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Over the decades, marketers have learned to adapt and change their strategies to accommodate cultural shifts of different generations of consumers. After all, the advertising campaigns Don Draper created on Mad Men probably wouldn't work as well with today’s audience. Evolving your marketing strategies is a necessity… especially when to comes to marketing to Generation Z, or those consumers born after 1995.

It is estimated that Gen Z-er’s have the spending power of approximately $44 billion, and by 2020 they are expected to account for 40% of all consumers. However, they have the attention span of about 8 seconds. That means you only have a few moments to convince them that your product or service is worth their time. Let’s take a look at what marketing strategies cater to Generation Z.

Drop Traditional Marketing Methods

When it comes to reaching Generation Z, it’s all about digital marketing! They don’t check their snail mail on a regular basis and they rarely (if ever) watch live television. If you want to reach Gen Z, you have to think smart… that is smartphone. Generation Z relies on their mobile devices for everything… they grew up on smartphones. From researching products to making purchases, these tasks are often done on mobile devices, so make sure you have a mobile-friendly website.

As for your marketing approach, it all about telling a story that explains how your product or service can help them. Make sure your sales pitches are quick, relevant, and easy to understand.

Social Media

Generation Z spends an average of 3 hours a day on social media… that adds up to nearly 24 hours a week! Therefore, it’s extremely important to have a strong social media marketing strategy.

According to a recent study, 70% of Gen Z-ers prefer engaging with brands on Instagram. Talk about being able to tell a story quickly -- Instagram Stories are the perfect platform for that. To take advantage, become an expert on creating 8-second videos or photo advertisements.

Influencer Marketing

Since Generation Z spends so much time on social media, influencer marketing should be an essential part of your social media marketing strategy. In fact, Gen Z-ers are 1.3 times more likely to choose a product based on a recommendation from an influencer than a celebrity, as they believe influencers are more loyal and transparent

The best platform to use for influencer marketing is not Instagram, but rather YouTube. A whopping 95% of Gen Z-ers use YouTube for shopping recommendations and how-to videos. (Although Instagram and Snapchat are also popular with this generation, but not Facebook or Twitter.)

Work with micro-influencers, or those influencers that have under 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers typically have higher engagement metrics, plus they build closer relationships with their followers.

Marketing to Generation Z is completely different than other generations; however, the benefits are well worth the effort. If your business needs help creating a strong digital marketing plan to reach your target audience, THAT Agency is here to help you! Contact us today.