Posted 14.05.2021
By Annabel Thomas
Making up 32% of the global population, no generation has been spoken about more than Gen Z! Google trend results show that Gen Z is searched for five times more than another other generations. Gen Z doesn’t remember a time before the internet and unlike Millennials, they have grown up with devices such as iPads and apps like Snapchat and Instagram. But how do you truly capture this group in your marketing campaigns?
Gen Z are the generation born between 1997 and 2015, and are currently aged 6-24 years old. The generation below Millennials, they are a tech savvy, proactive, empowered group of young people who stand up for their beliefs.
Being the first generation to have grown up with social media, Gen Z are less likely to be impressed by direct marketing tactics as over-exposure to digital channels has given them the ability to filter out ads.
Gen Z are passionate and a rising awareness for the environment and societal injustices, which means that when it comes to brands, they are pickier than ever about where they spend their money. Gen Z tend to be less trusting, expecting companies to be authentic and transparent when it comes to marketing. Gen Z aren’t loyal, and if their expectations aren’t met they are happy to shop around for something different. So how do you successfully market to Gen Z?
YouTube and Netflix are the go to video consumer channels for Gen Z. Whilst it has been noted Gen Z have a short attention span (8 seconds) if you hook them on your content they tend to binge watch. So, create compelling video content that takes them away from the stresses of everyday life and you will be on to a winner. A study by Google found that YouTube is the first place Gen Z turn to when they want cheering up or for entertainment.
Gen Z don’t just want heavy sales messaging being pushed out on Facebook. They expect authentic, engaging and witty content. Your brand needs to be able to own up to it’s mistakes, take accountability, jump on key trends quickly and have a great sense of humour. Take a look at some great Twitter brand accounts who know how to receive a great response online.
When it comes to influencer marketing, Gen Z are used to seeing heavy sales messaging from influencers. They are over exposed to products on social media which means they are highly aware of fake messaging and inauthentic product placements.
To make influencer marketing work for them, you need to be transparent and authentic with your choice of influencers. Smaller ‘micro influencers’ with between 1000-100,000 followers work best at yielding results. Why not take a look at our post on being transparent with your influencer marketing strategy? Be sure to find influencers that are closely aligned with your audience and their values. Gen Z are ditching the filtered, highly curated content in favour of genuine and relatable posts.
Gen Z are tech savvy and have been on social media from a young age. When it comes to digital channels the most popular social media apps for Gen Z are as follows:
TikTok especially has boomed in recent years and Gen Z are big users of the app, spending an average of 46 minutes a day on the app. Take a look through our post on the power of TikTok for marketing to Gen Z.
After the last year, with Covid-19, the BLM movement and climate change, societal issues are something brands can no longer ignore. Gen Z are advocates for social injustices and if your business doesn’t show it’s support, then you will be losing out on this generation of consumers. Gen Z wants to know where their products are coming from, that supply chains are transparent and that businesses aren’t biased around race or gender. Make sure your business shows where it stands in relation to societal and environmental challenges.
If you need any help marketing to Gen Z from PPC to SEO we have you covered! Get in touch with our team today…
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