Gen Z Marketing: Reaching Your Audience How They Want

Gen Z reportedly has the fastest-growing purchasing power estimated at $44 billion. Hence, it is important to modify your marketing strategies accordingly to reach that target population. One such strategy is using interactive filters and creative videos to garner the young population’s attention.

Campaigns like Spotify’s Yearly playlists (a summary of the music you’ve listened to that you can share on instagram) and Kylie Cosmetic’s Instagram Filters are examples of Gen Z marketing done right.

Gen Zers are described as people born after 1995 and makes up to 40% of all consumer shopping. While marketing to them seems intimidating, we have simplified the process for you.

Engage Your Gen Z Customers on Social Media

Gen Z spend an average of 10 hours scrolling and consuming content online. YouTube, TikTok and Instagram are some of the most used platforms. As a digital marketer, your marketing strategy must include long-term plans for increasing brand activity with Gen Zers on social media.

Source: Content Science Review

You need to build a community of supporters that regularly engage with your content. Influencers have recently become the go-to for most brands as they have millions of followers. Brands also partner with influencers for giveaways and as a result, gain a larger following.

Niche hashtags are also a great way to increase your likeness and image amongst your target audience.

Leverage Video in Your Content

This generation is constantly connected to the collective. Videos are the marketer’s tool of choice here. You will want to follow a few guidelines:

1. Make concise videos. To engage effectively with this demographic, you need to be frugal with the time they give you.
2. Humanize your content. Videos help give a face to a brand, making it relatable.

Gen Zers creatively interact with videos by consuming and producing them. They invent and participate in many trends on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. To engage with them authentically, you have to come up with innovative content. The makeup brand, Fenty Beauty, effectively uses Instagram reels to promote their brand, emphasizing diversity and inclusion. This is achieved by producing high-definition make-up tutorial videos with their latest products on a diverse group of people. Fenty Beauty’s innovative way of subtly making a political statement by redefining realistic beauty standards is what makes their brand and marketing strategy so powerful. They do more than just sell makeup; they gain the emotional investment of their buyers.

Ethical Marketing Is No Longer AN OPTION

As you focus on humanizing you brand, it remains important to humane-ize it as well.

• Inclusivity. Your brand must be in tune with society, breaking stereotypes and challenging repressiveness. Dove’s Ad Campaign is exemplary; they brought together people of different backgrounds to share their stories through the Dove Real Beauty Sketches.

• Value. This generation embraces brands that bring value to society, not just to the ledger. Thrift stores are on the rise since they position themselves as clothing stores and environmentally friendly businesses.
• Privacy. There is a subtle difference between prying and personalizing, which must be respected.
• Authenticity. Your brand must sincerely honor these tenets. Disingenuous efforts can be easily recognized amongst this demographic, and thus backfire on you very quickly.

Related: Introducing Female Founders: The Top Women Entrepreneurs of The Decade

Explore uncharted avenues

Though the video itself is still a shiny new tool in a marketer’s arsenal, it is not the only medium to engage users. A boom in E-sports has opened up interesting marketing opportunities. The COVID-19 pandemic has quarantined us in our homes and made streaming sites like Discord and Twitch very popular, not to mention the games themselves. YouTubers, for example PewdiePie and Streamers like Ninja (who recently added an Adidas partnership to his growing brand) command a loyal community of followers. Noticing the large user base, with the likes of Fortnite having over 350 million users, Nike and Marvel ran an ingenious campaign with custom character skins in the game itself.

New Collection of Nike Air Jordan skims.

Marvel’s Fortnite Skims Collection

Final Words

Ultimately, improving your brand, focusing on the customer experience, sharing authentic content, and promoting company values across all platforms will grant you a foothold in the upcoming consumers- Generation Z.