It’s important to employ a fresh approach when marketing to Gen-Z; when trying to appeal to this generation, it’s no longer about simply selling your product.
They’re the first generation to have never known life without the internet, so you’ll need to adopt new marketing strategies that align with their unique preferences and behaviours – especially given how rapidly the buying power of Gen-Z consumers is growing.
Gen-Z is known for having high ethical standards as well as being value-conscious and drawn to brands that are authentic, so you should be more creative than usual when trying to attract this demographic.
1. Provide the Proof
You can’t fool Gen-Z – they’ve grown up with the world at their fingertips. They are known for calling out brands who engage in performative activism or environmentalism just to boost sales, so try to implement genuine human reactions into your strategies to give your consumers proof of your brand’s commitment to its values.
Using behind the scenes videos can be effective; by offering a glimpse into the inner-workings of your business, you’ll be showcasing the processes involved in creating your product, as well as your genuine commitment towards important causes. Gen-Z-ers need to trust a brand before engaging, so striving to capture unscripted reactions will be a testament to your brand’s dedication to actions speaking louder than words.
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2. Focus on Authenticity
Did you know that 84% of Gen-Z say that they have lost faith in influencers and actually prefer genuine, unfiltered recommendations? Instead of paying someone to leave a positive review, it’s better to focus on your brand values, experience, and product quality so that any positive reviews you receive are 100% genuine.
Reach out to your social media audience to ask for feedback and drive your brand’s journey based on responding to this feedback – this will make your Gen-Z consumers feel that they have a genuine connection to your product. Actively seeking feedback on social media will open your business up to receiving authentic and unfiltered responses – these genuine opinions will be crucial in helping your business to succeed and to help shape your brand’s narrative.
3. Go Hard on Multi-Channel Experiences
In order to ensure your marketing strategies are dynamic enough to appeal to Gen-Z, it could be a good idea to adopt a multi-channel approach. For example, you can link your in-store shoppers’ experience to their digital lives, by signing them up to mailing lists at the till points, giving out exclusive online offers to those who shop in-store, and by ensuring they can utilise the convenience of delivery services for in-store purchases.
QR codes are another popular way to integrate into your physical spaces to connect your consumers to digital content and promotions; this also adds an element of interactivity to your brand experience.
4. Encourage User-Generated Content
Gen-Z-ers are always happy to support a business if they are given a good enough reason, and as we’ve mentioned they love to see the authenticity of a brand rather than scripted advertisements. Send out products with QR codes or upload shareable social media posts with hashtags that encourage customers to share their photos and videos in exchange for being featured; this can be an effective way to create user-generated content created by real people.
If you do want to incorporate influencers into your marketing strategies, it’s important to identify those who align with your brand values and who will be happy to participate in user-generated content campaigns to keep things authentic. Involving influencers in this way will help to boost your product and their followers are likely to join in too.
5. Celebrate Diversity & Inclusivity
The Gen-Z demographic is known for highly valuing diversity and inclusivity. If you want to appeal to a Gen-Z audience, you should represent a diverse range of people in terms of ethnicity, gender, body type and abilities, and it’s a good idea to utilise inclusive and gender-neutral language too.
It’s important to keep things authentic, as Gen-Z is known to be able to sniff out brands who aren’t being genuine and are instead appropriating political issues – such as LGBTQ+ rights and racial equality – in order to gain followers or profit.
Successfully marketing your business to Gen-Z requires a significant step away from traditional advertisements, and a willingness to embrace change and innovation. As this dynamic and influential generation continues to make up a huge percentage of consumers, brands need to stay relevant by adapting their marketing strategies.
Above all, Gen-Z appreciate authenticity and inclusivity so it’s important to keep this at the forefront of your mind when appealing to this demographic; this will not only keep your brand relevant but will help to build long-lasting connections with your audience.
