How to Use Digital Marketing to Target Generation Z
Generation Z makes up 27% of the population. In order to make your business more successful, take a look to see how you appeal to a generation fully reliant on technology and more.
Generation Z is full of innovative, creative, and technology savvy teens and young adults who grew up with full access to information at the touch of a button. Today they make up 27% of the population, and 40% of all customers! That means that Gen Z can make up around 44 billion dollars of the spending in the US as of 2020. Any business cannot miss the opportunity to appeal to this generation, or lose out on a huge increase of business, and therefore, success. In order to increase your business interest and appeal to Generation Z, check out the five pieces of advice below.
Gen Z spends more than three hours a day in front of the computer in activities not related to their school work or jobs
The first aim toward success involves exposure. Considering that Gen Z has shown to spend more than three hours a day in front of the computer outside of work indicates that they would be an audience to target marketing for exposure of product (array digital). Think about how many times you pass the same ad while you are scrolling through pictures or videos? That ad, your ad, can be cycled through links that are viewed thousands, if not millions, times a day.
Generation Z is heading toward 44 billion dollars of purchased goods. That makes up such a large part of the market, that not marketing to them is a deficit.
Gen Z is known for being empowered and active social media users.
In a study done by Google, Gen Z showed that 56.4% are on Snapchat, 35.4% on Twitter, 52.8% on Facebook, 59.6% on Instagram, 42.2% on Google+ and 26.6% on Pinterest. Many Gen Z are on most or all of these platforms at the same time.
Not only are they on all of these platforms, but Gen Z believes that they could be influential and make a difference. They are more likely to support brands that want to make a difference. Sixty percent of Gen-Zers said that they want to change the world in a positive way through their work, so they want to find brands with that same mission. There is also 26% of the generation who do some type of volunteering and 76% are concerned about the impact that humans have on the planet (array digital). Gen Z has never known a world without terrorism and climate change, so Gen Z is more informed and connected than any other generation (its-lit).
Grab the audience’s attention in the first eight seconds.
Although the average attention span is twelves seconds, the attention span for Generation Z is only eight seconds. It is much more appealing to this generation to use memes, emojis, or GIFs to catch their attention (Digital Marketing Institute). Social media reels or TikToks are a way to immediately gain attention through the use of the above mentioned, caption, or hashtags. It is more helpful to use bullet points and short sentences rather than long paragraphs. For this TikTok user, music also adds to the appeal of her videos.
Access to your business should be mobile friendly and easy to navigate
Considering that Gen Z grew up on technology, they are able to spot a mobile friendly site. If someone discovers a link to a desired item, they are more likely to purchase it if it has smooth transitions and a quick action of adding to cart. Gen Z is not on a mission to browse. They want to find their product, purchase it, and move on. If a site is not easy to navigate, does not work well on a mobile device, or has other delays, they are more likely to not purchase than to use a different device. It is better to have short descriptions, bullet points, and white space, rather than long paragraphs.
Use real people and real testimonies rather than actors.
This generation uses social media as a way to develop reviews and personal testimonies about a product before buying it. They want to see that it works, proof that it works, and real life people instead of actors. The goal is to make a product appear that it is beneficial for them personally, not to just sell the product. Studies show that trying to just make a sale will not work for this age group, and they are more invested and the story behind the product instead (RevLocal). They would rather see influencers on their page rather than actors. It is reliable, less time and research needed, and again goes back to the get in, get out mentality.
Marketing to any generation is a tricky process that involves knowledge and research surrounding a specific age group. For Generation Z, it is important that you keep in mind the following points:
Use different platforms of social media
Work for a mission and appeal to the greater good
Grab the audience’s attention immediately
Use mobile and user friendly options
Testimonies and review should come from real, reliable people
If you follow these pieces of advice, you will be sure to gain some success from a generation that is booming the purchasing market with their technology use, empathy, and involvement in social change.
https://storage.googleapis.com/think/docs/its-lit.pdf
https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/the-changing-customer-how-to-cater-to-gen-z