Are you looking to effectively market to Gen Z online? Do you want to know what best practices to implement, and what avoid when it comes to Gen Z? This article will provide a guide to creating a successful Gen Z digital marketing strategy in 2021.

Who are Gen Z?

Generation Z is the world’s newest generation. Born between 1997-2012, they’re aged between 9 and 24. Also known as ‘Digital Natives’, Gen Z accounted for roughly 40% of all consumers by 2020. What really sets Gen Z apart from previous generations is their connectedness; 95% of Gen Z own a smartphone and over half spend more than five hours a day on their phones. Whilst many view Gen Z merely as teenagers and children, some are now well into their twenties and becoming major players in the job market and world economy. Their grasp of technology, and superior skill set in the area is sure to underline their importance in society.

So, Gen Z are big players, but how can you appeal them?

1. Create Eye-Catching Content

YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram, these are the primary platforms Gen Z engage with. Millennials were famed for being able to juggle three screens all at once. That’s a piece of cake for Gen Z, who are comfortable handling five screens at once!

“When we look at Gen Z, I think of them as millennials on steroids. They have so much energy but so little attention”

Rana Deepender, CEO Kantar China

This underlines the importance of creating eye-catching content that will capture Gen Zers reduced attention spans. Short form video is one way of engaging Gen Z as it creates a combination of video and audio stimulation that Gen Z find hard to turn away from.

2. Treat Each Social Media Platform differently

I’ve already mentioned Gen Z’s ability to juggle multiple screens, the same holds true for social media accounts. Gen Z show off who they aspire to be on Instagram, connect with friends and show their real selves on Snapchat, use TicTok for entertainment purposes, and finally, access information on Facebook.

When it comes to Gen Z you cannot have a generic ‘Social Media’ strategy. Rather you must have a separate strategy for each platform. Selling a self-improvement product, use Instagram, If you’re looking to increase brand awareness and engage with customers, reach them on TikTok. If you want to ride the wave of a recent news story, Twitter is your guy. Given that 80% of Gen Zers are influenced by social media in their decision making process it is now key to optimise your social media marketing strategy based on Gen Zers behaviour on each respective platform.

3. Focus on Micro-Influencers

Gen Z want brands that are authentic. Unlike previous generations Gen Z reject content they deem to be overly branded, instead favouring ‘authentic messaging’ which appears to be organic and unfiltered. Gen Z are attracted to stories of real people.

70% of teen YouTube subscriber see their favourite YouTube influencers as more relatable than traditional celebrities

Deep Patel, Forbes

Celebrities don’t have the same draw with Gen Z as they’ve had in the past. Defined as anyone with a following from 1,000-100,000, micro-influencers command 60% higher engagement and are 6.7 times more cost effective than influencers with larger followings. Therefore, the power of the micro-influencer cannot be overlooked when it comes to Gen Z

4. Advocate Diversity and Equality

Gen Z are influencing the marketing landscape by pushing brands to reflect their values. Gen Z are more socially aware as a result of their exposure to large social issues through the internet and social media. In relations to gender equality, 77% of Gen Z say they feel more positively towards a brand when it promotes equality on social media. 71% said they’d like to see more diversity in advertising. That isn’t to say you can just advocate Diversity and Equality, you must actively engage in both practices. As a brand if you advertise diversity but lack diversity within your ranks, Gen Z will notice, and the campaign may backfire.

5. Commit to Privacy

An IBM survey found that less than a third of teens are comfortable sharing their personal details beyond contact information and purchase history online. Yet the same study found this figure to increase to 61% when they trusted the brand to securely protect it.

So when targeting a Gen Z audience keep this in mind. When asking for information, do so openly and highlight your commitment to personal data privacy to ensure Gen Z consumers feel comfortable interacting with your brand.

In short, Gen Z are different. In order to appeal to them you need to identify their idiosyncrasies, and tailor your digital marketing strategy. By following the tips I’ve provided you’ll be well on your way to achieving this and creating a successful Gen Z digital marketing strategy.