Dominated by meme culture, overnight viral fame, 24 hour news and the ability to condense your thoughts into a 280-character tweet, the internet is a whirlwind of never-ending content. With millions of posts shared every minute, it can be difficult for brand content to rise above the noise, meaning making a lasting impression that will resonate with target audiences can be a challenge.
According to Vogue Business, ‘Gen Z are reinventing social media marketing’, but how? What are Gen Zs online habits that warrant this change? What does this mean for your marketing strategy?
Gen Z are truly the first generation to grow up with no distinction between online and offline reality. Coined ‘digital natives’ by the Institute for Business Value (IBM), they’ve had constant access to digital entertainment and technologies. However, despite their young age, they have an unprecedented influence in the digital landscape- after all, they’re a generation born to swipe!
Aside from a wealth of technological knowledge, Gen Z consumers show unique online behaviour. This means brands should tailor their marketing strategies to reach this younger cohort, especially as they make up roughly 30% of the global population.
So what five things should you keep in mind if you want to connect with this generation of ‘digital natives’?
Demonstrate Clear Values
Gen Z hold brand values close, and are more likely to place trust in their peers and online communities to discover the best products. They predominantly believe a brands values are a reflection of their own, and research shows that Gen Z consumers are willing to spend more money on brands that have clear ethical values.
Establishing your brands values and communicating them consistently in your messaging is key to making an impact with Gen Z, as you can appeal to them through an understanding of social responsibility.
Establish your Brands Personality
To effectively engage with Gen Z, its time to say goodbye to the millennial-focused aesthetic of a perfectly curated feed. Gen Z doesn’t see the ‘instagram aesthetic’ as authentic. Gone are the days of sleek and minimal imagery, be bold and don’t be afraid to show lots of personality in your brands content.
A great example of a brand that has executed this well is Innocent drinks- who inject lots of personality into their social content and voice.
Focus on Entertain Content
With the average attention span of around 8 seconds, you have to be quick and entertaining to stop the scroll. As a generation born to swipe, Gen Zers have an uncanny ability to filter content!
The best way to grab their attention is through entertainment. Here you can engage the audience, as well as present your brand values and personality. A great example of this is language app DuoLingo’s TikTok account. Their collection of entertaining videos based around the app owl mascot, Duo, builds brand awareness through entertaining content.
Build and Nurture Your Online Community
As a generation that have grown up with quick, relatable content literally at their fingertips, online communities are important. Research from McKinsey states that ‘Gen Zers value online communities because they allow people of different economic circumstances to connect and mobilise around causes and interests.
Focus on nurturing your community and communicating your brand values to show levels of authenticity that Gen Z consumers will stan.
Build a Video Marketing Strategy
On average, Gen Z watches 68 videos a day. You should make sure YOUR video is one of them. Creating videos to showcase your brand and values can increase engagement and develop brand loyalty within this younger generation.
Utilising Instagram Reels and TikTok is great for this, as the algorithms on both platforms allow increased reach and the capacity for your audience within this generation to find YOU. But don’t worry, doesn’t mean you have to dance the latest TikTok trend. There are plenty of ways to showcase your brand through a strong video marketing strategy, that don’t rely on cutting some shapes.
Are Gen Z your target audience? Are you struggling to define and attract who you should be tailoring your products to? Then join us for our upcoming masterclass ‘How to Define and Attract Your Target Market’!
