If you are running a business or planning to start one, it’s never a bad idea to think about how you’re going to market your business to Generation Z. Why is it really important for business owners and marketers to target Gen Z? One main reason is that they constitute almost 32 percent of the global population, outnumbering aging generations like Millennials and Gen X. They might not have the purchasing power as older generations, but they will soon catch up.
This is a reason enough to target them. Why wouldn’t any marketer want to target a generation that makes up nearly one-third of the world’s population?
The sheer number of people isn’t the only reason why you should target this generation. The generation of digital natives (Gen Z) is tech-savvy and trendy, which makes a significant impact in terms of purchasing choices.
Digital natives make up almost forty percent of the consumer industry. They are one of the most educated generations, making it tough for marketers to get them to pay attention to their brands. They value authenticity, transparency, and uniqueness. Finding effective ways to build trust and nurture relationships with this rising generation of digital natives can be challenging, but it will be ultimately rewarding.
Who Is Gen Z and Why Do They Matter for Marketing?
While there is always some debate over the specific years that define generations, general consensus holds that people born between 1995 and 2010 are members of Gen Z, also called digital natives or sometimes “Zoomers” (a pun on “Boomers” for the Baby Boom generation). They have been exposed to mobile devices, social networks, and the internet from a very young age and are dependent on them for various purposes – educational, entertainment, informational, purchasing, communication, and more.
If you think that the sheer number of Zoomers is the only reason they matter to marketers, you are wrong. Many from Gen Z have completed their education and are all set to enter the workforce. Their buying power will increase as they start earning, making them an ideal choice for a future customer base.
They can also influence family purchases because family members, especially older ones, might ask their opinions on newer technology or rely on them to purchase products online. This is mainly due to their digital knowledge and also because they often stay up-to-date with the current trends. If you want to know more about what clicks with Gen Z in terms of advertising and marketing, here is an additional resource by Creatopy, who released a whitepaper on the topic.
5 Content Marketing Strategies For Gen Z
There may be several reasons why Gen Z is a valuable upcoming target for many businesses; however, convincing Zoomers to make a purchase is not an easy task. Gen Z may soon have a lot of money in its pockets, but compared to other generations, they are frugal, pragmatic, and financially minded. They think twice before spending and are very particular about saving.
They value frugality as they grew up in a world defined by the recession of 2008, and many have seen their families struggle and suffer during times of financial crisis. They believe in taking time, doing in-depth research, and making smart investments.
Here are some tried and tested content marketing strategies that will help you win Zoomers’ attention and trust.
1. Provide a More Personal, Less Formal Experience
You should ensure that your content has a casual and friendly tone. Gen Z expects content to be conversational and relatable, and you may lose their attention if you try to make your content too formal. You can also introduce interactive content in order to engage your Gen Z audience.
To craft a content piece that appeals to the Gen Z audience, you should have good knowledge about their communication preferences and stay up-to-date with the latest trending terms. This doesn’t mean that you need to pepper your blogs with slang you might not fully understand (no cap, am I right?) but try to get a handle on how they communicate so you don’t come off as out of touch.
2. Align Your Content With a Social Cause
It is important to establish your brand’s mission and value, and it’s even better if you can align your values with a social cause – standing for something. Gen Z values social causes and expects businesses to purposefully brand themselves through societal contributions.
Zoomers have grown up during tough times that instilled a sense of empathy in them, motivating them to bring about a change in the world around them. Many have been actively involved in various philanthropic activities. They have been working on causes that are close to their hearts, so they expect brands to use their platform to bring about a positive change in society.
Every business owner wants to make money. There is nothing wrong with that. Along with making money, you must also try to find out how your business can contribute to society. You should analyze and find out what societal changes your target audience wants to see and align them with your business goal and craft content accordingly. This can also make you more popular with young Millennials and Gen Z – in other words, it’s a win/win for you and the world.
3. Collaborate With Influencers
As we mentioned earlier, Zoomers will not purchase your product unless they trust your brand – and developing this trust factor is not easy. Gen Zers use social media influencers as trusted sources for product or service recommendations. Gen Z is very active on social media platforms, especially Instagram and TikTok, so they heavily rely on social media influencers to help them discover brands and products. Therefore, including influencer marketing as part of your content marketing strategy is a no-brainer.
When an influencer with a large number of followers reviews your product, it is very likely that the influencer’s followers will visit your product page to learn more about your product or even purchase it.
While many influencers prefer to upload videos on their own social media page (this will ensure your product or service reaches a wide audience), you can also ask them to create separate video content that you can upload on your channel. This is a great way to produce interesting content and boost the number of followers or subscriptions for your page. You can also ask influencers to write guest posts on your blog, explaining the importance of your product or service and how it would help customers address and resolve their pain points.
There are various influencers out there for almost every niche. With a certain amount of research, you will be able to find one who is best suited to advertise your brand to your target audience. You should definitely utilize influencer marketing, as influencers are known for their dynamic personality and have their own set of values that Gen Z connects with.
4. Choose the Appropriate Social Media Platform
Gen Z is more used to making video calls than voice-only calls and also prefers to watch videos to learn about a product. Blog posts and articles can be effective, but marketers should utilize the power of video to reach out to Gen Zers since research shows that Gen Z has an attention span of eight seconds. So, marketers should use content that grabs their attention from the beginning. Therefore, creating videos is a great option as they can be attention-grabbing, short, and succinct.
As a marketer, you should use TikTok and Instagram to advertise your product as they are video-centric platforms. TikTok videos and Instagram Reels have been receiving more engagement and are becoming more popular day by day. In fact, TikTok is one of the best options, as Gen Z is all about TikTok, and it is very likely that your videos may not get much traction if they are created for Instagram and Facebook, making TikTok your ideal option.
Through TikTok, you can create engaging short-form videos, making it the ideal platform to target Gen Z, considering their attention span and preferences.
5. Create Mobile-Friendly Content
Gen Z prefers smartphones over other devices like tablets, laptops, and PCs for online shopping, gaming, communicating, entertainment, and more. Therefore, you should optimize your website and content for mobile to provide a seamless browsing experience.
You need to ensure that your page doesn’t take a lot of time to load – make it snappy. Ensure that your paragraphs are shorter, as it can be tedious to read long paragraphs on a smartphone. Add relevant images and videos wherever possible to make your content more digestible as reading text continuously on a smaller screen can be difficult.
Final Thoughts
Remember, you are dealing with a generation that grew up against a backdrop of progressive social change – a generation that expects marketers to think out of the box and outrightly rejects traditional marketing approaches. Along with innovative thinking, they also expect brands to be transparent. They gravitate towards brands that have their own morals and values.
If you want to connect with Gen Z, you should align your morals, values, and ethics with your content strategies. By implementing the strategies mentioned in this post, you will be able to deliver the authentic and valuable brand experiences they are looking for and grab their attention.
Written by DesignCrowd on Tuesday, May 2, 2023
DesignCrowd is an online marketplace providing logo, website, print and graphic design services by providing access to freelance graphic designers and design studios around the world.