It can be hard to understand both Generations Y and Z, especially because of how much they rely on social media to find new products and general information on what is going on in the world. Even though they may seem difficult to reach, it’s not as hard as you think. Sarah Weise, Partner, Global Qualitative and Quantitative Research at Brilliant Experience, gave some tips as to what Millennials and Gen Z are looking for and how to attract them to your products.
“Kids 13-25 are not thinking about Hollywood celebrities – they’re thinking about curating a personal brand,” Weise said. “A lot of big brands are going extinct because they are not listening and changing their marketing to attract future customers.”
Businesses constantly have to redo their marketing strategies because every generation perceives them differently. Things that attracted Baby Boomers do not appeal to Millennials, just like how the things that attract Millennials do not appeal to Gen Z.
Market yourself on social media
“There has been a big shift: 85% of teens find their products via social media,” Weise said. With how many people are on social media today, this may not be such an alarming percentage, but it should act as a red flag to let you know where you should be advertising yourself.
Even though Gen Z is more susceptible to finding new products and brands on social media, almost none shop through the media app. They prefer to shop for their products in physical retail stores. Unlike older generations who will search on Amazon for Nike sneakers, Gen Z prefers to go to Nike’s website to buy the sneakers they saw in an Instagram ad.
Quick! Make your products stand out
“The average attention span of Gen Z is eight seconds and this is because they tend to juggle about 5 screens all at once,” Weise said. The average teenager has two or more Instagram accounts. Between juggling all of their social media accounts, they need to be able to read and understand the content on their screen fast.
The big questions to ask yourself here are, “How curated is your Facebook or Instagram? Can people scroll through it and know what is going on within eight seconds?” Once your brand is noticed, you must have enough content to make the customer want to do a scavenger hunt to find out more about your products, whether through a link you provided or through a Google search.
Make Instagram your main focal point
Instagram is viewed better than other social media outlets for Gens Y and Z mostly because the scrolling is quick and easy. Instagram offers inspiration, especially for young adults and teenagers, on the latest fashion and new cooking recipes. This means people are actively looking for new products, and if you can promote yourself using the above tips, customers will be flocking to your brand for new inspiration.
As a company, you have to constantly change how you are marketing to customers to change who buys from you in the future. The younger generations have huge influences on who else can buy from you with how much they talk on social media and connect with other people. You want to make sure your brand is the one they are raving about to all of their friends. These tips can help make that happen for you.