing to this generation is to define a higher purpose for your business that can make our world a better place.
How to use this in your strategy? Find a way for your business to contribute to the world and society, and then communicate your purpose to consumers.
A great example of social responsibility as a business asset is shown by Levi Strauss. The company is committed to addressing water scarcity by reducing water use in its production, and consumers appreciate it.
Build Loyalty Through Communication
Unlike other consumer contingents, Gen Zers won’t keep buying from you for no reason, just because they liked a product. They don’t want to deal with voiceless and faceless brands. Instead, they want you to interact with them. Thus, to earn their loyalty, your brand needs to engage them.
What does this mean in terms of marketing? According to an IBM study, three-quarters of this generation want brands to respond to their feedback and comments. Moreover, they want timely, personalized responses.
How to use this in your strategy? If you want to attract Generation Z consumers, you need to keep communication at the core of your marketing strategy. To do this right, you should adopt common social media listening practices and tools to track all mentions and respond promptly to consumer comments.
A great example of a brand that constantly communicates with its customers and prospects is Too Faced.
Team Up With Influencers
Generation Z tends to trust the Internet much more than any other generation. And they spend much more time on the web and social networks than, let’s say, watching TV. That’s why they value the opinion of so-called influencers much more than the opinion of traditional celebrities.
What does this mean in terms of marketing? According to a report by Morning Consult, about three-quarters of Gen Z users are following digital creators, also known as social media influencers. They trust them and their recommendations. Moreover, that’s how most of them learn about new services or products. That’s why influencer marketing is a big thing these days.
How to use this in your strategy? Identify influencers whose audience matches your ideal customer profile and collaborate with them.
Today, many brands collaborate with influencers to expand their reach and acquire new customers. For example, here is a shot from a recent partnership with Mercedes-Benz featuring Zach King, a famous American filmmaker and illusionist.
The Bottom Line
To market to Generation Z, it’s crucial to understand what they are craving. To understand that, you need to understand what drives them and what values they hold. Simply put, you need to know their personalities.
Hopefully, after reading this article, you have a better understanding of this consumer contingent and its needs and interests.
To sum up, here we’ve discussed the top five strategies that are proven to work in marketing for Gen Z. These are:
- Active social media use;
- High-quality and eye-catching visual content;
- Finding a good purpose;
- Timely and effective communication;
- Influencer marketing.
Try integrating these practices into your marketing strategy, and you will win the hearts of Gen Z!
Author’s Bio:
Written by the LinkxSeo team. This team of marketing professionals has over 10 years of experience. The blog of this team will tell you about useful tricks of the world of SEO and Marketing. Click here to learn more – https://linkxseo.com/
