Successful Build Marketing Strategy For Millennials & Gen Z

Successful Build Marketing Strategy For Millennials & Gen Z

30 Aug 2024

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This informal CPD article, ‘Successful Build Marketing Strategy For Millennials & Gen Z’ was provided by Alt Marketing School, a modern marketing school for marketers who want to do marketing differently and advance their career along the way.

Millennials and Gen Z are the big players in social selling and brand hype in the social media marketing world. When it comes to different niches and segments, Millennials and Gen Z are definitely grabbing more and more attention in social media strategy. So, since you're talking to a younger, more laid-back crowd, should you be throwing in all the LOLs?

Not really.

But, the way you target and tweak your social media content might need a little adjustment. Millennials and Gen Z are some of the most proactive and vocal folks you can engage with. They can easily become your brand champions on social media.

From a study done by Jonah Berger for his book Contagious: the average American engages in more than sixteen word-of-mouth episodes, separate conversations where they say something positive or negative about an organization, brand, product, or service.”

So, how do you make this work for you? It all starts with getting the fundamental differences between Millennials and Gen Z.

Understanding Millennials

According to research1, if you were born between 1981 and 1996 (currently aged 25 to 40), you're a Millennial. Millennials are the group that most companies have been focusing on for the past 5 years, especially because of their massive spending power of $1.4 trillion2.

Millennials have changed a lot over the past 5 years. Both Millennials and Gen Zers are now moving from early adulthood to taking on more responsibilities, planning for the future, and having a different mindset, which has shaped how they present themselves, even on social media.

On the one hand, the biggest shift in how Millennials see social media is that they saw the internet grow and flourish, being the early adopters of Instagram filters and Facebook status updates. On the other hand, Gen Z basically grew up with smartphones in their hands, while Millennials brought curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism to the table, which shows in their online behavior.

According to Content Science Review3, 74% of Millennials spend at least 5 hours each week engaged with online content. They're curious and still rely heavily on word of mouth and peer reviews.

Millennials are also nostalgic, and social media marketers can really tap into that with their messaging. Looking back at the “life before” the Internet is a bittersweet habit that has given rise to memes and curated content trends.

Welcome Gen Z to the marketing mix

If Millennials saw the birth of the Internet, Gen Z grew up with it. They see a future (and often a career) online and love making connections with others. Even more than Millennials, Gen Z doesn’t want to be sold to on social media. They’re after value, inspiration, and entertainment.

"The prevailing cultural narrative often pegs Gen Z as a digital generation," said Jeremy Baker, chief technology officer and cofounder of Retail Zipline. "The reality is they care about connections and community."

Gen Z spans from 10 to 24 years old, so nailing down the specific age range you want to target is key. The most active Gen Z on social media are between 18 and 24. This socially-conscious generation is driving the community vibe on social media, leading to big changes in how we market to Millennials versus Gen Z. The rise of value-driven marketing is definitely part of that shift.

Luckily, despite the differences, the core values and strategies overlap, focusing on value, customer experience, social proof, and user-generated content.

Value-driven content strategy

Value-driven social media is super important for both Gen Z and Millennials. With the rise of 'positive impact marketing’, using social media to show what your company stands for has quickly become a key content pillar for many dynamic and successful brands.

Millennials still look for recommendations and word of mouth online, but they’re also considering brand values more than ever. Socially-conscious brands are killing it in today’s market. It’s not just about social currency; it’s also about making a statement with their spending. Gen Z, in particular, is more likely to buy if your company supports a cause.

Research4 shows that Gen Z, often called the ‘socially-conscious generation’5, are really vocal about important issues, especially those that affect them.

In fact, 70% of Gen Zers6 are committed to supporting companies they see as ethical. They prefer raw and unpolished content over highly stylised branding.

You can see this trend in how Millennials are more active on Instagram (which has a more curated style), while Gen Z is all about TikTok, preferring realistic brands over staged content. Despite some minor differences, it’s clear that nailing down your values and showcasing them through your content should be at the heart of any Millennial and Gen Z marketing strategies.

Value-driven social media

Video-centric platforms for the win

Interestingly, both Millennials and Gen Z are quickly ditching Facebook and checking out different social networks.

When it comes to where they hang out, you can really see the split. Millennials have been exposed to all kinds of content, so they tend to spread their time across various platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and even LinkedIn. In fact, according to research7 Millennials are more likely to split their time across a bunch of platforms, while Gen Z sticks to fewer.

For Gen Z, it's all about short-form content, especially videos.

It’s no shocker that TikTok and Snapchat are their go-to spots. TikTok was even called the most addictive by 13-18-year-olds in a Y Pulse survey8, with 32% picking it.

Surprisingly, YouTube is also high on that list9, and it's not just Gen Z. Over 80% of both Gen Zers (89%) and Millennials (86%) use YouTube at least once a week. YouTube reaches more 18-34 year-olds than any TV network out there.

So, when you're planning your strategy and picking platforms, mixing it up is key. And once again, video is king. With attention spans getting shorter, making content that grabs attention on social media is a must. While Millennials spread their time across multiple platforms, Gen Zers focus on mastering the ones where their crew hangs out (mainly YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat).

Let your brand identity shine

As a newcomer, LinkedIn has grown in popularity not just for older generations as a place for audiences to get to know brands and the people behind them.

With the wave of ‘great resignation’ among Millennials, LinkedIn has become the perfect place to give a more honest view to your brand and its identity as Millennials are looking for new opportunities.

At present, there are 78 million global Gen Zers on LinkedIn, representing roughly 10% of LinkedIn’s global member base. According to its latest Gen Z report10, the platform is unique in that younger generations focus primarily on hard skills and prefer to do their learning on weekends.

80% of Gen Zers say they’re interested in following more companies and organizations on LinkedIn, as a way to better understand the company culture and their personality. A very driven and ambitious generation, Gen Z wants to be successful (73%), be financially secure (72%) and learn new skills (74%). Similarly, TikTok’s content direction also reflects Gen Zers need to express their own individuality, something they expect to be mirrored by brands.

As everyone's the main character, entertainment and storytelling about weird and wonderful things performs very highly on the platform. Gen Z appointed TikTok as the ‘most entertaining’11 platform, beating out Snapchat, YouTube, Instagram, and other major platforms on this metric.

Whether you are looking to fulfill Gen Z’s self-expression’s needs or relate to Millennials’ outlook for new opportunities, let your brand identity and personality shine.

Social shopping redefined

Harnessing the power of peer reviews and user-generated content to grab Millennials’ attention is key, while 40% of Gen Zers often give online reviews.

As “content creators” and more active social media users, Gen Zers are also more comfortable with social shopping. Being mobile-first, Gen Zers are twice as likely12 to make a purchase on their smartphone compared to Millennials.

They also rely on influencer marketing from relatable and diverse creators to help them with their purchase decisions, showing once again that TikTok (and Pinterest) are strong platforms for social shopping among Gen Zers.13

In a study from Deloitte13, 51% of Millennials say that seeing consumer opinions impacts their purchase decisions. They are more skeptical and conservative than Gen Z and need a bit more nurturing on social media.

Since 65% of Millennials start interactions with a brand online, they want to build a strong relationship before committing to a purchase. In fact, a recent study shows14 that Millennials have higher expectations than other demographics when it comes to their connection with brands throughout their purchase journey.

How to market to Millennials & Gen Z

Users expect to get their questions answered on social media, turning platforms into micro customer-service outlets and checkout carts. This opens up a new avenue for social selling but poses the risk of over-complicating your strategy. Whenever possible, focus on value, personality, and entertainment.

Both generations rely heavily on reviews and word-of-mouth for buying decisions, but there's a difference in their social media use. Millennials are looking for trust-building activities and content, and according to a 2020 research14, 50% of them trust brands and businesses compared to 42% of Gen Z.

Where does that leave Gen Zers? Masters of (video) content, the younger generation craves a broad sense of community and support, especially through social media platforms. As the marketing world keeps changing, it's super important for any brand to get what makes Millennials and Gen Z tick if you want to nail it in the digital age.

By focusing on content that really matters, using video-heavy platforms, and showing off your unique brand vibe, you can really connect with these key groups.

Keep in mind, Millennials might hop around different platforms, but Gen Z sticks to a few favourites, loving authenticity and a sense of community. Mix these approaches, and you'll be set to win over both groups, taking your brand to new heights in the social media scene.

We hope this article was helpful. For more information from Alt Marketing School, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively, you can go to the CPD Industry Hubs for more articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.

References

  • 1 https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/01/17/where-millennials-end-and-generation-z-begins/
  • 2 https://www.notion.so/Successful-Build-Marketing-Strategy-For-Millennials-Gen-Z-fed28e9d1d234ee88d970328421039c6?pvs=21
  • 3 https://review.content-science.com/2016/08/millennial-content-consumption-fact-sheet/?source=post_page---------------------------
  • 4 https://www.stress.org.uk/anxiety-overtaken-depression-generation-z/
  • 5 https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/11/15/early-benchmarks-show-post-millennials-on-track-to-be-most-diverse-best-educated-generation-yet/
  • 6 https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinessdevelopmentcouncil/2019/11/20/what-your-business-should-know-about-generation-z/?sh=3547c328410a
  • 7 https://themanifest.com/social-media/how-different-generations-use-social-media
  • 8 https://www.ypulse.com/report/2020/02/19/social-media-behavior/
  • 9 https://themanifest.com/social-media/how-different-generations-use-social-media
  • 10 https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/trends-tips/how-does-gen-z-use-linkedin-and-what-types-of-content-resonate
  • 11 https://www.tiktok.com/business/en/blog/reimagining-entertainment
  • 12 https://99firms.com/blog/generation-z-statistics/#gref
  • 13 https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/global/Documents/About-Deloitte/gx-millenial-survey-2016-exec-summary.pdf?source=post_page---------------------------
  • 14 https://www.salesforce.com/content/dam/web/en_us/www/documents/research/salesforce-state-of-the-connected-customer-4th-ed.pdf 

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For more information from Alt Marketing School, please visit their CPD Member Directory page. Alternatively please visit the CPD Industry Hubs for more CPD articles, courses and events relevant to your Continuing Professional Development requirements.

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