How Gen Z Impacted Social Media Marketing
Who is Gen Z?
Generation Z, known as ‘Gen Z,’ includes those born between the years 1997 and 2012. But what distinguishes Gen Z from other generations like Boomers, Millennials, and Gen X? Undoubtedly, social media! Yes, millennials had AOL and MySpace, but Gen Z grew up with the rise of social media platforms.?
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Digital Marketing is thriving thanks to social media, so why not target the most online demographic, Gen Z?? Did you know eighty-five percent of Gen Z alone claim that most of their purchases are due to social media influence?? Gen Z respondents named TikTok and Instagram as their top purchasing platforms, following alongside YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, X (Twitter) and Reddit. (Walk-Morris, 2023)
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“It’s worth noting that Gen Z are quickly moving through adulthood. Some will have started families and taken out mortgages, others may have just started university, or gotten a new bike for their birthday. The generation is rife with consumers of all ages, but as time goes on those consumers are becoming more savvy…..This is why brands are honing their social media marketing strategies on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Twitch, and more – to capitalize on this maturing, socially native generation,” Byers explains.
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Gen Z has a lot of range, but one thing they share is how much they use social media. Ninety-four percent of Gen Z use social media, while fifty-four percent claim they spend at least four hours daily on social media. Another thirty-eight percent claim to spend even more time than that! Since Gen Z is always online, they have higher expectations, especially when it comes to brands. They know how to navigate the internet and do their own research on products or services. Traditional advertising isn’t enough for Gen Z to make a purchase.
How Gen Z Impacts Social Media Marketing Strategies
Gen Z live and breathe the internet. After all, they are digital natives. They have access to boundless information in the palm of their hands, know all the current trends, and are notorious for making the best user-generated content. Gen Z use social platforms to have fun, educate themselves, acquire new skills, and stay on top of all social trends. It’s how they stay connected with the world. This means thousands of potential customers are just a tap away, which shows the importance of having a brand presence online. This is exactly why Gen Z impacts Social Media Marketing the most, they’re an increasingly important, very online, demographic.?
Meme Marketing
Gen Z is notorious for their memes, which is why most brands implement meme marketing in their social media strategies. Meme Marketing is one of the best ways to connect with Gen Z. It’s the easiest way to increase brand awareness, build a brand personality, and overall, an easy way to form sharable content.
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Heres one of my favorite examples of brands implementing meme marketing into their social media strategies.?
Influencer Marketing
Did you know over one-third of social media influencers belong to Gen Z? Influencers are kind of a big deal! As a Gen Zer myself, I always had YouTube on--watching a creator or influencer talking about a brand or product that fits their specific niche. Nowadays, it’s the norm for Gen Z to watch user-generated content about whether a product is worth buying. Influencers have more of an impact on a consumer’s purchasing decisions than ever before.
Gen Z finds that influencers and user-generated content are more credible than traditional advertising. They perceive traditional advertising as inauthentic and are hardwired to ignore it. In this case, Gen Z tends to lean on influencers for product reviews. Influencers are seen as relatable and someone you can rely on for transparency, it's also easier to determine if it's organic or a brand deal. They want somebody reliable, relatable, and unbiased. This is exactly why most brands implement influencer marketing strategies to target more of a Gen Z audience, in an organic, and authentic way.
Influencer marketing has a lot of range, from micro-influencers to celebrities, brands can get creative with it. One of my favorite campaigns is the Ice Spice “Munchkins'' drink. Ice Spice is an upcoming rap artist that blew up overnight and is generating a lot of buzz within the Gen Z audience. Her hit song “Munch'' took off early 2023 and coincidentally even calls her fans her ‘munchkins.’ Not only did it fit well, but it generated tons of buzz and went viral quickly. It became a trend on several social media platforms to record a taste test of the Ice Spice Munchkin drink.?
Overall, finding the perfect influencer can help increase brand awareness, generate buzz, and also more user-generated content on any social platform.?
Gen Z Values: Are you authentic?
Speaking of authenticity, Gen Z is not the generation to lie to. Authenticity and transparency are important values to Gen Z, which is why they lean on influencers and user-generated content. They are looking for brands that feel authentic, build meaningful connections with their audience, and overall align with their values.?
?“Seventy-three percent of Gen Z buy or advocate for brands based on their beliefs and values. Trust in your business is a critical part of the purchase decision. A great way to spark initial interest and then drive long-term loyalty from Gen Z is to put what your business stands for front and center,” Grayson Gilcrease explains.
Brands are more aware of their brand image than ever before. Traditional marketing tends to stay out of certain uncomfortable conversations, but Gen Z pushes those conversations forward. Brands are encouraged to embrace transparency, the more open and honest you are—the more relatable and authentic you are.
Conclusion
Gen Z has endless information at their fingertips, grew up alongside social media, and are more calculated with their purchases. This generation has impacted Social Media Marketing in so many ways; from social media marketing strategies, brand awareness, and how a brand utilizes their values to construct their brand image. As they continue to mature, their impact in the marketplace will only amplify.?
Works Cited:
Byers, Rowan. “How Gen Z Has Impacted Social Media Marketing & What Brands Can Do to Adapt.” Goatagency.Com, Goat, 31 Aug. 2023, goatagency.com/blog/social-media-marketing/gen-z-social-media-marketing/.
Flux. “Brand Backlash - the Flip Side of Brand Activism.” Flux Trends, Flux Trends, 31 May 2023, fluxtrends.com/brand-backlash-flip-side-brand-activism/.
Gilcrease, Grayson. “The Gen Z Marketing Challenge: Focus on Authenticity, Connection, and Trust.” WPromote, WPromote, 18 May 2023, www.wpromote.com/blog/digital-marketing/gen-z-marketing-2022.
Kumar, Harish. “The Importance of Authenticity in Gen Z Marketing and How to Achieve It.” CrawlQ.Ai, CrawlQ, 13 June 2023, crawlq.ai/blog/the-importance-of-authenticity-in-gen-z-marketing-and-how-to-achieve-it/.
“Meme Marketing 2023: Why Humor and Creativity Matter.” Sprinkles Media, Sprinkles Media, 3 Feb. 2023, www.sprinklesmedia.com/confectionary/meme-marketing#:~:text=Meme%20marketing%20is%20an%20effective,highly%20active%20on%20social%20media.
Pugalia, Rishabh. “Mastering Meme Marketing: 20 Genius Brand Examples.” Content Beta, Content Beta, 20 Oct. 2023, www.contentbeta.com/meme-marketing-examples/.
Ravi, Kavya. “Why Is Wendy’s so Freaking Good at Social Media?” Unmetric Social Media Analytics Blog, Unmetric, 7 Nov. 2019, blog.unmetric.com/wendys-social-media.
Salukov, Danil. “Gen Z Influencer Marketing: What Marketers Should Know (2023).” #1 Influencer Marketing Platform for UGC & Creator Ads, Insense, Insense, 11 May 2023, insense.pro/blog/gen-z-influencer-marketing.
Walk-Morris, Tatiana. “ICSC: 85% of Gen Z Says Social Media Impacts Purchase Decisions.” Retail Dive, Industry Dive, 9 June 2023, www.retaildive.com/news/generation-z-social-media-influence-shopping-behavior-purchases-tiktok-instagram/652576/.