Key Messages
How To Reach Generation Z: A Guide To Understanding And Connecting With Young Consumers
For brands to really connect with Generation Z, they need to understand how to speak their language.
The Gen Z Frequency Book can help you do exactly that.
You’ll learn the nuances and culture of this generation, and how to create content that resonates with them.
This book will teach you who Gen Z is and what motivates them.
It reveals their values and uncovers their perspectives, needs and desires so that your brand can align with youth culture.
You’ll also learn tips on building relationships of trust by understanding their behavior and communicating in a way they identify with.
In order to truly resonate with Gen Z, brands must understand how the digital natives communicate, expressing themselves in today’s world – which makes learning the “Gen Z frequency” essential!
Marketing To Gen Z: Unlocking The Potential Of The Largest Consumer Demographic In History
Generations have always been known to differ from one another, with each new one bringing their own unique culture and behaviors.
Generation Z is no exception – they are particularly different than those that have come before them.
Gen Z was born in the post-millennial period of 1996 to 2011; growing up surrounded by technology has had a bold effect on how this generation behaves and communicates.
Unlike its predecessors, Gen Z does not remember a world without smart devices or the Internet – this ancient technology is completely foreign to them!
With access to almost limitless instant information and entertainment, Gen Z can quickly become experts on whatever interests them.
Perhaps most strikingly, Generation Z consumers utilize devices not only for communication and entertainment but also for research into topics of interest.
This means that Generation Z’s vast spending power (estimated at around $600 billion) is heavily reliant on having accurate knowledge about what they’re buying – an information lifestyle enabled by the internet and cutting-edge technology like high-definition video recording.
The speed of information gathering goes hand in hand with their stellar record of multitasking: studies suggest that Gen Z processes up to 12 different sources of media every day!
Generation Z has arrived with great potential — now it’s up to marketers to tap into their desires in order to reach them.
But doing it effectively requires understanding their radically different way of life: one where the world of relying upon tangly phone cords and ancient camcorders has been replaced by HD videos uploaded swiftly onto YouTube, Instagram, or Snapchat at a moment’s notice.
Understanding The Nuances Of Generation Z: The Benefits Of A Youth Culture Alignment Framework For Reaching Young Consumers
Generation Z is not just one group of people, but rather a collective of individuals with a wide range of different characteristics and backgrounds.
Each subsection within this generation has its own unique needs, wishes and values, meaning that brands must be aware of this when targeting Gen Z.
The authors of The Gen Z Frequency Book advocate for customer segmentation – breaking down the group into more specific subsections that share similar traits – in order to identify which subgroup would most appreciate a particular product or brand.
This helps organizations cater their marketing approach in order to maximize relevance and engagement among their target audience.
To further break down Generation Z into more precise subsections, the authors developed the Youth Culture Alignment Framework which uses psychographic and situational filters such as interests, opinions and brand affinities to find out more about what motivates young consumers.
An example of this could be teenage females from suburban Kansas City who are also hardcore gamers, cosplay fans and high-school seniors.
Being aware that Generation Z is composed a plethora of diverse individuals can help companies create effective marketing campaigns that specifically target the correct audience for their brand and understand what drives them.
It Takes Consistent Commitment To Earn Gen Z’S Trust: How Marketers Can Lead The Way
Generation Z is known to be highly engaged with issues impacting society.
As they grow up in an era of increased racial and gender diversity, they express open-mindedness towards difference and want to participate in a movement that will help improve the world around them.
This desire for social consciousness has led Gen Zers to seek out organizations that share their vision for a better tomorrow.
As a result, Gen Zers won’t just buy products based on their reviews alone; instead, they’ll also investigate how a particular brand conducts its business.
If any questionable dealings with questionable business partners are detected online or through emerging news stories, Gen Zers are likely to spread this information across social media platforms — blacklisting the brand from their sphere of influence.
That’s why it’s important for brands to align themselves with issues that matter to Gen Z, like diversity and human rights – not only in advertising but also in their product offering and content.
Brands that take a stand against prejudice can expect Gen Zers to direct their purchasing power towards them; after all, Generation Z understands what it means when a company puts its money where its mouth is!
How Disney Mastered Gen Z Trust: Crafting An Authentic Brand Voice
When it comes to marketing to Gen Z, the role of trust takes on an entirely different level.
It is essential for brands to project a conversational and down-to-earth tone that speaks to Gen Z on their own level.
This authentic connection is necessary, as Gen Z can spot insincerity from a mile away.
So if you are trying to win over Gen Z with your brand, one important thing you should do is create a consistent voice for your brand that young consumers can come to rely on.
Your brand’s voice must encapsulate who you are and why people should trust you, conveying its attitude and personality.
That means content featuring your brand’s voice needs to be unique, eye-catching, and instantly recognizable by your followers across all social media platforms.
As an example of how this works in the real world, The Walt Disney Company was once seen as a boring old-school media empire until they shifted their strategy by upping their presence with raddled optimism to appealt o younger generations.
They also expanded into new formats, such as GIFs or Tik Tok videos.
By creating a consistent brand voice that resonates with audiences, you will increase the likelihood of being let into the Gen Z circle of trust and successfully reaching out with young consumers.
How Brands Can Generate Better Engagement With Gen Z Through Social Media
When it comes to connecting with the Generation Z audience, brands need to make sure that they are tuned into their frequency.
This means understanding the platforms that Gen Zers use and tailoring content specifically for these platforms.
For example, while Facebook is still widely used by many generations, Instagram reigns supreme when it comes to the younger demographic.
So how can brands capitalize on this? Well, unlike previous generations which may respond better to professional-looking content, Gen Z tends to be more drawn towards conversational narratives and shares of everyday life experiences.
Brands should focus on creating stories through visuals that tap into this engagement – such as Instagram Stories or Snapchat filters – so as to connect with their audience on a more personable level.
It also pays to have an awareness of when your target market is most active online.
An 18-year-old entrepreneur person reported that his friend Jen knows her time between 6 and 9 p.m.
maximizes her chance of likes, because most friends and followers finish after-school activities within this timeframe and tend to check their feeds shortly afterwards.
Therefore brands wanting to get ahead with Gen Z should use social media as a way of tuning into their frequency – by first determining which platforms they’re using (i.e., Instagram/Snapchat), then crafting story orientated content that resonates with them, before finally posting at times when users are likely going to be checking their feeds (6-9 p.m.).
How Taco Bell Engages Gen Z With Share-Worthy And Memorable Social Media Content
Creating content that is relevant and inspirational to your target audience—particularly Gen Zers—is essential for successful youth engagement on social media.
Taco Bell does this well—whether it be on Snapchat, Instagram or Twitter.
On Snapchat, the fast-food brand offers its viewers humor and creative storytelling which encourages them to interact with them in a fun way.
Similarly, their Instagram posts are visually stunning and entices a feeling of FOMO amongst their followers which furthers overall viewership.
Taco Bell also recognizes the importance of looking beyond major US holidays such as Christmas and Thanksgiving when creating content.
Examples can include Hindu Festival of Lights or Black History Month, or any other cultural celebration relevant to their target market; thus, deepening relationships between Gen Zers and the brand.
However, it’s equally important that brands develop original posts rather than recycling what others have already posted; it adds more value to the conversation while inspiring this generation’s attention to the post itself.
How To Use Digital Artifacts To Cut Through Gen Z’S Digital Clutter
If you want to make your content stand out and cut through the digital noise, dressing up your social media posts with Digital Artifacts is one way to do that.
These include GIFs, emojis and memes – all of which can be used to convey a specific message or emotion.
Gen Zers are always connected to their devices, so they process a lot of content at rapid speed.
Using these digital artifacts can help draw their focus and make sure the intended meaning of the post isn’t missed or misinterpreted.
Plus, they resonant with viewers because they reflect experiences that everyone has in common.
Naturally though, this comes with its own caveat – brands need to be selective about how much and what type of digital artifacts they use in their content.
The risk is for it to look inauthentic or overcrowded if it doesn’t have good reason for being present.
How Can Brands Create Engaging Online Communities For Gen Z?
Creating an online community for your brand can be a great way to win consumer loyalty.
Brands should focus on building their community around shared values, such as pop culture, political opinions or environmental issues.
For example, Taylor Swift has created one of the most successful fan communities in pop music today.
She does this by engaging with her fans through social media platforms like Tumblr and by creating experiences that are special and exclusive to her fanbase.
Taylor also invites fans in to early listening sessions for new albums, giving them the opportunity to feel like they’re a part of something special before anyone else–even using hashtags such as #1989SecretSessions!
Brands can take a page from Taylor’s book and cultivate those connections with their audiences by sending out notifications about upcoming events, flash sales or fashion and music events that relate to their brands.
It shows Gen Zers that they matter enough to be included even if they are unable to physically attend the event.
In doing so, brands will be gaining consumer loyalty as well increasing engagement with their communities.
Wrap Up
The final message from The Gen Z Frequency Book is clear: companies need to take the time to truly understand this generation.
They have their own values and perspectives, so brands need to listen closely if they want to stay in tune with the frequency of Generation Z.
To do this, companies should figure out what their brand’s identity is and make a list of keywords and concepts that best describe them.
Additionally, they must create content that is worthwhile and strive to have meaningful conversations with members of Gen Z.
Following these steps will ensure that your brand has the best chance at engaging with Generation Z in an effective way.
