What do you think of when you hear about Generation Z? These are the lovers of TikTok dancing, mobile shopping, and making their voices heard. The kids who grew up with technology are entering adulthood, and soon, the workforce. Are you prepared to market to them effectively? We’ll get you on your way with 5 tips for marketing to Gen Z.
#1 Keep it real or suffer the consequences.
Gen Zers value transparency and authenticity. They are tech-savvy, discerning, and easily spot misinformation. It’s important to them that brands aren’t all talk, no action. To gain Gen Z’s trust, companies should be open about their purpose and make sure their behavior respects the world around them. One thing’s for sure: Gen Z won’t be fooled easily.
What happens if a brand doesn’t practice what it preaches? Brand loyalty decreases the younger Gen Zers are, with only 22% of 13-15-year-olds saying they have loyalty to any one brand. Brands that don’t follow through on their promises will lose customers and fast. Gen Z will switch to the alternative.
Source: National Retail Foundation
#2 Celebrate diversity.
Gen Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse generation yet, surpassing all previous generations. One in six adult members of Gen Z identifies as a part of the LGBT community. Since many Gen Zers belong to minority groups, they want brands to care about the issues that affect them and feel represented in advertising media. Brands championing diversity in their campaigns should also ensure diversity in development and production. Companies should “think about it from every angle – who is in front of the camera, who is behind it, who is scripting it and ultimately who will see it” (Marketing Society).
Source: Pew Research
#3 Partner with influencers.
@charlidamelio hi! order @dunkin on the @ubereats app and get $5 off your order of $10 or more🧡 see app for details #ad
♬ original sound – charli d’amelio
Top influencer Charli Damelio partners with Dunkin’ Donuts and Uber Eats for her 17th birthday. Damelio has 114.8M followers, and this TikTok boasts 25.3 million plays.
#4 Get on TikTok and Snapchat.
While TikTok is known as the Gen Z favorite in social media, they are very active on other platforms as well. Snapchat won the honor of the top social platform in 2020 among Gen Z. Instagram is best for reaching the older members of Gen Z, but 13-17-year-olds account for less than 10% of Instagram’s advertising audience. Don’t bother too much with Facebook: Gen Z is not very active on the platform (Sprout Social). YouTube draws impressive engagement in all age demographics, but most users don’t use it to discover new products. Focusing on TikTok and Snapchat is sure to get your brand in front of a Gen Z audience, but Instagram and Youtube also hold potential, especially for the older half.
#5 Provide a personalized experience.
Gen Z is used to the personalization technology provides. They want things their way, and who can blame them? Members of Gen Z want to be able to try, customize, and influence the products they buy. Brands should aim to be flexible and provide Gen Zers the opportunity to engage with the brand and contribute to new developments. A reliable mobile experience and effective customer service should be top priorities to serve Gen Z.
Source: National Retail Federation
Gen Z is certainly unique, but not impossible to understand. Use these 5 tips to create content that appeals to what is most important to them.
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