6 WAYS To Market To Gen Z
Because the youth if the future. If you want your business to stick around, you better read this blog.
The majority of TikTok users are Gen Z. TikTok, as you might know, is the second most downloaded app globally, and has completely changed the world of social media. There’s an average of 167 million TikTok videos being watched every 1 minute. So it’s safe to say, you’ve got to learn more about the app’s users to market successfully! Keep reading for a full breakdown.
FIRST STEP: UNDERSTAND WHO GEN Z ARE.
Generation Zoomers are born between 1997 and 2010 and are the first generation to never know the world without the internet. Their trademark is being forward-thinking, digitally fluent & savvy. According to Stanford scholar Roberta Katz, they are not coddled, they are self-reliant & pragmatic.
A study conducted by Tracy Francis & Fernanda Hoefel shares 4 main characteristics that determine Gen Z, which include…
‘Undefined ID’, which refers to expressing your individual truth. Gen Z don’t like to define themselves in one way and are open to people expressing themselves however they want!
‘Communaholic’, referring to being radically inclusive. Gen Z are known to be the most forward & liberal-thinking generation.
‘Dialoguer’, which refers to understanding multiple truths - leading to fewer arguments and more dialogues & discussions.
Lastly, ‘Realistic’, referring to understanding the truth behind all things, which explains their desire for transparency and authenticity in brands, but we’ll get to that…
Now that we have a clear profile on who the Zoomers are, let’s get into the 6 ways you can market to Gen Z (P.S. incase we didn’t mention… they’re the biggest shoppers too)!
6 ways you can market to gen z
Celebrate diversity in your values & mission.
Be trustworthy.
Be accountable.
Establish a strong brand personality
Use trends (ONLY if you add your twist).
Community-first approach.
Keep reading for a breakdown of each of these pillars.
CELEBRATE DIVERSITY IN YOUR VALUES & MISSION
This pillar ties into that ‘realistic’ & ‘communaholic’ behaviour types that’s a common denominator amongst Gen Z, revealed in the study mentioned above. Gen Z require brands to celebrate diversity in their values and mission statements — which we would even argue, is a minimum requirement.
Let’s take a look at the brand, Victoria’s Secret. They used to be all about flaunting the “perfect” (and unattainable) body and bombshell in the 2010’s, which led to negative body image amongst women. Because of the shift Gen Z has caused in the marketing world, Victoria’s Secret have recently re-branded to be more inclusive towards all body types. Although, Gen Z are still not convinced, with all the reported damage they have caused, which you can read more about in this study.
We love this about Gen Z and the positive change it’s created for the marketing industry!
BE TRUSTWORTHY.
Zoomers are researchers. They will often do deep dives into brands before buying from them (which includes reading social media comments, reviews etc. They have to trust the brand they’re supporting. Recently, there was a Balenciaga scandal, which you can read all about here. The scandal revealed itself from Gen Z creators on TikTok investigating into the brand and performing citizen journalism. Following this, Gen Z buyers of the brand were reported & collectively boycotting the brand as a result of this. Gen Z is no joke when it comes to their research, and it’s always for a good cause.
BE ACCOUNTABLE.
The last two points tie into this one and that is being accountable as a brand. If you make a mistake as a brand, it’s important to be accountable for your actions. Gen Z (and the rest of your customers) will trust you more as a result. This doesn’t mean posting a one-off statement on your social media and calling it quits (like Balenciaga did), it means changing the way your entire business operates and being more clear on the positive impact you’re making on the world, as a result. A great example of this, is the brand Cocokind, who during the BLM movement in 2020, they announced they will be releasing a report of their team’s racial & ethnic composition.
ESTABLISH A STRONG BRAND PERSONALITY.
A strong personality is a must for Gen Z, which also ties into the principle of “building trust”, mentioned above. Aside from knowing your brand values & mission, in order for Gen Z to trust you, they also need to know who you are — and yes, this applies to brands! In this era of marketing, we’ve waving goodbye to aesthetic focused & curated content, and saying hello to bold brands, with a strong voice & personality. And how do you do this? VIDEO! That’s exactly why social media is video-dominated today, love it or hate it!
USE TRENDS (ONLY WITH YOUR TWIST).
On the topic of video, jumping on trends is a fantastic way to be entertaining to your social media audience (which is another principle in itself), while showing your brand voice & personality. The catch to this, is not doing trends just for the sake of doing them to go viral (we see a ton of brands are creators do this). Newsflash — the trend won’t make you go viral, but it’s how you use the trend, that makes you go viral! Therefore, you’ve got to add your own unique twist to the trend!
INFLUENCERS OVER CELEBRITIES.
When choosing a personality to promote your products or service, always opt for influencers! Gen Z tend to trust influencers over celebrities, IF they are relatable. Have you noticed? Gen Z are huge into trust. They value real people’s opinions, which is why micro-influencing has become a thing (influencers under 20,000 followers) and why TikTok is so big! Anyone can make a review, and unlike on Google or Amazon, we add a face and voice to the review.
COMMUNITY FIRST APPROACH.
Despite all the positive about Gen Z, they are also considered to be to be the loneliest generation. This is due to the pandemic and lockdown, and as a result, they crave connection & community. Having a community-first approach to your social media is important when it comes to not only growing your channels, but driving conversions. Aim to connect to your audience, to get to know them and to make them like they are seen & valued by you.
