Generation Z is on its way to becoming the largest consumer group in the world. Their influence on the orientation of today’s companies is already evident. But who exactly is this Generation Z and how do I address them? We have put together 6 measures to help you attract the attention of this young target group.
Recent studies show that Generation Z, with a population share of 16.6 million people, has developed into the largest group of buyers in Germany. It is therefore also worthwhile for marketers to design marketing strategies for this specific target group.
There is no such thing as “one marketing solution” for Generation Z. However, some promising “best practices” can be derived from their values. It is worth taking a fresh look at your marketing strategy in the light of Generation Z – and adapting it to the needs of this generation.
1. Catch Your Target Group
A teenager’s attention span is eight seconds – this is often mistakenly compared to the attention of a goldfish. However, it is still a full 4 seconds less than with the previous generation.
So the first impression is crucial. “Beating around the bush” tends to make you forget about your target group. Use fast, concise, and, above all, memorable advertising messages. A user must be able to clearly recognize your message after just a few seconds.
But not only the content but also the design must be right! Images and videos have established themselves as media formats, as they quickly convey relevant information and therefore fit perfectly into the digital world of Gen Z. Good content should be “snackable” – i.e. quickly consumable, entertaining, and informative. Or in the words of Michael Pankowski of AdAge:
So how do you as a company manage to create successful content?
User Generated Content (UGC)
User Generated Content includes all content on the web that is created by users themselves. These include, for example:
- Blog Articles
- Product Reviews
- Unboxing videos
- Customer-developed product features.
The image benefits of word-of-mouth communication will be familiar to every marketer. UGC delivers exactly these advantages – with the difference that the content has now been relocated to the net. These include, above all, 2.4 times higher credibility, lower costs than regular content, and the frequent viral effect.
Attention Triggers
Especially on social media, you have to stand out from the crowd to run successful ads. You would need tools to help you with your social media marketing campaign. Humorous, emotional, or provocative ads stand out and can grab the attention of Gen Z. Interactions are also very popular! So-called poll ads offer the possibility to direct the participants directly to the website via an ad via a vote/question. Another way to encourage interaction is the gamification approach, which provides entertainment with quizzes or small puzzles.
2. Build a bond – personally & emotionally
With advertising campaigns à la “Buy our product because it’s good”, you hardly knock a young person off your stool today. Gen Z no longer wants to be the first to hear why the product is supposedly the best or what discounts there are. Rather, it is important that you make your brand come alive and build a personal and emotional bond.
Storytelling
A good option for companies is authentic “storytelling”. Tell your story! Who are you? What was the intention behind the foundation? What emotions, experiences, and experiences are associated with the product? This also includes personal, yet respectful communication with the target group and the communication of the idea behind it. A clear resulting trend is founder videos because it is no longer the product itself that is decisive for Generation Z, but above all the brand behind it as a complete package.
Community Management
More than any other generation, Gen Z is digitally connected. She continuously shares opinions, experiences, and experiences via the Internet. As a company, you can take advantage of this by specifically promoting the formation of communities in your area! As a result, you have not only gathered a target group ready to buy, which distributes the positive experiences with your product throughout the network through word-of-mouth communication but also generates close customer loyalty. At the same time, ideally, you will also receive honest feedback and suggestions for improvement from your community.
You can build a strong community, for example, by establishing your own #Hashtags, providing communication spaces such as forums, or organizing personal meetings.
A good example is Nike. The sporting goods manufacturer has managed to build a strong community with millions of members via Instagram. On the one hand, Nike uses a highly personalized message for better customer identification and, on the other hand, targeted hashtags such as #justdoit.
Gen Z is more willing than any generation before to interact with brands. According to a study by the W&V editorial team, more than half of all young people interact with a brand and its advertising.
3. Social responsibility – no empty phrases!
Climate change, data protection, and equality are central issues for Generation Z. You only have to look at the “Fridays for Future” movement to realize that social and environmental responsibility is very important to this generation.
A study by McKinsey found that 80% of young people do not buy products from companies that have been involved in social or environmental scandals. Many companies have already reacted by banning plastic bags from their product ranges, investing in renewable energies, or increasingly supporting social projects. Online stores often offer “green” shipping for a small surcharge.
Marketers should take this fact into account in their strategies. But here, too, the principle of authenticity applies – not only convey these values but also really follow them! This allows you to invest in the trust of your customers and at the same time strengthen your brand.
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4. Trust factors – but please be authentic!
The targeted use of trust factors plays a decisive role in online marketing for Generation Z. Gen Z is extremely security-loving, but they are also much more critical of companies and brands than older generations. Information, websites, and advertising are carefully checked, researched, and compared. The use of data or seals that are not authentic, relevant, or up-to-date should therefore be avoided at all costs.
Quality & Organic Seal
The use of quality seals in online shops and advertisements is widespread because they provide many users with a feeling of security. However, Gen Z is very critical and well-informed. Therefore, make sure that you check the seals intensively, that it is easy to see what the seal of quality stands for and that the graphic representation is always of the highest quality and not pixelated.
In an exciting and regularly managed blog, you can optimally expand your expert status and deliver real added value to users. In the best case, the authors of the articles should be named with a picture and a short introduction. Of course, you can also present the special competencies of the team independently of a blog on a website or social media platform. The use of images and individual statements creates a personal level. Another way to strengthen the expert’s status is referenced with a strong and positive reputation. You convey with which competent partners and service providers you work together.
Reviews
The classic among trust factors!
Reviews from customers, employees or cooperation partners are great for gaining the trust of Gen Z. Here, too, authenticity plays a decisive role. Don’t be afraid to present bad reviews. It is important that you answer them professionally and friendly. In this way, you remain authentic and at the same time show your customers that you take them seriously and accept criticism. In the sense of good community management, positive reviews should also be answered gratefully. In addition to the texts, a rating should also be made in the form of e.g. stars. These are visually quick to grasp and more concise.
5. TikTok & Instagram – think outside the box
New generation – new possibilities. It is no longer enough to be present only on classic marketing channels such as Facebook and Google. On the contrary! While Facebook is losing more and more of its popularity among young people, according to a survey by Business Insider, new channels are emerging: TikTok, Instagram & Co. are enjoying increasing popularity among Gen Z. What good is the most innovative advertising message if you don’t reach your target group?
Each of these channels offers its own possibilities and ways in which you can make contact with Gen Z.
Think about which channels are suitable for your messages and establish a sustainably successful social media strategy.
Your advertising message will only be successful if you are on the right platforms. As a small motivation: TikTok already had 800 million users at the end of 2019, of which almost 70% come from Generation Z.
6. Don’t try too hard!
Perhaps the biggest communication mistake is that adults are frantically trying to imitate youth language.
Communicating with Gen Z on a humorous level is extremely difficult for non-Gen Z members. Youth language is fast-paced and peppered with hidden allusions. With YOLO (an acronym for “you only live once”) you can only reap tired laughs today. For example, there are many companies that have failed with their campaigns because they have tried to impress their young target group with supposedly “cool” hashtags, memes, or pictures. Unfortunately, this only works in the rarest of cases. So you can find many amusing examples on the net of brands that probably meant it a bit too well with their attempts.
The magic word here is: authenticity. Pay attention to the current trends, create comprehensible and entertaining content and concentrate on conveying your values.
Don’t overdo it – stick to authentic communication and comprehensible content.
What should you do now?
See the above best practices as a useful addition to your previous marketing. Which measures are suitable for you and fit your company or product?
It is important to convey a uniform and coherent image of your company to your target group. So do not fall into blind actionism, but think about which of the tips make sense for your industry and your product.
If you are unsure, test different measures and evaluate later whether you have reached the desired target group with your new strategy. In almost every popular analysis and marketing tool, there is the ability to sort traffic by age group. This makes it easy to understand whether your measures have borne fruit with the desired target group.
If you keep these things in mind, nothing should stand in the way of your success in Generation Z.