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Digital marketing strategies are constantly shifting as brands try to create content that reaches a large number of consumers. Gen Z makes up a large portion of the consumers that brands are trying to reach, which makes sense; their direct spending power currently stands at $143 billion per year.
Given the massive influence that Gen Zers have, brands must try to reach this generation of consumers. Because Gen Zers have grown up in a digital world, having social media marketing that appeals to this audience and their values is essential. This article will cover the importance of effectively marketing to Generation Z by understanding their values and expectations for brands’ products or services.
Why Is Gen Z Marketing Different Than Marketing to Other Generations?
Gen Z accounts for a significant portion of modern consumers, making them an ideal target audience with massive buying power. However, marketing to Gen Z is often challenging for brands that are used to traditional marketing methods. Gen Z marketing is primarily conducted on social networks and incorporates strategies unique to this generation.
When marketing to Gen Z, brands must craft a strategy that meets this generation’s high expectations from the businesses they regularly support. For numerous reasons, reaching a Gen Z audience often requires employing different tactics than brands are used to.
What Makes Gen Z Different?
Because of the digital age that this generation grew up in, Gen Zers have access to everything with their smartphones. Since Gen Z consumes such a wide variety of content online, brands must produce innovative, genuine content to connect with these young adults.
Additionally, brands must understand the need for short, bite-sized pieces of content to appeal to Gen Zers. Younger people exploring social media typically have a shorter attention span for the content they consume, especially if it does not immediately connect to their core values.
Gen Zers are not as susceptible to traditional marketing tactics brands have used over the years. Instead, brands should consider employing their own unique marketing strategy that truly connects the audience with their message.
Given that an estimated 45 percent of Gen Z teenagers are online almost constantly and an additional 44 percent claim that they are online several times a day, recognizing inauthentic content from brands is all too easy for them.
Using Influencer Marketing to Reach Gen Z
One increasingly popular marketing strategy for brands is influencer marketing. Social media influencers have significant power over their audience’s purchasing decisions, as audiences have already formed a trusting bond with their favorite influencers. Gen Z spends an estimated $44 billion on themselves every year, with a significant number of these purchases made based on an influencer’s recommendation.
Because of the celebrity-like status that social media influencers have, brands have begun exploring partnerships with influencers that have a similar target audience. Social networks like Instagram and YouTube are sources of content for Gen Zers, providing them with news, entertainment, and engaging content. Brands today are often featured on Instagram stories or in YouTube video content posted by influencers specifically to connect with younger audiences.
What Values and Subjects do Gen Zers Look For?
For brands to successfully market to Gen Z, there are specific values that marketing teams must understand. For example, a significant percentage of Gen Zers look for ethical brands that have social and political values similar to their own. Younger generations tend to have more liberal views than older generations and value social rights and equality on issues such as race relations, gender equality and non-conformity, and climate change.
Therefore, brands must go beyond traditional marketing tactics and expand their marketing strategies to appeal to younger generations. Gen Zers look not only at the products or services a brand is offering but a brand’s ethics and values as well.
They are looking for transparent and accountable brands willing to acknowledge past mistakes. A marketing strategy that does not hide company values is critical for brands to market to Gen Zers successfully.
Along with the values of transparency and accountability, Gen Zers seek out brands that don’t take themselves too seriously all the time. While speaking about critical social issues is a factor in what brands Gen Zers purchase from, things like voice, personality, and humor are also essential when expressing bold and innovative ideas.
Adding Entertainment to Marketing
In the same way that your brand needs a personality, your ads do as well. Ads that come across as too serious or predatory will most likely not go over well with these digital natives.
Remember that Gen Zers tend to go through a lot of social media content daily, and this has several effects on the way they process content. Some sources claim that members of Gen Z have just an 8-second attention span. Because of this, it is essential that marketing teams grab the attention of Gen Zers quickly through entertaining and engaging content.
Ultimately, Gen Zers are looking for brands that they can confidently trust. A trustworthy relationship with customers is critical for any brand looking to grow and profit from its products or services.
With a genuine, transparent approach to digital marketing, brands can find new ways to connect with their target audience. A community of supporters fosters long-lasting engagement and a positive relationship between brand and consumer, meaning that brands can continue thriving with a dedicated support system backing them.
Final Words
Gen Z is an audience that brands must target to continue thriving. By understanding and connecting with Gen Z, brands can sell products and services to enthusiastic and trusting customers. Marketing teams must prioritize the Gen Z audience to continuously adapt their content to what audiences expect from them.
Because marketing to Gen Zers requires a specific flair, many marketing teams can benefit from a service like Markerly. Markerly is an influencer marketing agency that helps brands craft bold and compelling content which generates revenue. By using Markerly’s services and connecting with its team, brands can confidently post content that connects with this new, exciting market. Contact the experts at Markerly today to discover how to transform your digital marketing strategies.
