Marketers have been struggling to reach Gen Z audiences for a while. An audience who doesn't check their email has a short attention span and is immune to ads, marketers can get stumped when they are asked to try to reach this audience.
But they have huge spending power and are incredibly engaged online. Gen Z is simply more adept at navigating digital spaces and has a higher expectation of brands than the generations that came before. As such marketers have to step up their game. And in this post, we will show you how.
This is a three-part series and over the next week will deliver parts 2 and 3 where we will cover the following topics:
The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Gen Z P2: How Gen Z Engages With Brands [+ Examples]
The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Gen Z P3: Gen Z Influenced By Influencers
Gen Z – also referred to as Gen Z, iGen, or centennials – is the generation that was born between 1997-2012.
One of the key differentiators between these generations and the one before is that Gen Z was raised with technology. The internet, social media and digital experiences have always been a part of their lives.
Some of Gen Z are now all grown up. They are finishing university and have spending power. Those that don't also have the influence of the spending power of their parents. For this, they have become a focus for many brands.
Social media is one of the major ways Gen Z interacts with brands. It is a key channel that marketers need to use if they want to build relationships with Gen Z audiences.
However Gen Z priorities different social platforms than the generations before them. Whereas millennials spend more time on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, Gen Z prioritises video and image platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, TikTok blew up. The rapid growth that TikTok saw was fueled by Gen Z viewers and it became the most downloaded app for 2021.
TikTok's popularity gives a clear indication of what content Gen Z wants to see – short-form videos.
According to GreenBook, 20% of Gen Z users spend five hours a day or more on TikTok. If you want to market to Gen Z users, this is where they spend their time and a well-defined TikTok marketing strategy will be the key to taking your Gen Z marketing to the next level.
TikTok is king for Gen Z but there are other platforms that also play an important role in how Gen Z navigates online.
Instagram is also a platform for quick visual content. Stories and reels are an important part of marketing to Gen Z providing more authentic content through stories that give behind-the-scenes views into how brands operate and video content through reels give Gen Z exactly what they are looking for.
Photos are another key part of successful Instagram marketing for Gen Z. Memes can go viral and get your brand in front of thousands of new prospective customers.
Video is the preferred media for Gen Z. While they are most engaged with short-form videos on TikTok, Youtube still consumes a lot of their attention. According to Google, 89% of all Gen Zers use YouTube. This makes it a great platform to engage with this generation. You can use YouTube to create videos that share knowledge, teach skills and share stories.
Snapchat has over 30 million daily users in the UK. A large portion of these are Gen Z. Previously, the marketer had to put a lot of effort into finding ways to use Snapchat as a way for their brand to interact with Gen Z as it was solely a platform for them to share snapshot photographs and videos that disappear once they're opened.
However, Snapchat has evolved and now offers channels for news, brand and celebrity updates. With the large gen Z audience and the ability to use Snapchat as a way to post brand updates, it is an essential social channel for anyone marketing to Gen Z.
Gen Z is an essential market for many brands. As a generation that is coming of age, entering the workforce and acquiring more spending power, it is important for brands to take note of this audience and find ways to interact with them and build connections on their terms. This means you have to adapt your marketing strategy to find them on the platforms they are using most such as Tiktok and Instagram.
Check out part two of our The Ultimate Guide to Marketing to Gen Z, How Gen Z Engages With Brands which will be live on the blog in a few days.
See inspirations here:
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