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How to Target Gen Z the Right Way: 7 Marketing Tips

Category
Marketing Strategy
Date
September 15, 2021
Author
Adrian Padron
Social

There’s a new consumer force that’s just coming of age and poised to make a big impact. If you’re looking to attract young Gen Z consumers, you’re going to have to up your technology game and market your products and services in different ways than you’ve done in the past.

Meet Gen Z – The Next Consumer Generation

The Gen Z generation is defined as those people born between the mid-1990s and the early 2010s. Sometimes referred to as “zoomers”, this generation grew up in the internet era and is much more tech savvy than their parents or grandparents.

Basically, the Gen Z generation has no memory of life without a smartphone.

This group is much more racially and ethnically diverse than previous generations and is developing into one of the most well-educated generations. There are approximately 67 million Americans in the Gen Z generation. The majority (87%) live in urban areas and roughly half (48%) identify as non-white. One in four Gen Z’ers is Hispanic.

As far as buying behavior goes, members of the Gen Z generation take their time doing research before committing to a purchase. 

7 Gen Z Marketing Tips

So, how do you attract this diverse and interesting up-coming group to your products and services? We have a few suggestions.

1. Be transparent and authentic

Show your brand’s personality across all of your marketing channels. Create personalized, story-driven content to build meaningful relationships with members of the Gen Z generation. Don’t be afraid to be a little quirky if that fits your brand. That’s what’s going to stand out. 

However, you need to be authentic. You can’t try to portray a persona that you don’t really feel. The Gen Z crowd, more than any other generational group, will see this as being hypocritical and false, and it will cause them to turn away from your brand.

Pop-Tarts post is a combination of all the elements that gets the attention of Gen Z. It’s quirky, fun, and authentic.

2. Show your brand values

Don’t be afraid to show the causes and groups that matter to you in your advertising and on your social media pages. Standing up for a good cause will cause Gen Z-ers to want to support your business. Interestingly, you might even be rewarded for expressing your views, even if the Gen Z reader doesn’t agree with you on the issue. Good issues to consider supporting are those in the realm of social responsibility, sustainability, and even public health initiatives.

Showing brand values is important when marketing for gen z
Levi’s is dedicated to supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

3. Think about experience

The Gen Z generation wants to participate in experiences. For digital marketers, this means ditching traditional marketing methods, where consumers look at or read about your product and services. Instead, create ways for consumers to engage and interact with your campaigns. This often means blurring the lines between online and in person marketing. For example, the H&M flagship store in Manhattan has a talking selfie mirror that “invites” shoppers to take a picture with it and post the selfie on the store’s social media pages. They have another mirror that suggests clothing selections.

Through voice and face recognition, H&M’s smart mirror gives fashion tips and allows customers take selfies.

4. Stay on top of trends

The Gen Z generation is young. The oldest among them are just reaching their mid-20s. That means they are more intrigued by trends than are older generations. To entice them, monitor what topics are trending online and get involved. This can relate to causes, people, or fashion. You might also use popular hashtags in your social media posts to draw in new customers or jump in on the latest TikTok craze.

Taco Bell’s #SandwichTacoDebate hashtag quickly went viral.

5. Optimize your content for mobile

The Gen Z generation grew up with a smartphone. According to “Forbes” magazine, Gen Zers spend a shocking average of nine hours a day looking at their phone screens. It’s clearly their preferred way of accessing information. If your website isn’t optimized for mobile devices, you’re losing the interest of this dynamic segment of the buying public. In addition to making sure that your site operates well on a small screen, you’ll also want to create content specifically for that screen, such as videos. 

@torontomet

Catch Ryerson’s neighbourhood in these popular TV shows! 📺 #ryerson #ryersonuniversity #tv #series #netflix #prime #toronto

♬ HARD DRIVING – TopTarGuit
Ryerson University lists TV show spots around the campus area.

6. Create quick, impactful content

The Gen Z generation sifts through a lot of content quickly and tends to have a short attention span. To hold their interest, create content that will stop the scroll long enough for them to pay attention to what you’re selling. Do this by adding video and images to your content and creating bold, intriguing headlines and subheads.

@crocs

Today, we’re starting production on the shoe of the future, powered by a new bio-based material that’s just like the Crocs you’ve always loved.

♬ original sound – Crocs
Crocs knows old and colorful content appeals to younger generation.

7. Work on your video strategy

Video is Gen Z’s medium of choice. To make the best use of this opportunity to connect with Gen Z buyers, create a library of video content that you can use on different occasions. It’s helpful to have videos already produced, so you don’t neglect this important part of your content strategy just because you don’t have time to create a video right then. It’s also important to remember authenticity in your videos. It’s easy to tell on a video when someone isn’t passionate about their product or their topic.

Just Eat showed that a brand doesn’t need take itself too seriously to produce impactful marketing content.

Hungry for more Gen Z marketing tips?

Before you start working on your Gen Z marketing campaigns, dedicate time to truly get to know your audience. Understand what motivates them, what’s stopping them from purchasing your products or services. Ensure to build your content and messaging around their needs and interests.

To learn more about marketing smartly to young Gen Z, contact us today to schedule a consultation with our digital marketing experts.