Marketing Strategy that appeals to Gen Z and Millennials

Photo by Glodi Miessi on Unsplash

While people may be unique and have their individual traits and preferences, it is also worthy of note to acknowledge the circumstances surrounding people’s lives because this contributes to shaping them into what they are or become eventually. One of these circumstances will be the generation in which they were born and this has been made easy through generational studies and kinetics. It is important to know that generational designations do not aim to put people into boxes but generally give clues (garnered by observation) on how best to approach and/or influence people based on their generations.

According to the Center for Generational Kinetics, there are five generations that make up our society today:

• . Gen Z or centennials: born 1996 – TBD
• - Millennials or Gen Y: born 1977–1995
• - Generation X: born 1965 – 1976
• - Baby boomers: born 1946 – 1964
• - Traditionalists or Silent Generation: born 1945 and before
• However, on today’s post (and just like the rest of the world right now), our focus will be on the Millennials and Gen Z generation.
• Like why is everyone talking about this duo? Are they really different? What marketing strategies will best appeal to them?
• What to Know
• The Millennials and Gen Zs were exposed to the internet at an early age and as such, they feel like the world is at their fingertips. And that is true, right?
• If you want to speak to these generations, be sure to be present and active at where they love to hang out and that will be – social media.
• Most Millennials favor instant gratification; research at Forbes revealed that 60% of Gen Z generation will not utilize a website that is difficult to navigate. We see this play out in how they prefer to use their smartphones to make purchases and with a click of their fingers, they are making flights and hotels and cabs bookings and many other things like shopping and ordering pizza.
• According to another research conducted by Netsertives, 75% of Gen Zs spend 4 – 5 hours online every day totaling about 35 hours online in a week and the figures keep rising.
• What to do
• Having established the fundamental behaviors that characterize these sects, let’s now move on to what Marketing Strategies are best applicable for them.
• 1. Influencer Marketing
• This is by far one of the easiest and simplest ways to target Millennials and Gen Zs on social media. For almost every niche, service, or industry I am connected to, I can mention my favorite influencers in those fields. And long before I knew who or what the term influencer meant, I use to call these people I admire online role models because I kind of look up to them and quite frankly take some of their recommendations quite seriously. Now that I know what an influencer is, there still isn’t much difference, if they did an ad or review (and it’s always obvious), we still don’t see it as just another ad It seems more like my trusted friend recommending something to me that they think was great. I think it’s thoughtful and sometimes I’m even grateful.
• That is the power of influencer marketing and that is why it has come to stay
• 2. Authenticity and Sentimental Marketing
• If my dad buys something, it’s because he thinks it’s functional and reliable. He tends to only look out for the product features and benefits and sometimes safety. My mum is not so different and it’s why she would never understand why her girls will use their money to buy something as mundane and uncomfortable as stilettos or push-up bras.
• I and, I believe many other of my peers look beyond any of that. When I want to buy something, I want to know the ‘why’; I want to know the story behind it. I once bought an earring that had a feather on it just because the seller said it was gypsy and gypsy symbolizes freedom and spirituality.
• As long as what you are selling has a way of appealing to our emotions, we will buy; that is if we can afford it too. And that brings me to the next point.
• 3. Low-cost strategy Marketing
• Businesses that use this strategy gain a competitive advantage for a reason; many people including rich people love to cut costs more so Millennials and Gen Zs; as most of us have been left with no option than to master the art of cutting cost. Yes, it’s an art. Where I come from, if your business does not believe in giveaways, bonuses and free coupons do not be surprised when the youths are not patronizing you.
• Like many other Millennials, I have followed, referred, and even made purchases from a company simply because they were offering something free or cheaper. It’s no wonder we love black Fridays and why betting houses will always get the crowd.
• 4. Content-driven Marketing Strategy
• No matter how good and promising your brand, product or service claims to be, if there is no well laid out content strategy, be sure to not get the engagements you are capable of. Most companies now know this and they have taken a step further after getting a website. This is why they blog and have content schedules for their social media pages. Content marketing couldn’t have been more important than it is today. Content marketing when done right has proven to be capable of improving a brand’s reputation and revenue by building trust and influencing conversions. Some say content marketing is king and they may be just right.

These strategies as suggested may look nothing like the orthodox array of marketing strategies displayed by Google when I tried to make research on this topic. I am merely speaking as a millennial myself and based on what I can relate to. And I can confidently tell you that my generation appreciates authenticity and emotionalism. We roll our eyes every time we see just another boring conventional situation and we’re left jaded by traditional ways of doing things.

That is why the best Marketing Strategy that will appeal to us is one that’s easy (cheap), fast, based on storytelling, and one that we can connect to on a personal level.