#MillennialReacts: Here's how to begin marketing to Generation Z NOW

Over the years, millennials have spearheaded the implementation of utilizing NEW digital solutions to fix old organizational problems – large and small. #MillennialReacts is a new series in which I, a Millennial marketer will react weekly to the latest trends, platforms and discoveries that emerge within the marketing field and recommend ways in which your company should attempt to incorporate them into your marketing strategy, approach and efforts.

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Generation Z (also known as Gen Z, iGeneration and Post-Millennials) is the newest target audience that should be at the fore-front of your marketing efforts. This generation, currently ranging from ages 4 to 24 years will continue to gain massive earning power over the next five years. Currently, around 70% of Gen Z earn their own spending money, which is actually about the same as millennials whom of which are about 10 years older.

They have broken down many barriers and have massively yet effectively obtained wealth from nontraditional paths like becoming influencers on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Twitter and TikTok; and have even began making their way into your work force. 

Gen Z HAS never experienced living in a world not connected by technology and that shows because most have pretty much mastered all things "internet" before even filling out their first, if any, college application.

As the amount of your customers who are Baby Boomers begin to decline and naturally become replaced, Millennials and Gen-Zers, will become your future major target audiences as they begin to occupy a larger share of the marketplace.

Generation Z makes up 25.9% of the United States population, which is now the most significant percentage and contributes $44 billion to the American economy. By 2020, they will account for one-third of the U.S. population. You read that correctly... $44 billion. They've. Got. Money.

So how can you get them to engage with your content and to show a genuine interest in your products and services?

Tip 1.) Give Them A Voice

Photo by Rami Al-zayat on Unsplash

With a group on the rise that is technologically-savvy and that doesn't steer away from taking unconventional paths - this presents a opportunity to begin embracing the production of digital and social media content that is authentic, unpolished, and that can easily be turned into a two-way conversation with them.

Your Gen Z customer base will willingly intermingle with your brand if given the right opportunities. When surveyed:

• 42 percent would participate in an online game for a brand campaign
• 38 percent would attend an event sponsored by a brand
• 44 percent said they’d be interested in submitting ideas for product designs
• 36 percent would create digital content for a brand

So host interactive digital campaigns, create a game app, plan pop-up events, have content and design contests and even giveaways that require some type of participation online. Utilize polls on social media and trust the results when it comes to finalizing the chosen prototype for a new product line or even the design of a upcoming campaign.

Shamelessly lobby for more participation in the comment section of your social media posts, have the public vote for the best online user submitted product designs (and actually manufacture it), and even ask the participants to post a video or picture of their creation while tagging your company (along with a #hashtag of course) - but don't stop there. Repost them too and also comment under their posts. Hello, free REAL social media content and brand visibility. It's a win-win situation for everyone.

Offer workshops and branded networking events for those who interact most with your brand online and enlist them for focus groups for new product lines or campaigns that you are considering launching. Close the invisible gap that most consumers feel is present between them and their ability to catch the eye of and interact with their favorite brands. Give them access to you.

Thus, how do you give Gen Z a voice in your marketing efforts? Allow them to help you co-create your campaigns, build and impact your online presence, and aid you in helping you figure out what they want - then if impossible, give it to them.

Tip 2.) Relatability

Photo by Clodagh Da Paixao on Unsplash

Generation Z is a group that appreciates seeing unique perspectives being given the same amount of respect as others. They value self-representation, diversity and seeing someone like them in a marketing campaign - as well as those who could be considered their polar opposite. They are strong believers in inclusivity and in the belief that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

Almost 50 percent of Gen Z consumers identify as a racial or ethnic minority, making them the most diverse generation yet. Which is why they want to support brands who are willing to give everyone a voice, no matter their class, popularity, gender, race, sexuality, religious beliefs and more. Sure your polls, reposted user generated social media content and co-created campaigns from the Tip #1 will assist, but you should also consider a brand ambassador program and influencer marketing campaigns. In fact, Google found that 70 percent of teenage YouTube subscribers relate to YouTube creators more than traditional celebrities. 

In addition to that, Fullscreen revealed that over 44 percent of Gen Z respondents tried a recommendation from a “digital creator” (defined as someone who garnered fame entirely online), compared to just 36 percent who’ve tried products promoted by celebrities.

So now that you understand the influence that influencers indeed possess, you may now be questioning the type of influencers that you should work with. You should approach influencers, who, if profiled, would fit the description of those that you are targeting.

But, to increase your relatability to Gen Z, ensure that you utilize smaller influencers just as much as you do bigger ones. Micro-influencers are considered substantially more trustworthy than their larger counterparts because of the stigma that bigger influencers create bias reviews for companies or products that are subpar for higher pay.

Additionally, it should come as no surprise that consumers will more than likely feel a greater connection to a local smaller influencer with 10K or less followers who lives a similar lifestyle, than someone with a 500K+ following living in LA; they are more inclined to trust the influence of someone they consider "a regular person like them".

For example, if you have a fitness clothing brand, look for that small fitness blogger with a few thousand followers, but extremely high engagement percentages. That's who you need to work with, not someone with a large following, but who lacks the engagement.

So how do you begin the process of creating a brand ambassador program or branching into influencer marketing? Look for micro-influencers with high engagement rates amongst your niche group. Offer them free products to review, good pay and additional items to use for giveaways for their followers. Build a relationship with them so that they feel connected to your brand and are comfortable promoting your products to their close-knit following.

Lucky for us, there's social media. Loyal brand ambassadors, can be chosen from social media by identifying consumers who interact with your brand frequently and offering them an official position advocating for your brand.

Tip 3.) More Short Video Format Content

Photo by Photo by Kushagra Kevat on Unsplash

With a attention span of 8 seconds, love for video and desire for continual entertainment, your company should utilize short Snapchat, Instagram Stories and Facebook Stories like videos when targeting Gen Z. Keep it short and sweet, 6-8 seconds max and quickly grab their attention.

I know what you're thinking, that's not enough time to promote anything. That's not true and there are actually two key approaches that I have found that have worked well amongst Gen Z.

Option 1: Provoke curiosity or mystery. Utilize that short time period to make them want to learn more about your product or service and end with a clear call to action that identifies how to learn more.

A great example of that can be found here by Universal Pictures:

Option 2: Keep it clear. Keep it straight to the point. Keep it basic. Much like an elevator pitch... but shorter. A wonderful, yet direct example of this can be found here by Gumtree:

So why should you begin paying closer attention to creating effective video content for Gen Z?

On average, 44 percent of people watch five or more videos online every single day, social video represents a wildly valuable opportunity for businesses across all industries and technology conglomerate Cisco reports that 82 percent of all consumer internet traffic will be video by 2021.

VIDEO MARKETING COULD BE KING ONE DAY... POTENTIALLY.

Still not convinced, well studies have found that...

• Tailoring video content to your target audience can boost your retention rate by 35 percent
• 71 percent of consumers find sponsored videos relevant or highly relevant
• Mentioning the word “video” in your email subject line can increase open rates by 19 percent
• 90 percent of consumers reported that video helps them to make buying decisions, while 64 percent say that seeing a video makes them more likely to buy.

So how do you begin the process of creating better video content marketing? An average person retains 95% of what they see in a video while only 10% of what they read in text. Make it a habit to always create a short video version of any content being delivered in long text form for your consumers. For example, the video can be a summary of the information conveyed in a article or it can even serve as a teaser to grab the attention of potential readers first, then provoke a interest in them to read the article. Do this and test how the delivery of the information in both formats perform.

In a nutshell, by giving Gen-Z a seat at the table to voice their opinions, inclusivity, self-representation, short exciting promotional video content, and more opportunities to interact with your brand and help you tell your brand story, you will be well on your way to begin attracting the sincere interest of this new target audience.

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#SOUNDOFF! I want to hear from you. Do you think that Gen Z is the audience to watch? If so, what are some ways your company has begun preparing for the generational shift in your customer base (and even employee pool)? Are you making changes to your marketing strategy or even your products and services that you offer to better appeal to them?

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