This year the eldest of Generation Z are turning 18 and while they have already been consumers for a few years (and certainly persistent influencers of their parent’s purchasing decisions) they are now entering the consumer markets in a big way.
In order to reach and appeal to our market we need to have a clear idea of who our consumer base is. If your business has an element of teenager/young adult interest then there are a few things you need to know.
- You need to be where they are: in their phones. Generation Z are heavy users of personal technology, they are immersed in their social platforms of choice, primarily Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Quite simply, if your brand is not participating in and engaging in these platforms, you do not exist to them. More importantly however, is how you participate because…
- They are conscious of authenticity. They respond to real people, no photoshop, no stock imagery, no form replies, no marketing speak. Real people, real talk. Also …
- They seek brevity. Studies have found attention spans of those in their youth are steadily decreasing when engaging in social media, down from 12 seconds in 20001. You don’t have a lot of time to get your message across. You must keep it short, authentic, and in natural language. Throw in an emoji or two ?. An extra tip: sell the result they will get from your product or service, not the product or service details. And another tip, make use of comments and conversation to get more information across in short snippets. You can grab their attention via …
- The use of Video. This is the YouTube Generation, they have not known a day without the internet and have grown with increasing broadband speeds. Video should be your tool of choice. Instagram Stories, Facebook Live, and Snapchat are effective here, to package visuals into one consumable episode of content. While we are talking about visuals …
- Design. Related to the point above on video. Generation Z want to be entertained. You need to make your product, packaging, content, presentation, compelling in design. Use design as a signal of your quality and to stand out from your competitors as they scroll through their daily content, make them stop and be compelled.
- Put out socially responsible messages. Generation Z are more attuned to the issues that effect their futures and the fellow inhabitants of this planet. It is good to demonstrate your own commitments to social justice in issues such as gender, racial, and income equality, the environment, and corporate responsibility. Back causes and promote your corporate social responsibility endeavours, you will be rewarded for it it more ways than one.
We need to consider the personas of consumers and as we head toward 2020 a large proportion of them are likely to be Generation Z. It’s time to start thinking about your online presentation, your content, and your marketing channels to ensure you are there for them.
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