Who Are Gen Z-ers?

Gen Z-ers, or Generation Z, is the age demographic born after millennials. They grew up as computer technology was expanding like never before and as such, are dubbed as ‘digital natives.’ Out of every generation, Generation Z is the most technology-savvy, ethnically and racially diverse, progressive, and well-educated.

What Age are Gen Z-ers?

While the age range varies, most researchers agree that people from this generation were born from the late 90s to the early 2010s, say between 12 and 25 years old.

Why are Gen Z-ers Important in Marketing?

As of 2022, many Gen Z-ers are either teenagers or just entering the workforce. They’ve just started earning pay of their own, and as they’re the largest generation yet around the world, this presents a goldmine of an opportunity for marketers.

Just to give you some context—there is an estimated 2 billion Gen Z-ers globally. That’s almost 30% of the world’s population right at your fingertips!

If you’re in the digital marketing realm, we highly recommend tailoring your marketing strategies for Generation Z. They’re only going to become more powerful and influential from here.

How Do We Market to Gen Z-ers?

There’s quite a large disconnect between Gen Z-ers and the other generations, so it may be hard for you to really figure out a marketing strategy for them. However, here are some important things to note when targeting your Generation Z audience.

• Care about Corporate Social Responsibility

Like millennials, Generation Z cares a lot about environmental, socio-economical, and political issues, perhaps even more so. They tend to support brands that align with their own values and boycott brands that don’t. They’re also generally distrustful of brands and corporations—being the well-educated bunch they are, they don’t readily fall for marketing propaganda.

So, in order to gain their trust, you need to identify some causes and movements your brand believes in and include that in your marketing strategy. Maybe you’re a make-up business in London that doesn’t believe in animal testing, or maybe you’re an SEO company in Los Angeles that believes more women should enter the SEO world—whatever the case, you’ll want to highlight that and make sure you follow through with your actions.

• Engage With Your Customers

Gen Z-ers care a lot about relatability. They love interacting with brands they follow so it would do you no good distancing from them! Rather than seeing them as customers for your brand, view them as friends who just happen to love your products and services.

Additionally, they love communication and responsiveness from a brand. It makes them feel like their customer feedback is valued, and they feel more involved that way.

In short, you need to interact with your customers, invite feedback and suggestions, and respond thoughtfully to positive and negative reviews.

• Create Video Content

Video content is most prevalent among Generation Z. It’s so prevalent, in fact, that over 60% of TikTok’s users are from Generation Z, and 50% of them say they need to watch videos every day on YouTube. So, buckle up and start learning how to make videos because they’re your best shot at tapping into this generation.

However, keep in mind that the type of video you create is also important! According to Forbes, their attention span is 8 seconds, thus their preference for shorter videos like TikTok’s or Instagram stories. You need to focus on making short-form content that can grab their attention and send your message in a few seconds.

• Collaborate with Micro-Influencers

As we mentioned earlier, Generation Z cares a lot about relating to people, so this is probably why they prefer micro-influencers with 1000 to 100000 followers over macro-influencers with millions of followers. They also care a lot about inclusivity and would love influencers who represent the generation’s ethnical diversity. Keep that in mind if you plan on partnering with any influencer.

• Prioritize Privacy

As the most technology-savvy of the bunch, it’s no surprise that Generation Z is more aware of the dangers the Internet harbors. They value their privacy online and are less likely to share their personal details with anyone other than the info needed for a purchase.

So, to placate their worries, you should always be open about why you’re asking for their info. Tell them how you’re going to use it and give them an option on what to share with you. Also, share the measures you’ll take to ensure their information will remain private and secure. This way, you can build trust with your Gen Z customers.

Conclusion

Crafting a marketing strategy for Generation Z will be tough but very much worth it. Their demographic is the largest, and you haven’t seen the best of them yet. As more of them enter the workforce, their stronghold in the marketing world will only get stronger. It’d be wise to start appealing to them as soon as possible!