If you work in marketing, you’re almost certainly familiar with the dreaded millennial. With the most common question being “How to Create a Generation Z-Specific Marketing Strategy?” While this generation has been the talk of the town for many years and will continue to be a critical demographic to target for many years to come, astute marketers are already focusing on the new kid on the block – Generation Z.

Are you familiar with this influential consumer group? You’ve arrived at the correct location! 

Generation Z: What Is It?

The term “Generation Z” refers to the post-millennial generation. This generation, also referred to as the iGeneration or Post-Millennials, is ethnically and racially more diverse than any previous one. Additionally, they are on track to be the most educated generation in human history.

What Is Generation Z’s Age?

Gen Z is defined as those born between 1995 and the mid-2000s, though the precise date range is debatable. They have grown up with cell phones and iPads and are extremely technologically savvy.

Gen Zers are entering the workforce now that they are in their teens and early twenties. As their purchasing power increases, their earning power increases as well, making them a critical demographic for marketers to target.

Why Should Marketers Be Concerned About Generation Z?

With Gen Z comprising 29% of Malaysia’s population and a monthly disposable income of nearly RM1.4 billion, this group represents an enormous growth opportunity. Gen Zers are making their own purchasing decisions, and it is in your best interest as a marketer to get a jump on them. Investing now in this market has the potential to result in long-term success.

5 Generation Z Marketing Strategies

1. Prioritizing Corporate Social Responsibility.

Generation Z, as a whole, are invested in environmental, political, and socioeconomic concerns. According to several studies, majority of 18 to 23-year-olds surveyed will research a company prior to making a purchase to ensure the company’s corporate social responsibility aligns with their values. Gen Zers have a lower level of trust in brands. We can observe that from the issue with Zara when their head-designer sent anti-Palestine messages leading to a massive boycott on them by the Gen Z audience.

To earn the trust of this socially conscious demographic, you must align your brand’s values authentically and concretely with theirs. After determining the values your brand embodies, you’ll want to communicate your mission to Generation Z through your messaging. Whether your values align with their socioeconomical values, political views or environmental concerns; you need to ensure that your views do not diametrically oppose their values otherwise you will have to face their wrath from a social media perspective and in a form of a boycott.

2. Engage in Valuable Interactions

Engaging with your customers helps build brand trust and loyalty. According to GenZ Insights, sixty-six percent of Gen Zers believe that a brand’s “responsiveness” is a proxy for its “authenticity.” Gen Z consumers are also eager to interact with brands, with 44% stating that they would submit product design ideas if given the opportunity. By involving Gen Zers in your business and soliciting their ideas and feedback, you can significantly increase this demographic’s consumer loyalty.

Regarding feedback, according to Forbes, 74% of Generation Z will watch reviews to vet product quality before making a purchase. With another 54% proceeding to get feedback from friends to ensure that desired product will be accepted socially. For these customers, it is critical to respond to both positive and negative feedback with tailored responses.

3. Make Use of Micro-Influencers

If you’re considering a large-scale influencer marketing campaign involving macro-influencers, you should rethink your strategy. Micro-influencers, defined as individuals with a social media following of 1,000 to 100,000, generate 60% more engagement than influencers with a larger audience. This is because Generation Z is more likely to connect with micro-influencers as they are more relatable in lifestyle and mentality to them.

4. Emphasize video content

Consumers now place a higher premium on video content than ever before, and this is particularly true for Generation Z. TikTok grew at a breakneck pace in 2020, with Generation Z accounting for a whopping 60% of users. According to a YouTube survey, 50% of Generation Z members stated that they “couldn’t survive” without videos in their daily lives. According to PR NewsWire, 40% of Gen Z confessed to spending at least 5 hours of their work week consuming video content from YouTube, Tiki, and other social networks.

When it comes to this cohort, it appears as though there is no way around producing video content. While Gen Z’s attention span is short, not any video content will suffice. Generation Z has an attention span of approximately eight seconds, which is significantly less than the millennials’ 12-second attention span. This means that marketers have only a few seconds to convince Gen Z that your content is worthwhile. Creating engaging short-form content is unquestionably the way to go, whether through 6-second YouTube bumper ads or Instagram Stories.

5. Emphasize Your Privacy Commitment

Given their upbringing on the internet, it’s unsurprising that Generation Z understands the value of privacy. Next Gen research found that 88 percent of Gen Zers agreed with the statement “protecting my privacy is extremely important to me.” According to an IBM survey, fewer than a third of teens are comfortable sharing information about themselves other than their contact information or purchase history.

Transparency on privacy issues is critical for Gen Z customer acquisition and retention. If you’re going to collect information, be transparent about it and explain how you’re going to protect their personal information.

As with any other new generation, marketing to Generation Z will require some tactical adjustments. By implementing these strategies, you can appeal to this unique demographic and foster brand loyalty. Given the enormous opportunity that Gen Z represents for businesses, concentrating your efforts on them is one of the wisest moves you can make—and there is no better time than now!

With ViSight Marketing as a Service, you will be able to have Certified Digital Marketers identify the best course to take when targeting your specified target audience with a team of content generators and creators to facilitate the best Digital Marketing campaigns possible for your brand.

Discover how ViSight Marketing as a Service can help your business grow in its sales and revenue. Call 1-800-22-2020 or visit maas.cyngus.com.my to take action now!