One of the key principles of digital marketing, and indeed any kind of marketing, is that, for a campaign to have any chance of success, you must know the audience that you are targeting.
There is little point in a digital marketing campaign that does not resonate with the audience you are trying to capture.
Businesses with the most consistent growth rates cultivate a culture of researching what their target market likes and trusts, and look closely at insights from social media, forums, etc.
They review sites related to their specific industry and niche to understand what is important to their audience. From there, they can find useful information to guide their digital marketing campaigns.
The greatest ad copy, most exceptional products and services, or lowest discounted prices won’t deliver if they aren’t targeted properly.
Your teams can create the best marketing message, but if they are not being seen by potential customers, the campaign will fail to deliver.
This is why marketers spend so much time and effort researching what specific audiences respond to. When it comes to creating marketing messages, one of the strategies employed by the most impactful digital marketing campaigns is segmentation on the basis of specific criteria.
When aiming to target the Gen Z audience, marketers group sections of the population by age. This goes a stage further by giving each of the age groups a title. Here is how those groups are most usually labelled and their respective years of birth.
- 1928 – 1945: Silent Generation
- 1946 – 1964: Baby Boomers
- 1965 – 1980: Generation X
- 1981 – 1996: Millennials
- 1997 – 2012: Generation Z
- Early 2010s – Early 2020s: Generation Alpha
How To Connect With The Gen Z Audience
The group which is currently attracting a lot of attention from businesses of all kinds is Generation Z. These are individuals who were born in the final years of the 20th century and the first decade or so of the 21st century. Why is this group attracting so much attention in digital marketing efforts?
This is the first age group who grew up in a fully digital world, and have never known a world without smartphones, digital media, and the internet.
Because of this, their lives revolve around digital media platforms, forums, and social media platforms. This audience spends a lot of time on digital platforms, and is a highly valuable target market for businesses and digital marketers.
Today, this group is aged roughly 14 to 29. This is a period of their lives where their wants and needs are not only significant, but changing dramatically.
As they move from childhood, through their teenage years, and into early adulthood, many of their needs are met through digital channels.
Research also shows that Generation Z has valuable information for those planning a digital marketing campaign.
Gen Z Traits That Matter For Digital Marketing Campaigns
- Highly Dependent On Digital Technology
- Extremely Active Online, Especially On Social Media
- High Interest In Music And Gaming
- Very Conscious Of Reviews: Use Them To Make Buying Decisions
- Accepting the Differences In Others
- Tend To Be Open Minded: Willing To Listen To Others’ Opinions
- Highly Aware Of The Latest Trends
- Have A Desire To Make A Positive Impact On Others
- Value Quality
- Very Brand-Aware
Based on these, and other research relating to Generation Z, here are six important strategies that target them effectively.
Digital Marketing Strategies For Gen Z
#1: Content Must Be Interactive And Engaging
Generation Z spends a lot of time on social media. The platforms you are most likely to find them on are TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. Generation Z loves content that they interact with. Examples include polls, quizzes, and infographics.
#2: Focus On Sustainability, Reviews, Recommendations, And UGC Content
Growing up with a mobile device in their hand, and with social media and video sharing platforms, Gen Z functions differently when making purchase decisions.
Unlike older groups, this generation is not easily swayed by massive corporate budgets, taglines, and images.
Instead, they are highly critical of corporations and are highly sensitive to social and environmental impact.
Any information they receive is viewed with high scepticism, and that’s something that can be used as a strength by digital marketers.
#3: Influencers And UGC Content
Effective targeting for Gen Z includes genuine user reviews based on real experiences. User-generated content (UGC) plays a key role in any digital marketing campaign geared toward the Gen Z audience.
Most campaigns allocate a lot of time and effort to publicise user-generated content, where actual users relay their experiences about a brand or business. Moreover, influencer recommendations and opinions can gain a large number of impressions, as followers see what their favourite influencer is recommending and using.
#4: Video Is A Must
Video content is one of Generation Z’s favourite types of content. Video should be part of any digital campaign targeted toward this audience.
Tools like Instagram reels are a great way to reach larger audiences and often gain more impressions than other forms of content on Instagram. Use TikTok and YouTube Shorts to create video content that’s engaging, hooks their interest, and drives the results you need.
Good digital marketers know how to hook the audience from the moment the video starts playing.
This audience can have a short attention span, so getting them to stop swiping to the next post or video can be challenging. With the right hooks that resonate with them, many goal-oriented marketing campaigns have driven impressive results for brands.
Make the content shareable, because Gen Z often shares what they see with their friends, which extends the reach of your video content.
Creating viral videos has been one of the leading methods of brand awareness, sales, and greater brand engagement with the Gen Z audience.
#5: Be Authentic
To get the most out of this audience, be genuine. The most effective digital marketing campaigns aimed at Gen Z are authentic and genuine.
Having grown up with digital platforms, this group is highly savvy, suspicious of corporate intention, and can spot insincerity at a glance.
Copied content, pretence, and false promises all drive this audience away rather than grab their attention. Make the message sincere, believable, and stay far away from ‘impactful’ corporate taglines.
#6: Incorporate Community-Building and Interactive Elements
Gen Z values being part of a community, engaging with content, and interacting with others on digital platforms. It’s all about nurturing community and being a part of a group that makes a difference.
The best ways to influence Gen Z’s purchase decisions are social media engagement, interactive experiences, and personalised content. Platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok allow marketers to gain their trust and make them feel part of something they’re proud of.
Polls, quizzes and viral challenges can help you capture the Gen Z audience with fun engagement. Social media platforms now offer many interactive features that are optimised for certain engaging experiences.
Use Gen Z’s Traits As a Strength
Understanding how Gen Z thinks and buys can be a major asset for any digital marketing strategy.
Attract them by sharing snippets of behind-the-scenes content, introducing the people behind the brand, and making them able to relate to your business. As you gain their trust, the Gen Z audience feels like part of a community.
Appealing to this audience’s social awareness can be a good way to build their interest and purchase behaviour.
Highlight the efforts your brand makes to be sustainable and environmentally responsible. Invest in social responsibility events, and invite them to take part.
Gen Z is a demanding and self-aware audience, but if you can capture their attention, they can become loyal customers of your brand.
Word of mouth, regular sharing and brand loyalty from this audience can help drive business growth.
