5 Tips for Marketing to Gen Z
Gen Z is entering adulthood, and their buying power will soon become the largest of any generation. But Gen Z’s habits, and especially their relationship to technology, diverge widely from Millenials, Gen X, and Boomers. What do you need to know to market to this group successfully?
Generation Z was born in the late 1990s to the early 2010s (exact years vary depending on who you ask), and is rapidly coming of age. By 2023, Gen Z will number 74 million people in the United States alone.
Ready to learn how to market to Gen Z and convert them into customers?
Follow Fundamental Best Practices First
First things first, there’s no magic formula. Not all members of Gen Z think and act the same, and pretending they do won’t help much. With inbound marketing, there’s no substitute for defining buyer personas based on your business’s target market.
When strategizing about marketing to Gen Z, create at least one buyer persona in this age group. Remember, your Gen Z persona does not represent an entire generation. They represent the interests, problems, and desires of one type of person who could become your customer.
Also, always consider your perspective and goals as a business. If your product or service appeals primarily to retirees, for example, you may not need a Gen Z buyer persona. On the other hand, if your brand aims to solve problems for people entering adulthood, you may need several.
Now that you’ve considered buyer personas, let’s talk strategy. We know Gen Z is diverse and has varied interests, but what collectively sets them apart from previous generations? Our top 5 tips will help get you started.
1. Strive to Entertain
Members of Gen Z are the first “digital natives,” people born and raised with technology at their fingertips. In part because of this, they tend not to distinguish as much between different types of content. Consider that years ago, video advertising used to come only during scheduled commercial breaks. Gen Z’s reality is much different.
They have been bombarded with content their entire lives, with marketing messages taking many different forms. It’s necessary to stand out to get their attention. One surefire way to do this? Entertain them.
Content that grabs the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds is best. Consider video tutorials for social media, behind-the-scenes content giving an honest look into your brand, and helpful resources framed with a sense of humor.
2. Use Short-Form Video
Gen Z consumes more videos than their older counterparts, particularly short-form. Given their high usage rates of YouTube and TikTok, they often expect short videos with features such as music, visual effects, and text overlays.
Include video marketing in your strategy from the start, and keep your videos to 15 seconds or less for best results. Instagram Reels and TikTok work well for your polished videos, while Instagram stories can help create a more personal connection with your audience.
@colourpopco Peep this! 👀💜 our PEEPS®️ and ColourPop Collection launches 4/18 at 10am PT! 🌈🐰
3. Highlight Your Brand’s Values and Beliefs
On average Gen Z cares more than older generations about what businesses stand for, and how they contribute to the greater good. Before marketing to Gen Z, consider your brand’s values and vision, and think about how to communicate them to your audience.
If you haven’t already, make the mission of your business publicly available. Better yet, incorporate your beliefs into your content strategy so viewers start to associate your brand with those values.
As a side benefit, the more you care about the content you create, the more authentic it becomes. Gen Z views brands skeptically, looking for proof of their values in what they do, not only what they say. So stick to your mission and spread the word about how you’re trying to make positive change.
4. Create Community
Brands often fall into the trap of marketing on auto-pilot. But especially with social media marketing, don’t forget communication goes both ways. Gen Z expects to interact more than previous generations.
Consider interactive options such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions. Solicit feedback and monitor comment sections for opportunities to start conversations.
Other ways to jumpstart community include influencer marketing, which can help your audience see themselves in your brand, and user-generated content, which gives your audience a stake and a feeling of belonging.
In the near future, Gen Z might help accelerate a more fundamental change in social media. Research shows they are more comfortable with community-based platforms such as Discord and Twitch over more traditional social media.
5. Consider TikTok
When it comes to which social media platforms to focus on, the old rules no longer apply. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can still give you results, but don’t stop there.
One of the top social networks for Gen Z? TikTok. Fully 60% of TikTok’s users are in Gen Z. Known for less formal and more spontaneous content, TikTok can help your business connect with customers on a human level.
Joining a new social platform can also help refresh your brand image. Given TikTok’s emphasis on short-form video and humorous content, it’s a great place to experiment with tips 1-4 on this list.
Ready to take your business to the next level? Subscribe to our newsletter below for monthly updates and marketing tips.
Using TikTok for Your Business
Think TikTok is just another Gen Z app? Not anymore. TikTok has over 1 billion monthly users, and the platform’s popularity is rising fast.
TikTok may have started as a fun place to stream silly videos, but it has quickly changed the way we share content.
Why should your business consider TikTok?
TikTok seems synonymous with dance videos, fun challenges, and crazy pranks. And that’s not wrong! But once you learn the language of the platform, you can leverage this fun and casual atmosphere to share engaging content and connect with your audience on a human level.
Did you know that 47.4% of TikTok users are under the age of 30, and of these more than half are teenagers? So especially if your business targets a younger audience, you should get on this train.
Let’s discuss some benefits of TikTok for businesses.
Boost Brand Awareness
Want to go viral? You can create entertaining content on TikTok. The platform offers various ways to spotlight your brand: collaborating with influencers, running ads, and using features like hashtags or stickers.
Product Promotion
What sets TikTok marketing apart is that it doesn’t feel like marketing. The content created on the platform doesn’t feel as aggressive or sales-y as traditional marketing. Brands partner with creators who users trust, creating meaningful content with the intent of informing and entertaining their audience.
Expand Your Target Base
One of the easiest ways to attract more customers is to jump on the right trend at the right time on TikTok. Trending or not, authentic content that feels human builds strong relationships and brand trust with users. Plus, with millions of active users around the world, TikTok is a great place to reach a wider audience base.
We hope the above points have convinced you of the positives of having a presence on TikTok. Now that you’ve decided to join the platform, let’s talk about some ways to get the most out of it.
Create Original Content
Scrolling endlessly through videos on TikTok is a lot of fun, but the sheer number of videos means marketers need to create original, attention grabbing content to stand out from the crowd. Easier said than done!
Here are some tips to remember:
- No formal or scripted videos. Authenticity is the key for success on TikTok.
- No need for a high-tech video production setup. With a quality phone camera and adequate lighting, you are good to go.
- Share behind-the-scenes content or office culture to show the human side of your business.
- Jump on the bandwagon with TikTok trends and challenges. There is no scarcity of new ideas for videos on the platform. Look up trending topics and join in on what’s most relevant to your audience.
Create a New TikTok Challenge
Challenges are the soul of TikTok. Not only do challenges have the potential to go viral, but they are also highly entertaining, building buzz on and off the platform.
For example, Colgate started a challenge called #MakeMomSmile for Mother’s Day, encouraging people to share videos of how they celebrated the holiday. The hashtag received around 5.4B views on TikTok. Even other brands like New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys participated in the challenge.
Before you create a new challenge, have a clear goal in mind. Do you want to promote an event, increase brand awareness or push sales? Once you set a goal, you can prepare a plan to achieve it.
Partnering with popular influencers will push their followers to jump on the bandwagon. Keep in mind influencer marketing can be costly, but it is highly rewarding as well. Learn all about Influencer Marketing in our Influencer Marketing guide.
Promote User-Generated Content
Brands love user-generated content (UGC). For many, sharing popular content is the easiest and most cost-effective way to grab attention. On TikTok, UGC often looks like an unboxing video or a testimonial about a product they love. With the user’s permission, brands share these videos on their accounts.
Take a look at how Chipotle leverages UGC to keep their audience engaged.
There are many advantages of sharing UGC. Marketers don’t have to worry about constantly creating original content for their brands. Plus, users feel appreciated and recognised when you share their content, helping you delight existing customers and acquire new customers through social proof.
One thing’s for sure: TikTok ain’t going anywhere. If you aren’t using it for your business, you are missing out on potential customer base and engagement.
In the ever-changing world of social media, video is having a moment, and you don’t want to fall behind the times. So get ready to explore the world of TikTok, have fun with video content and connect with your audience on a whole new level.
Want to build a TikTok Marketing Strategy for your business? Request a proposal by contacting us.
How to Write a Script for Your Brand Promotional Video
So you’ve decided to make a promotional video for your brand? We approve! The first step is writing a really great script.
Given that social video is dominating digital marketing trends in 2021, there’s no better time than now to use video to promote your brand. After all, customers can’t become interested in your brand if they don’t understand what you’re offering them or how it will help them. Videos are an excellent tool to educate potential buyers about your products and services in a fun, visual, and potentially interactive way.
However, before you can even start creating your video, first you have to write the script. Not only is this an opportunity to collect your thoughts, but it also creates the blueprint to help guide the rest of your creation process. Your script needs to be concise, relevant, and attention-grabbing. This is essential. If your message in the script isn’t on point, no amount of post-production will be able to redeem your video.
Many people feel the sweat drip from their brow when they hear they need to write. It doesn’t always come naturally, and even the best of writers sometimes struggle to find the words. But, if you find yourself staring at a blank screen for hours, the tips and tricks in this article might just help you break free of writer’s block.
Getting Started
Before you dive into writing your script, there are some questions you should ask yourself that can help guide your messaging to better communicate with your audience.
1. Who is your target audience?
The key to any marketing or digital communication campaign is to know your target audience (also known as buyer personas) well. Is your target audience business owners, influencers, students, parents? Male or female? What do they do? How do they consume content?
Well, the tone, language, and visuals used in your video will need to be aligned to match their interests. The better you know your target audience, the easier it will be to write a script that will lead your viewers to take action.
2. What does your target audience need?
Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to define their needs. By identifying their problems, you can better portray how your product or service can meet their needs.
3. What message do you want to send?
What do you want your audience to remember about your brand? What is the unique selling proposition (USP) of your product or service? What does your brand stand for? Does it offer a solution to their problems? What does your brand promise to do?
Answering these questions should be the heart of your script.
4. What comes next after watching the video?
No video is complete without a call to action (CTA). With no CTA, your audience will simply watch your video, then do nothing – you want to guide them to the next step in the buyer journey.
A few examples of a CTA would be “book an appointment,” “visit our website,” “subscribe to our channel,” etc. A clear CTA will not only help create a lasting impression on the minds of viewers but also provide instructions on what their next action should be.
Now that your homework is done, it’s time to write your script.
Here are some rules to write an engaging script for your promotional video.
Outline Your Script
First and foremost, it’s important to structure your ideas in a logical way. The goal is to demand the viewer’s attention and make it last until the end of the video. So, always start with a catchy introduction, dig deeper with your message and finish with an impressive conclusion.
A good script usually:
- Addresses your audience’s issues/needs at the very beginning of the video so they relate to it and stop scrolling to watch further
- Convinces your audience why you are the best solution to their problems and demonstrates what sets you apart from your competitors
- Concludes with a CTA that leads the audience to take further action. Never forget that the end of the video is as important as the introduction
Pay Attention to the Opening Sequence
No doubt that there’s abundant content on the internet for audiences to consume. The world of social media is quickly moving to video, but you only have a few seconds to capture your viewers’ attention before they scroll on to the next video. Therefore, your opening sequence is important.
Here are a few ways to get your audience interested:
- Intrigue them with some suspenseful opening, reaction sounds, or captivating visuals
- Ask them questions like “Did you know…,” “Have you ever..,” etc.
- Start with some interesting yet unknown facts that are relevant to your brand
Tell a Story
Remember the goal of your video is not only to make the audience watch it until the end, but it also needs to be memorable. There’s a simple yet effective way to do it… through storytelling of course! Telling stories through videos helps make a brand more relatable and engaging for potential customers. Plus, who doesn’t like a good story?
Here are some tips to perfect your storytelling:
- Make sure your video has a clear beginning, middle, and end so it is easy for your audience to follow.
- Focus on emotions–the audience might forget the words in your script but they won’t forget how the video made them feel.
- Write like how you speak to personalise your message and connect with the audience instantly. Don’t be afraid to be less formal.
Add Visual Aids
Did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without a sound? Visuals are equally important as your script and serve as a great tool to segment your video and keep your audience engaged.
Your visual aids should be simple and informative. That being said, don’t force visuals in the video just for the sake of doing so. They should complement what the script is saying without distracting the audience. Try to write a script that naturally and seamlessly creates opportunities to use visuals. Never write the script first and then look for places to incorporate visuals.
“Close” with a Call to Action
Writing a perfect intro is how you get your audiences intrigued about your product or service, but it could actually hurt your brand more if the video doesn’t have the right outro. If you don’t close your video correctly, the impact your video created won’t last, and the best outro is nothing but a good CTA.
What do you want your audience to do after watching the video? What do you want them to walk away with? Whatever it may be, make sure to communicate it directly and clearly.
Video marketing plays a major role in digital marketing in modern times, and writing a script for high-quality videos takes a lot of time and planning. But, now that you have the knowledge, you’re ready to go write scripts for some amazing videos.
Want to learn more about best practices for video marketing? Sign up for our newsletter below.
The Importance of Video in Your Social Media Strategy
The world of social media is quickly moving to video. As if it weren’t obvious from channels like YouTube and the more recent TikTok taking over the internet, social video is here to stay.
What started as just another social app popular among Gen-Z now has influence over many aspects of pop culture, from what songs are charting to how other social media platforms operate. The COVID-19 pandemic sent the infamous TikTok app plunging into the mainstream, and Instagram and Facebook have already begun following their lead.
Facebook began putting a greater emphasis on videos quite a while ago, from Video ads, Facebook stories, prioritising videos in the algorithm, incorporating more features for Live Video, and more. And now Instagram is racing to catch up.
Instagram v. TikTok
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, recently announced on his Instagram and Twitter accounts that the app will no longer be considered a photo-sharing app. The company is looking to lean into entertainment and video after seeing the success of competitors like TikTok and YouTube.
Some upcoming changes and experiments that Instagram will be doing include showing users recommendations for topics they’re not following, making video more immersive by offering a full-screen experience and continuing to prioritise reels.
Best Practices for Instagram Reels
According to Instagram, brands and creators should post Reels that:
- Are entertaining and fun (i.e. delights people, grabs their attention, makes them laugh, or has a fun surprise or twist)
- Are inspiring (i.e. starts a trend that others can easily participate in)
- Use creative tools like text, filter, or camera effects
- Use vertical video
- Use music from the Instagram music library and/or original audio you create or find on Reels
- Are experimental! Try something new, be yourself, and see what works for you
Worst Practices for Instagram Reels
On the flipside, Instagram advises that brands and creators should NOT post Reels that:
- Are blurry due to low-resolution
- Are visibly recycled from other apps (i.e, contains logos or watermarks)
- Are uploaded with a border around them
- Have the majority of the image covered by text
Do not meet Instagram’s Community Guidelines
Following these tips directly from Instagram will help you have a better chance at beating the algorithm, expanding your reach, and increasing your follower count!
Leverage Social Video for Your Business
Social video comes in many different forms nowadays. Here are five different ways that you should be using social video in your marketing strategy.
1. Reels
In case this isn’t obvious at this point, reels are essential in your Instagram strategy in 2021. Beyond the tips listed above, we recommend using any trending sounds, viral challenges, and effects in your reels to follow the curve.
Pro Tip: Follow Creator on Instagram for weekly updates on all the latest Reel trends and other Insta-hacks.
2. Dynamic Stories
Okay at this point, we know this might seem obvious, but we still see brands neglecting stories all the time.
Some ideas you can use on your Facebook and Instagram stories include:
- Question box/Ask Me Anything (AMA)
- Story takeovers
- Quizzes and polls
- Get creative with the look and feel of your stories
Now there’s a story option on almost any app, even Twitter and LinkedIn. Note that just as your regular strategy for Linkedin will differ from how you post on Instagram, the same goes for stories. Here are some fresh ideas for using LinkedIn stories for your business.
3. Live Videos
According to Livestream, 82% of consumers prefer live video from a brand rather than a regular social media post, and even tend to watch live video 10 to 20 times longer than on-demand content. Why? Going live is a great way to connect and engage with your audience and humanize your brand.
Facebook and Instagram have features that favor live videos with features including prioritising live videos in the algorithm, notifying your followers when you begin a live video and shortly after you end it, and now even allowing a donation option for fundraising.
4. User-Generated Content
In case you haven’t noticed, consumers are sick of being sold to. It’s becoming increasingly more difficult to reach people on social media purely through sales ads, but what consumers are responding to is user-generated content. Ahh, yes. The age of the influencer.
Some examples of video formatted user-generated content include unboxings, story takeovers from brand ambassadors, reviews and testimonials on stories, and product tutorials. The trend here is human content that people feel like they can relate to.
5. Video Ads
Just as we mentioned above, video marketing is an effective way to break through the noise of social media and catch your audience’s attention. Some best practices for video advertising as suggested by Facebook include:
- Keeping your videos around 15 seconds so people watch until the end
- Capture attention quickly by putting the most important part of the video first
- Use vertical or square video
- Feature your product or brand message early
- Design for sound off
If you’re new to Facebook Advertising, here are 5 things you should know.
At the end of the day, it looks like video is here to stay.
As the world of digital marketing continues to change and evolve to be more video-focused, make sure to stay current with the latest trends and keep your marketing strategy fresh. Sign up for our newsletter below to stay in-the-know.