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There is a huge focus on marketing to millennials, and with that generation spanning the ages of 25 to 39 (yup, millennials are turning 40 next year!) it makes sense – this age group, usually, has a steady stream of disposable income.
But with Generation Z hot on their heels with less than 4% less in disposable income than their millennial counterparts, and growing into their mid-20s literally as you’re reading this, now’s definitely the time to think about how you’re going to target this group.
Whether you’re starting a business from scratch purely targeted at Gen Z consumers or you’re looking at branching out your existing target audience, this guide covers everything you need to know, from finding your new audience to Gen Z marketing strategy ideas to get you going.
Gen Z Target Market Builder
Using 4 quick steps, we’re going to build a picture of the generation Z market you want to target so you know who they are, where to find them and the best ways to appeal to them.
Step 1: Who Are Gen Z?
Generation Z was born at some point in the mid-90s up to the early 2010s (placing their age around 10-25 in 2020). This demographic succeeded the millennials and is succeeded by Generation Alpha. The older members of Gen Z are reaching their mid-twenties and in the UK more than half of them are or will be degree educated.
Generation Z is also referred to as:
- Post-millennials
- Homeland generation
- iGeneration
- Zoomers
Step 2: Where Can You Find Them?
As the first digital natives, the online world is a comfortable second home for this age group. This means they’re the first to find cool new internet trends and social media sites – and of course, they’re on all the big ones like Facebook, Instagram, Reddit and Tik Tok.
And although that’s one of the best places to reach out to them, a recent study actually found that Gen Z shoppers much prefer to shop instore rather than online (81%) with more than half of them suggesting this is because it allows them to disconnect from the online world. Be sure to stock up on loyalty cards to encourage repeat in-store visits from this age group.
Step 3: What Do They Like?
The next obvious area to look at is what this generation likes – and therefore what would they like from your business. The study we shared above found that, due to stress, this generation buys lots of wellness and health products compared to other age groups.
Notoriously, Generation Z is socially and environmentally conscious, and more than half said they are looking for environmentally sustainable products and services. However, only 38% would pay a premium price for this kind of product. If you can align your business with these views and avoid a premium price tag, you’re sure to be a hit with this age group! Luckily, environmentally-friendly print isn't a pipe dream - why not try these recycled flyers on for size?
Step 4: How Are You Going to Appeal to Them?
Now we know a little bit more about this group, let’s have some fun! We’ve thought up our best Generation Z marketing ideas to give you some inspiration for your next move.
5 Strategies for Marketing to Generation Z
- Define Your Purpose
As huge advocates for social change, Generation Z want to know that they’re investing in something they believe in rather than a faceless, nameless corporation. This is where your brand, AKA the heart of your business, comes in.
Some brands thrive off being independent, family-run businesses, whereas others like to claim that they’re shaking up their chosen industry. Whatever your brand story, you’ve got to follow through with this in your actions and your tone of voice in every piece of marketing you do because there’s nothing Gen Z appreciate more than authenticity.
One super popular brand that’s great at doing this, and appeals to both the Gen Z and millennial demographic, is gift company Firebox whose tongue-in-cheek tone of voice is evident in their product descriptions, social media and even their meta descriptions on Google!
- Create a Sense of Loyalty
Great experience and customer retention are always important in your marketing strategy – and they usually go hand in hand. This is also true when it comes to your younger customers. Loyalty can come from creating a fantastic customer experience through print, like sending a custom postcard print inside the order packaging, but it’s important to think about your customers’ entire journey, from hearing about you on social media or a flyer to visiting your website and even after they’ve made a purchase.
According to data in the aforementioned survey, retailers should be mindful of customer experience both in stores and online when it comes to Generation Z. A poor online experience stopped 22% of Gen Z shoppers in their tracks and prevented them from ordering online, compared to just 15% of Millennial shoppers. The figures paint a similar picture with a lousy in-store experience preventing 24% of Gen Z purchases compared to 21% of Millennials.
- Use Micro-Influencers
Influencer marketing is big news for businesses looking to target digital natives. But before you fork out a ridiculous amount of cash for a celebrity endorsement, you might want to check the stats on this style of marketing…
Stats show that micro-influencers (accounts with between 1000 and 100000 social media followers) actually drive 60% more traffic than celebrities because Gen Z can relate to them – and therefore trust their opinion more. As soon as followers rise to more than 100000, engagement levels drop.
Again, this is all about authenticity – they’re smart enough to realise that micro-influencers are less likely to be paid (as much or at all) for their reviews so it follows that they’re more likely to be honest about a company’s products.
- Try a Less Competitive Approach
Everyone knows that Gen Z is highly active on social media – so that’s how they’ll target them. A road less travelled in this case is email marketing. According to a 2019 study, 58% of Gen Z check their emails multiple times per day. However, the majority (67%) receive 20 emails of less a day, giving you the perfect window of opportunity to grab their attention!
- Go Visual
Whatever selling tactic you decide to try out, Gen Z is most engaged by visual forms like posters, images and videos with little writing. From YouTube to Tik Tok and Instagram reels, this generation watches on average 68 videos a day, meaning they absorb a lot of content this way.
Short-form, highly stylised content with lots of filters and interactive elements are a fantastic way to attract the attention of Zoomers. For social media marketing, we recommend staying active on your Instagram story with polls and other features people can use to engage with your brand. Not only does this keep their attention, but poll results can also give you more of an insight into the things they like – it’s a win-win situation!
We hope these ideas give you plenty of food for thought on your Generation Z marketing strategy – we can’t wait to see you starting the next big social media trend! For more generational marketing strategies, check out our post on marketing to millennials.
