Innovative Strategies to Market to Gen Z

At the core of any marketing strategy is knowing your customer. Different industries appeal to different types of customers, so developing a marketing strategy typically involves extensive market research and analysis of customer data to determine what speaks to the pain points, desires, hopes, fears, goals, and more of a particular company’s customers.

This process can be time-consuming, and one way to make it easier is to use generations as target audiences instead of specific groups within a customer base. Although not every person within a specific generation is exactly the same, people of similar ages tend to have the same concerns and goals as those in similar places in life. This makes marketing more streamlined since data can be extrapolated from a generation and implemented for specific customers.

From Baby Boomers to Gen Z

In defining generations, one of the largest demographics alive today is the Baby Boom Generation, often referred to as “Baby Boomers”. These are people born between 1946 and 1964. Today, Baby Boomers are seniors, so their pain points, goals and so on are different compared to younger generations.

Gen Z, or people born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s, is currently made up of individuals in their 20s and early 30s, depending on how you break down the demographic and date data for inclusion in this generation. As younger generations have been the target demographic for marketers since the post-WWII era, it’s generally a good idea to consider how to market to Gen Z to earn a piece of the generation’s business.

The key here is to recognize the difference between generations regarding marketing. Baby Boomers and Gen Z are on complete opposite timelines in terms of where they are in life. This means that they will often care about things in different ways and to varying degrees. Marketing to Baby Boomers will require a different approach compared to marketing to Gen Zers, and this is something you’ll want to remember when using generational data to put together marketing strategies.

Why Marketing to Younger Consumers Makes Sense

Before exploring some specific ways to market to Gen Z, it’s important to consider why your business would want to market to younger consumers in the first place. These are not usually people in their prime earning years yet, so they may not have the same purchasing power as an older individual. Wouldn’t it make more sense to market to older generations?

Depending on your business and industry, it may make more sense to market to older individuals rather than market to Gen Z. What we encourage you to factor in is that marketing is not always about short-term gain. Instead, think about things like this: When you market directly to Gen Z, you can build brand awareness and loyalty for years. These are younger people, so getting in front of them now means you have the opportunity to foster and grow relationships for years to come.

Younger demographics do, however, have spending power because they often have more disposable income. A Gen Z consumer living at home with their parents may not have to pay housing or utility costs, and they may not be as focused on saving money. Depending on your industry, this can be an advantage for converting younger buyers.

Marketing Strategies You Need to Try

As with all strategies targeting younger demographics, trends shift and change regularly and continuously. Also, take note that generational marketing is not a one-size-fits-all process. Although people of the same generation tend to share interests and pain points, every consumer is unique, and your brand should approach marketing to younger buyers based on the data that applies to your customers.

Below are some innovative strategies to try, but keep in mind that your strategies should be fluid. Flexibility will allow your brand to connect with Gen Z as this generation evolves alongside changes to digital technology.

Rely on Email Marketing

Email marketing for small businesses has been a tried-and-true method for engaging with customers, and many business owners also find success in building marketing funnels using email. With Gen Z, you can find success using email marketing, but you need to consider how Gen Z uses email.

According to a piece in Forbes, over half of Gen Z surveyed claim to check email multiple time a day and enjoy receiving emails from brands. The key to getting the most from these opportunities is fast, to-the-point messaging.

Gen Z is digitally native, so they have grown up with messaging technologies. They prefer instant messaging formats, so ensure your emails and newsletters offer eye-catching subject lines, graphics, and targeted messaging.

Lean Into Social Media

There’s no question that Gen Zers are big fans of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, so it only makes sense to lean into social media to craft marketing directed at Gen Z. Social media platforms are basically free to join and use. They also allow businesses to utilize paid advertising to reach Gen Z consumers and other demographics.

Another benefit of using social media in your marketing strategy for Gen Z customers is the ability to take advantage of user-generated content and influencer marketing. User-generated content consists of content created by social media users, and your brand can leverage this content to build close connections with consumers and influence purchasing decisions.

Influencer marketing is similar to traditional celebrity endorsement in which an online personality with influence talks about or demonstrates a product in social media posts or content. The goal of influencer marketing is to tie the brand, product, or service to the influencer to build credibility and affinity right off the bat. If an influencer claims a company is one of their favorite brands, Gen Z customers are more likely to give that brand a chance without all of the extra marketing required to get a product or service off the ground.

Speak to Causes Gen Z Cares About

Gen Z is slightly unique in that, as a generation, people in this demographic tend to care more about social responsibility. Previous generations have demonstrated this same care, and it’s fair to say that younger consumers, in general, have been more likely to support idealistic causes. Still, Gen Z has access to the Internet. This means that information about causes spreads rapidly, and support can form overnight. It also means that peer pressure is heavier on Gen Z to get active about causes.

When developing Gen Z marketing strategies, take a moment to think about the causes your business supports. Look for common ground among these causes where you can build bridges with Gen Z consumers to tap into the generation’s spending power. The key here is that your support needs to be authentic. Companies that are inauthentic may be accused of “virtue signaling” or pandering, and the result generally does not work out favorably for brands that do this.

Instead, be genuine in your approach and seek ways to involve your Gen Z customers. For example, you can hold a donation drive for a shared cause that can get your Gen Z customers involved in showing support. You can also put together marketing materials demonstrating how your brand donates or volunteers to support various causes that support social responsibility.

Gen Z is Not a Monolith

Although this was stated above, it’s worth repeating that Gen Z is not a monolith. Like all generations, there are different types of people contained within generational demographics, so don’t rely solely on data about Gen Z's buying habits and interests to make decisions about your marketing. You’re encouraged to look deeply into what speaks to your brand’s customers in order to find lasting success.

Connect With E-Marketing Associates to Learn More Strategies to Connect With a Gen Z Audience

At E-Marketing Associates, our team is dedicated to helping small business owners find, target and engage with the right audiences. Our marketing campaigns are crafted to speak to real people who are looking for your products and services, and we also provide custom website design for small business to make your brand as accessible as possible to your customers on the web.