The Halloween is behind us now and the holiday season is advancing rapidly, and markets across the country are open to advertise their products. During the last few years, the spotlight remained on how to target millennials with advertisements and promotions.
However, the time has come to reach a new generation: Generation Z. Gen Z – the category of digital and social natives that has everyone droning – remains a developing consumer group, however it’s one that retailers have become notably fascinated by.
While older members of Gen Z (about 16–22 year olds) are the primary focus of a retailer at a time, the young mature quickly and by some measures, they are already ready to step in with the brands.
Let us look at a few easiest ways to reach Gen Z this holiday season:
ESTABLISHING A SOCIAL CONNECTION WITH GEN Z
Generation Z is more connected to the digital world than other previous generations. They have grown into a highly digital bubble where communication with peers and data is quickly shared.
Because of how they connect, it is important that you simply target social media to promote to the current generation. They are not simply searching for a brand they will buy once and forget, they are trying to find womb-to-tomb connections with firms. Be the one to improve and gain their trust.
In fact, Gen Zers are 59% more likely to engage with the brand of their choice on social media. They are doing this because once they trust a brand, they want to continue shopping with them.
If you do not have a thriving social media page, that is one thing that’s going to have to change if you wish to tug in more gen Z this holiday season. Gen Z are finding out about the new products they plan to buy from social media.
On that note, your ads should be shown on social networks. Display your ads on YouTube and streaming services. This generation is less watching TV, although they like streaming services a lot.
EXPERIMENT NEW MARKETING CHANNELS
It should come as no surprise that members of Gen Z are hyperconnected, digitally native and active on social media, although they have also seen various hacking scandals, data leaks and cyber attacks over their lifetimes.
The result is that they are staunchly protective about their privacy and personal data. It is not uncommon, in fact, for this age group to create faux personalities on Facebook and Instagram and to save their real, genuine profiles for friends they trust.
Understanding this “trusted circle” part is important for how marketers will reach this group.
In particular, Gen Z moves towards newer platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram Stories because through those platforms they will send content to increasingly curated groups of friends.
Gen Z is extra cautious to rely on traditional advertising from brands. Instead, they trust the recommendations of their peers more, followed by social media influencers.
Therefore, instead of traditional celebrity endorsers, think about employing coevals influencers in your digital marketing.
ADJUSTING ACCORDINGLY AND INVOLVING THEM IN CONVERSATIONS
Although Gen z are young, they are a deeply mature group. In their lifetime, they have experienced terrorist attacks, economic downturns and changes in traditional family structures.
These cultural and social changes have formed their world views and perspectives on firms and people.
Armed with an almost limitless access to data, Gen Z is thus far the most diverse generation, and its members are broad-minded, socially aware, and value-oriented.
They tend to spend their cash cautiously and once, and according to a Millennium Marketing report, 60% of Gen Zers in a survey said they support brands that align with their values and social causes.
To cater to the current audience, avoid telling them what to do, what to buy or what to wear. Gen Z shoppers have a strong sense of personality and do not want brands to define them. 28% say they need to make their fashion statement and desire that the brands offer them the tools to try this way.
When targeting this age group, do not market to a particular conservatism. Instead, use electronic messaging and imagery that represent completely different races, ethnicities, gender identities, and body types.
Also design your products to accommodate an array of skin tones and sizes. Finally, provide Gen Z a platform to express themselves and share their opinion.
In an Accenture report, 40% of the Gen Z’s surveyed said they provide feedback, such as on-line reviews, “very often.” Whether they are reviewing products or experiences on websites or posting opinions on social media, they need their voices heard.
CONVENIENT SHOPPING
When it comes to their shopping preferences, two-thirds of the gen Z say they are comfortable doing on-line searches for shopping, although still prefer searching the store for immediate satisfaction of not having to wait for their orders to arrive.
Nevertheless, the trend to shop online and in store is quickly growing with this group and marketers can easily reach gen Z via a catchy new shopping trend.
MAKE IT PERSONAL WITH GEN Z
Everyone needs to feel special and specific. When marketing your product to Gen Z, make sure you have products that have personalization options. The option to modify is very important for the current group.
As the holiday season is going up, look for ways to add a custom touch to your product with things like color choices, name engraving, add-ons (a great-selling opportunity) and customarily things that make the product stand out.
CONCLUSION
The ways to reach Gen Z are finding their watering holes and understanding their behavior and mindset. Avoid talking to them and push the marketing message down your throat.
Meet them where they are, engage them in conversation and gain their trust. In return, they will reward you with their dollars and loyalty.
5 Killer Marketing Lessons You Can Only Learn From Gary Vaynerchuk
