What makes Generation Z tick?
Generation Z includes people born between 1995 and the mid-2000s. They cannot remember the time before the Internet and are considered “digital natives.
Social media and Gen Z are inextricably linked. According to studies, young adults spend at least two hours a day on social networks.
In addition to Internet habits, the interests, priorities and moral concepts of Generation Z are particularly relevant in terms of marketing. And these are significantly less superficial than assumed.
Gen Z is defined by these values:
- Authenticity
- individualism
- social commitment
- determination
- inclusion
- security
Living for and on social media” has an impact on the self-image of adolescents. As a result, zoomers place greater value on being socially recognized and perceived.
Three good reasons to include Gen Z in your online marketing strategy
Conquering another target group without abandoning the brand identity – this balancing act requires sensitivity. The following aspects show why the effort is worthwhile in the case of the younger generation.
1. Increasing purchasing power
Millennials focused on freedom, self-fulfillment, and a favorable work-life balance. Gen Z counters the increasing pressure to perform with a high degree of ambition. In parallel, modern, location-independent, and low-cost offerings facilitate access to higher education. Shortly, all this will provide today’s adolescents with an upper income – with correspondingly strong purchasing power.
2. Constant exchange among each other
Opinions, experiences, and interests – these are three of the things zoomers share every day. Advertisers can use this to their advantage in online marketing.
If a brand falls in favor with young target customers, they act as multipliers due to their willingness to share. Ideally, the campaign goes viral, which further increases the reach of the marketing message – free of charge and without additional effort.
Gen Z is extremely receptive to influencer marketing and other contemporary approaches due to their desire for credible testimonials. This allows companies to present their products or services in a new, more effective way.
3. Openness to new things
Digital marketing is subject to constant change, which not every target group follows smoothly. This is different for the young target group.
Generation Z is born to adapt quickly to new ways of communicating. They are open to creative ideas and multimedia content and show increased interest.
For advertisers and digital marketing agencies, this provides a safe framework to test unconventional concepts and innovative technologies.
A quick guide to convincing a young target group
As with any good marketing strategy, the details matter when sharing with the “TikTok generation.” Here’s a quick guide:
- Use the right channels: Zoomers are active on multiple channels at once, predominantly TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Facebook plays less of a role.
- Go for emotional signals: Storytelling is helpful when addressing young target customers to stand out from the mass of stimuli on the Internet and stay in their minds.
- Stand up for something: Younger customers are more willing to buy if the brand shares their morals. Among the most important issues for Gen Z are sustainability and climate protection.
- Pay attention to inclusion: Today’s youth value differentiated marketing content that is inclusive of every person – regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity, or sexual identity.
- Get to the point: According to research, Gen Z’s attention span is around eight seconds. This makes it all the more important to package the advertising message in easily digestible bites – so-called snackable content.
Avoid typical mistakes when dealing with Gen Z: Tips from a digital marketing agency
“If you know and understand your target group, you can do successful online marketing” – by now, every marketer and advertiser should know this basic rule. ONELINE presents the most common reasons why marketing concepts for Gen Z fail.
Speaking the wrong language
One of the biggest challenges in online marketing for Gen Z is matching content. The language of the younger generation is constantly changing and is difficult for adults to imitate.
String together as many youth words as possible is not very effective. More important than the exact wording is the tone of the marketing message. It should be individual, approachable, and credible.
Acting inconsistently
In the age of digitalization, consumers have access to a wealth of information about a provider from various sources. This means they quickly find out if the company’s marketing message and mission statement do not match.
If Gen Z perceives a brand as inauthentic, this quickly makes the rounds on social media. For advertisers with a young target group, a coherent image is particularly important.
Short term planning
The openness of adolescents to new things is a great opportunity – and a challenge – for advertisers.
Unlike older target groups, zoomers are strongly oriented toward current trends. Those who design their online marketing strategy to be correspondingly flexible can keep up with the pace of the younger generation.
High demands meet enormous marketing potential
Individuality, credibility, creativity – what Gen Z imposes on itself, it also demands from companies. It is worthwhile for advertisers to optimize their marketing strategy with these values in mind. Those who meet the upscale expectations of the young generation secure a well-connected target group with increasing purchasing power.
Successfully targeting Gen Z with online marketing requires sensitivity and know-how. As an experienced digital marketing agency, ONELINE helps partners of all industries and sizes to reach the younger generation in a targeted and sustainable way.
