As a Gen-Z consumer myself, a regular question we get from our clients and friends at Blacker Media is what small to medium enterprises can be doing to attract the Gen Z market online, which now represents more than $140 billion in spending power. While every sector has its quirks and differences in communicating to the Gen Z audience, here are a few tips that we always share with our clients to ensure they are set and ready to target one of Australia’s leading sectors with disposable income, Gen Z.
1. Make sure your website and funnels are mobile-optimised
You would think it’s a no-brainer but I’m constantly surprised at how many businesses have non-mobile optimised websites or perform poorly on mobile. Mobile devices drove 61 per cent of visits to U.S. websites in 2020, up from 57 per cent in 2019. This means that if your site isn’t mobile optimised, you’re missing out on close to two-thirds of the market, potentially a 60 per cent loss on revenue potential. While optimising your site properly can cost a few hundred to even a couple of thousand dollars – if you think about it in the long run, it’s a worthwhile investment.
2. Get active with vertical video
Love it or hate it, vertical video is here to stay, and it’s the primary space for organically capturing Gen-Z audiences. Being the generation of reality TV, Gen Z craves behind-the-scenes content and seeing what happens behind their favourite products and brands. Use this as an opportunity to showcase the high quality of your product, fast dispatch times and the team behind the dream, some companies who have done extremely well through this organic, low- to no-cost approach are Sticky and Budgie Smuggler, check them out! Don’t forget to tag your products and ensure it’s easy for your customers to purchase or get in touch.
3. Don’t get caught up in corporate
Gen Z doesn’t give a crap about your automatic message, not who says a generic message and claims that they’re here to help. They value a brand with personality and aren’t afraid to deviate from the status quo of generic marketing responses to give their customers a laugh and an edge over their competitors. My favourite example of this is Gelato Messina, whose social media manager has become in many ways, a pop-culture icon without even revealing their face. From fun skits to sarcastic responses (where appropriate) your brand mustn’t be afraid to have fun and push the boundaries.
4. Trust is the key
For young consumers, brand trust is a core element of conversion. While having customer reviews will help, ensuring your brand has a strong, trusted voice is key. This can be achieved at a low cost through strategic influencer partnerships, sponsorships and more. Aligning with already trusted voices and getting their endorsement is one of the most successful ways of capturing the Gen Z market.
These are just a few simple tips for brands to implement their own Gen Z marketing strategies. Considering they are one of the leading portions of the market shopping online, it would be a disadvantage to your business not to create effective content and an optimised purchasing journey for them to transact with your business.
