There are over 40 million Generation Z digital buyers in the U.S, and it is the fastest growing global audience on all digital platforms. However, for some brands, figuring out how to create content that clicks with the younger generation can seem like a daunting task. We’ve been so obsessed with targeting millennials that we’ve forgotten about a whole new generation of digital natives who are now the new buzz in the online marketplace. According to a 2021 report by Google, this younger generation is expected to overtake millennials in the next few years.
For brands to take advantage of Gen Z’s massive spending power, they should focus on marketing with purpose, reliability, and authenticity. Understanding how Gen Z uses each online platform is also vital in creating quality content that resonates. If you haven’t started thinking about this younger generation, now is the perfect time to start.
Who Is Gen Z?
Gen Z is a young and tech-savvy generation with over $140 billion in spending power. Born in the digital era between 1996 and 2010, Gen Zers are smarter and more in tune with technology and have a great desire to transform the world. This generation is creative, bold, more diverse than the generations before them, and on track to be the most educated.
Having grown up with smartphones, the Internet, and social media, the Generation Z cohort is already so familiar with tech that nothing “awes” them. Therefore, your content must impress them at first sight or risk losing them forever. Besides, their early interaction with the internet means they often know more than you do, which makes marketing even harder.
One of the unique features of Gen Z is that they are the highest consumers of digital content. From news to books to health and wellness information, Gen Zers depend on the internet for everything they do. They buy from distinct brands that are inclusive and have a strong online presence. So, what does this mean for your content marketing?
In this post, we’ll discuss the top tips to tap into this audience and create content they’ll like without alienating your current customers.
Actionable Tips for Creating Content that Resonates with Gen Z
Know Your Personas
With the high numbers of Gen Z digital buyers, it becomes challenging to figure out what kind of content this diverse cohort of tech-savvy want. So, how can you ensure you’re the one giving it to them? The answer is knowing your persona.
Persona analysis is a strategic way of analyzing your audience’s needs so that you can better communicate with each audience specifically. It involves a thorough analysis of their emotions, likes, dislikes, thoughts, and desires. This approach is effective for understanding Gen Zers, as they share too much information on the internet. If you can understand their challenges, you can create content that provides solutions to their needs.
Create Engaging Content, Not Sales Pitch
While scrolling through the abundance of content flowing on their screens every second, a Gen Zer has one question in his or her mind; what value does this content have for me? They want knowledge, inspiration, and something new that adds value to their lives. This generation wants to fulfill their ambitions by taking advantage of the content at their disposal.
If you want to target Gen Z, don’t only focus on creating sales pitches and advertisements. Generation Z wants to consume content and decide by themselves whether or not to buy your products or services. Instead of sharing content to ask for something, provide solutions and empowerment. Your content should focus on how your services or products can enhance their lives.
Emphasize Visual Content
Gen Z has an estimated attention span of eight seconds. This means that your content must grab their attention in less than eight seconds. Whether you want them to read your blog post, watch your video, or listen to your podcast, you must show how you can help and why they should care about your content.
Investing in video content is one of the best strategies to interact with Gen Zers. But, sharing just any other video for the sake of doing it won’t work. These digital natives want targeted, intriguing, and professional videos that provide them with great experiences they want to share. Also, using music and visual effects will make your content even more engaging.
A higher percentage of Gen Zers use smartphones over laptops, tablets, and desktops. Therefore, optimize videos for phone viewing and use storytelling to spice up your content. Remember to make your videos short and to the point. 60-second videos that give them all the information they need are the best choice. However, if you want to share longer videos, you can add a link in the description that they can click onto, should they want to know more.
Other visual content you can use to engage Gen Z include:
- Photos
- Infographics
- Surveys
- Interactive tools
- Illustrations
- Screenshots
- Comics
- Memes
- Gifs
Approach Social Media Holistically
76% of teens use social media platforms. This means that most of the content you share on social media will be seen by Gen Z. A little research into which social channels they use, how they use them, and who they follow will give you a good idea of what type of content to share. In 2022, Gen Zers are moving out of Facebook. So, the best platforms where you’re more likely to find them are Snapchat, TikTok, and Instagram.
Here are five ways to be relevant to Gen Z on social media platforms:
- Constantly make stories
- Stay on top of the latest trends
- Be authentic to your brand
- Share your values and show how your brand is positively changing the world
- Create shareable content
Make Your Content Interactive
Gen Z not only wants to be sold to, but they want to engage with your content and feel like part of your community. Share useful content and allow for interaction and let them provide feedback as well as their own content, if possible.
Think of ways to make Gen Z part of your community by encouraging creativity and engagement. You can encourage participation and spark conversations with interactive content such as polls. Also, ensure your website and social pages are well-optimized to make it easy for them to interact with your content.
WRAPPING UP: Content Creation Services Help Brands to Create Content that Resonates with Gen Z
Brands are different, and so are content marketing efforts. For brands looking to engage the Gen Zers, content creation requires more than writing, and content marketing requires more than selling a product.
Now is the best time to shift your content creation efforts to accommodate this tech-centric cohort of digital natives. Creating content that resonates with Gen Zers requires industry knowledge and effort. The good news is that content creation services can help you with insights, strategies, and quality content tailored specifically to Gen Z.
Learn more about how content creation services like nDash can help you create the highest quality content personalized for Gen Z by contacting our sales team or engaging with our freelance community.
About the author
This post is by nDash community member Lilian Muliti, a digital marketing consultant and content writer for B2B and B2C companies. Learn more about her, her experience, and how her expertise can help you reach your content creation goals by visiting her profile.