In the marketing world, we discuss millennials constantly. But, believe it or not, it’s time to heavily consider the next generation of consumers as well. This is the group of people born after 1995 (aged 24 or under) that society refers to as Generation Z. According to Fast Company, this generation will account for 40% of all consumers by next year. A recent Facebook report, "Getting to Know the ‘Me Is We’ Generation” estimates that Gen Zers already influence some $143 billion in spending in the US alone. So, how do you get this new, unique, and important group of consumers to pay attention to your company without screaming, “Hey, Gen Z, look at me!” (Don’t do that, by the way, they won’t like it.)

First, get to know them...

Generation Z was born into a tech obsessed world. They grew up using social media. Because they’ve been honing their internet skills for essentially their entire lives, they are excellent at researching things online. Plus, they enjoy doing so. They like to be informed, which means they will Google you before doing business with you. This generation of techies is used to being able to instantaneously access information, they act fast, making decisions in the blink of an eye. Some view Gen Zers negatively, saying their love for new technology and their aversion to in-person interactions is shortening the human attention span and killing businesses. We beg to differ. 

You just have to meet them where they’re at.

Overall, online optimization is incredibly important in today’s business world, especially when taking Gen Z into consideration. Your website should be functional, attractive, and set you apart from the competition. If it takes a long time for something to load, this instant gratification generation won’t stick around. Similarly, if the quality of your website is poor, Gen Z will assume the quality of your products and/or services is also poor, which means they’ll move on and do business with someone else. Also, absolutely anything you do online must be mobile friendly.

Start social selling!

Yes, Gen Z is online, on their phones, a lot of the time. When you see them, heads buried, furiously scrolling, chances are they’re on a social media platform or app, not a webpage. They’re almost definitely not calling anyone, checking their voicemail, or sending an email. This means if you want to sell to Gen Z, you absolutely have to post and advertise on social media. Specifically, use video as often as you can. Photos are now second best. Also, most platforms have a “stories” feature now and these continue to grow in popularity, eliciting tons of engagement from Gen Zers. 

So, you’re ready to post video content to your story. What should it look like?

First and foremost, your content should be authentic. Remember when you were growing up and people used to say, “Just be yourself?” That’s still good advice. Share your company’s messages, values, and workplace atmosphere. Any good you’re doing locally or for society as a whole is fantastic information to include in your social content! It is very important, however, to be truthful and transparent. If you get caught in a lie, it will be very hard to regain Gen Z’s trust.

How do you earn their trust in the first place? A great way to do this is through testimonials, references, and good reviews. If a third party is talking you up in some sense, Gen Z won’t have to worry about you saying something just to make your own company look good. They appreciate an unbiased opinion. This is why user-generated content (UGC) is such a successful marketing tool. Pay attention to who’s mentioning and tagging you on social media and repost or share the content in some manner. 

This is the same reasoning behind why bigger brands are working with “influencers” so often. These individuals have grown large social media followings based off the quality of their content, their likable personalities, and/or the nature of their jobs and lifestyles. Over time they have proven themselves to be trustworthy, at least in their followers’ eyes.

Using influencers is a huge marketing trend because, although many people would love to live the life of a Hollywood celebrity, it’s not a very attainable goal for the average Joe. But it is much more realistic that anybody could become a smaller influencer someday; a dream job for many Gen Zers. One step to being like your favorite influencer is using all the same products as them. This is how they get their title, they literally influence the purchase decisions of their followers.  Another great thing about influencers is that, if they are good at their job, they can sneak what is essentially an advertisement into their content in a modern, fun and engaging way.

There’s already plenty of information on Generation Z as a whole that we could rattle off to you, but they wouldn’t appreciate that. This is a group made up of individuals, just like any other generation. Treat them as such.

They don’t like labels and they are dedicated to embracing a wide variety of lifestyles. Gen Z wants the content they are consuming to represent this. According to Facebook’s study, 71% of Gen Zers say they would like to see more diversity in advertising. They rally around causes and brands that are inclusive and benefit the greater good in some way. 

In the end, if you impress a Gen Zer, they’ll quickly become a brand ambassador, talking you up to their friends both online and off. But if you disappoint them, they’ll drag (AKA roast) your brand on Twitter. So, start focusing on delighting your current customers, across all generations. You should spend at least the same amount of time on that part or the flywheel as you spend on attracting and engaging prospects and leads. Keeping your customers happy is a great way to get Gen Z on your side, and trust us when we say that you want them on your side.