Generation Z refers to the generation that is currently coming of age, born at the turn of the millennium onwards, and are therefore ‘Digitally Native’; they have been exposed to the internet and social media from a very young age.
Marketing professionals have already been racking their brains about this new generation and what makes them tick, and therefore what makes them loyal customers. In this post, we’d like to boil down to some basic rules that businesses should follow when interacting with today’s young people – so you can come away with a straightforward rulebook on driving engagement with this demographic.
Market on their home turf
This should be an obvious first step. Being the digital native generation, Generation Z spends a whole lot of time online. However, a blanket online strategy doesn’t always work – so concentrate your efforts on mobile-friendly social media platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram to reach this demographic effectively. On social media platforms, reap the greatest rewards by using short video formats and direct language with a heavy emphasis on what the target market can gain from your product or service – as this resonates with this audience the most.
Generation Z typically consume media on their smartphones, so a basic and very easily achievable initial goal is to make sure your company’s website is properly optimised for mobile browsers. If you’re unsure where to start when it comes to page optimisation, be sure to check out Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool for a raft of initial ideas.
Break away from traditional personas
If there’s one thing members of Gen Z object to, it’s being overly pigeonholed. Expressing black-and-white assumptions about their tastes, interests, priorities and buying behaviours in the language you use to communicate with them sends a dangerous message that they’re interchangeable rather than unique and distinctive. In truth, in spite of their collective technological aptitude, Generation Z otherwise forms a vibrant and varied spectrum of independent thinkers and shoppers.
The best approach you can take when targeting Generation Z is acknowledging their individuality, tailoring your marketing messages and fessing up that you know there’s really no such thing as a one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to the younger consumer – your campaigns should be dynamic, adaptable and multidimensional in order to succeed.
Understand the differences between generations
There is a cavernous difference between Generation Z and Millennials, and this should be made clear. Millennials came of age alongside the digital boom, whereas Generation Z don’t know anything different than the current ultra-fast informational age – and this is the anchor of some key distinctions.
Perhaps most crucially, Gen Z has a shorter attention span than the elder generation at eight seconds versus twelve. This means your video marketing needs to be more upfront and eye-catching from the start – and more interactive throughout – in order to gain and hold their interest for longer.
They also embrace influencer marketing a lot more readily than the more cynical Millennial generation, so affiliating your products with popular YouTubers or Instagrammers can be a canny move if you’re looking to make an impact on this audience.
Have a real-life anchor point
While online is the principal battleground for this type of marketing, your business doesn’t have to exist wholly online, as brands tend to be trusted more if they have a real-life presence. This could be something as simple as the positioning of promotional vehicles like exhibition trailers in a location with high footfall of Gen Z-ers. Traditional experiential marketing techniques can then be used in tandem with a cutting-edge, generationally savvy web presence.
Integrating your real-life marketing efforts with your online presence is something that is very easy these days if you use popular social media apps, with features such as Snapchat geofilters proving a very savvy investment for small businesses.
Brand loyalty isn’t as important
While instilling brand loyalty has been a cornerstone of marketing for hundreds of years, surveys and studies have shown that Generation Z are less inclined to stick to a certain product for a long period.
There’s not really an easy fix to this, but a recalibration of your strategy from loyalty programmes to more explosive and eye-catching branding could be a good place to start. Promote meaningful interactions between you and your Gen Z customers to try and ingrain yourself as a digital native-friendly company.
Think mobile first
One of the main takeaways from Google’s survey of Generation Z is that they are far more focused on mobile content than any other generation. The reason for this is obvious, as they have come of age during the smartphone boom. As Google say in their report: ‘Millennials were mobile pioneers, teens are mobile natives’. The main takeaway is that Gen Z will tend to use mobiles to purchase products, rather than using a desktop computer or a laptop. If you take this as a cornerstone of your mobile marketing strategy (by including plenty of ‘buy now’ links in your mobile content), then you may see some big gains amongst teens.
Marketers and branding experts will need to adapt to these rules, as they will soon be the new normal, as the Gen Z population is set to reach 2.56 billion by the end of 2020. Therefore, it really does pay to be ahead of the curve in terms of generational marketing, as it could pay dividends for you and your business in the future.
Further reading on business marketing
