5 Tips Marketing to Gen Z

5 Tips Marketing to Gen Z begins with them becoming forty percent of all consumers by 2020.  And, unlike any other consumer generation before them, here is what you need to know.

You may be thinking, I’ve dealt with Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, so what is different about Gen Z? As noted, they will become a significant percentage of the consumer base next year. Moreover, it is worth pointing out that they are the first generation to spend their “entire” lives with social media.

From generation to generation, we see social and corporate shifts. This includes the shift in corporate structure from top-down to a more collaborative team-driven approach, the adoption of more flexible work schedules, and open office space. We have also seen a rise in the adoption of social responsibility and the types of messages promoted and the way they are delivered.

While everyone before Gen Z  adapted to the introduction of social media, they were born into it. When kids are born into an existing or new technology, they seem to have an innate understanding of it. My Godson at age four is using mobile and tablet devices — as well as a laptop — better than many boomers today. And his sister, all of 1 1/2 isn’t far behind him.   

Social media was seen as the end-all open network that would usher in a utopian global connection. It has made the world a bit smaller, allowing people from distant parts of the planet to learn from one another. It has also recently seen Twitter and Facebook becoming a place to promote misinformation. Governments are struggling with social media. And, especially with misinformation is impacting public opinion, and thus, elections around the world.  like India

So the “digital natives,” as they are referred to, have a big impact on company brands. They are the most diverse, opinionated generation in history. It is no longer just about pushing content to them, but what kind of content, the packaging of the content, and narrowly focusing on who that content is packaged for. Gen Z absorbs and relates to social media differently than those before them. So to reach and engage them, you have to rethink your strategies.

If you want to tap their interest and attention, you have to understand their perspective of social media.

• 5 TIPS TO MARKET TO GEN Z
• Social media is almost universal for Gen Z, although they tend to be more selective than Millennials. Blasting messages across various social media platforms solely because Gen Z lives there is wasted energy. While 74% of Gen Z spends an hour to 3 a day on social media, they can be, and usually are, very selective about where they post, who can see it, and what can be shown to them. As such, they’re masters in filtering content.
• Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook are the faves of Gen Z. According to the SWIFT Creative Agency, Gen Z considers Facebook their “most important” social platform, despite the buzz that young people have fled and left Facebook to Millennials, Gen X, and older.  However, while Facebook is considered most important, Instagram and Snapchat are the most used among Gen Z.
• In marketing messaging, 63 percent of Gen Z wants to see “real people,” rather than celebrities. This is a significant shift from older generations. Gen Z is influenced more by “real” people than celebrities.  The irony is that as “real” people gain traction on social media, they, in reality, become celebrities. Nonetheless, the takeaway is to search out on-the-ground influencers instead of traditional celebrities to endorse your brand. In fact, according to a Deep Focus survey of Gen Zers,  67% of those asked said they preferred non-celebrity ads, as compared to 37% who preferred celebrities.
•  If you want to reach Gen Z, you have to gain their attention within 8 seconds. They have an incredibly short attention span and can quickly move through content. This doesn’t mean that anything in your post has to be two sentences long or shorter. This means that the main message, the hook, has to be brief and to the point to get the audience’s attention. Their attention span, the time to gain their interest, is 4 seconds shorter than that of adults in 2000. So, messaging must be quick, concise, and portray something relevant.  Capturing a Gen Z’er is a challenge, but if you have something they perceive as valuable, they can be fiercely loyal and stick with you for a long time. If not, they’ll filter you out in seconds.
• Gen Zers want useful or valuable content, not ads. Despite a short attention span to grab their interest, that doesn’t mean that all the content you push to them has to be brief. The Gen Z crowd has a huge appetite for consuming content; So once you get that attention, they are just ass likely to spend time on a full 25-minute video as they are to read comments, memes, and and other quick content.

To capture the attention of  Gen Z, brands have to adjust from the marketing tactics of old and embrace authenticity, transparency, value, and social responsibility. Also, if a Gen Zer likes your brand, they’ll promote it for you, as they live in a world where they share everything — from photos of where they are to what they’re eating. 

We all know the words, but what do they relate to today’s business world?

1. Authenticity:  Be original, be “real” instead of imitating someone else’s cool.
2. Transparent: Be honest. If you get a negative review, acknowledge it, respond to how you will fix it, and apologize.
3. Responsibility: Gen Z is concerned about the planet and the marginalized, and it doesn’t like liars or corruption.

Brands that want to be successful in 2020 will need the support of Gen Z, and Gen Z is forcing brands to become more of what they should have been all along—honest, authentic, creative, and responsible.