People don’t have to research for long to come across articles that explain how the millennial generation disrupted content marketing. It wasn’t sufficient to use content marketing techniques that worked for older generations. Millennials have distinctive values, ideals and motivations, making them require dedicated marketing approaches.
However, due to all the buzz about the specifics of millennial marketing, some professionals overlooked a younger demographic group: Generation Z.
Those individuals were born between 1996 and 2010. And, just like millennials before them, people from Generation Z have influenced content marketing.
Experiencing Products, Not Just Reading About Them
People from Generation Z appreciate rich, interactive experiences that span beyond reading about products through static text. They love getting freebies and often take pictures with that branded merchandise at events.
This group of people also likes visualizing possible experiences like trips or other once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. That means content marketing could pay off if it includes an element that encourages using hashtags on social media to turn posts into contest entries.
Gen-Z Moms Like Brand-Based Social Media Content
A survey about mothers from Generation Z found 30 per cent use Facebook to discover new brands. Also, nearly half of respondents said they turn to that platform to share coupons or deals with their friends.
That’s strong evidence you shouldn’t spend less time filling your social media profiles with content, especially if it’s geared toward people who may not know the brand well yet. Plus, consider incorporating the former point about experiencing content and publish online coupons via social media that allow a current brand user to get a free sample for her friend or something similar.
Gen Z Doesn’t Know a World Without Computers and Smartphones
Many millennials spent significant amounts of their childhood without computers, smartphones and the internet. And, that’s one of the ways they differ from Gen Z. The younger generation likely had all three of those things in their homes since birth. Now they use all of them to browse or buy things online, whereas many millennials can fondly remember Saturday afternoons spent at malls with their friends.
Dote is an app that brings nearly 150 of today’s top brands together, making it a dream offering for Gen Z. Instead of going to all those stores separately, people can shop through Dote. Another thing that sets Dote apart from some other shopping apps is how it produces content to complement shopping experiences.
There are videos, quizzes, lists and giveaways to keep users interested and coming back for more. Dote also recruited people with strong social media presences to act as ambassadors for the brand, known as “Dote girls.”
You can help engage Gen Z to use an online storefront by making it crisp and clean, plus full of images that show off products. However, it’s also important to draw attention to the aspects of the site that don’t explicitly market to users, such as the blog or tutorials that give people ideas of creative ways to use products or wear garments.
Gen Z Likes to Learn and Be Entertained
Because Gen Z grew up in such a fast-paced mobile-friendly generation, they won’t tolerate long-winded segments of dialogue in a video or long paragraphs not sufficiently broken up with headers and bullet points.
Plus, compared to older generations, Gen Z more often embraces “edutainment,” content that’s both educational and entertaining. Perhaps that’s because they’re accustomed to using YouTube to discover how to do things. Instead of reading step-by-step guides, people can watch individuals going through each stage on screen.
So, successfully connecting with Gen Z requires catering to short attention spans and providing content that helps people learn. If the content is humorous or otherwise memorable, even better.
A New York-based art collective is capitalizing on that approach by pivoting from its original text-based, online art magazine to something described as “an art school you can stream.” People can go to the site and watch content at any time for no charge.
Eating in Is the Prevalent Preference
Research indicates Generation Z vastly prefers eating at home instead of dining out. And, they use food-ordering apps more often than people from other age groups to get their grub. When asked about why that’s the case, some Gen Z members say they dislike getting in their cars to drive to establishments, waiting for tables and even looking presentable enough to go out.
Others also mention they like being able to do other things while they eat, such as watching streaming movies and TV shows. If you’re involved in marketing consumables to Gen Z, it’s crucial to cut down the steps they have to go through to get the foods they want.
Dominos helped Snapchat users order its pizzas with a branded lens that framed pictures taken in the app but also allowed people to interact with it to purchase their dinner. That’s an example of one of Snapchat’s new “shoppable lenses.” Besides prompting people to buy things, the content could also work to steer users toward specific websites or apps.
Outside of Snapchat, it’s wise to remember that Generation Z members who interact with content during typical mealtime hours might be multitasking by chowing down and browsing the internet at the same time. As such, it could be beneficial to use food-related phrases or those that recognize the desire to eat at home, like “Not up for going out? Eat in instead” when writing social media posts or blog content.
Gen Z Highlights a Marketing Evolution
After reading the overview above, it may seem like none of your past marketing strategies used for older demographics will work for Generation Z. However, that’s not necessarily the case. Instead, it’s smart to review currently used tactics and determine whether they’re still maximally relevant for this young generation. If not, evolution is the key to hitting home with this group.
About the Author
Nathan Sykes is from Pittsburgh, PA and writes about technology and business on his blog.