Get ready for an exciting continuation of our previous article! In case you missed it, you can catch up by clicking on this link. Today, we’ll be diving into the topic of Gen Z’s impact on businesses and how their unique consumer behaviour is causing a paradigm shift in marketing approaches. It’s clear that in order to win over Gen Z as consumers, companies need to adapt and make adjustments to market dynamics, reminiscent of the “survival of the fittest” principle. So, the big question is: how do we effectively market to Gen Z? Are they a challenging demographic to reach? Let’s explore this further!

Let me take you back a little by reminding us about who Gen Zs are so that onwards we get an understanding of why the proposed marketing strategies are possibly going to work.  Gen Z is the new digital generation that has not known life without the Internet because they have been born in the Internet era. They portray unique traits and habits that are causing drastic changes and new patterns in all spheres of life whether technological, economic, social, religious or business. The Gen Z power is growing and businesses definitely want to reach the available audience in the market who are now Gen Zers for profits however, the old or traditional methods are not working for this particular group of audience. So what is the new way of reaching out to Gen Z?

Ways to Market to Gen Zs 

As mentioned earlier, the current generation, which has grown up with the Internet, finds it nearly impossible to conduct business offline and expects to reach them. Gen Z is comprised of heavy digital consumers, as studies show that they spend more time online than even sleeping. Therefore, to capture their attention, businesses must focus on online platforms. In fact, did you know that a Gen Z individual is more likely to trust and make a purchase from an online shop compared to a physical shop located next door that offers the same product or service but lacks an online presence? This highlights the significance of digital presence, as Gen Z prefers and trusts brands that utilize social media platforms and other online channels.

The new strategy is very simple, as it is said “Set a thief to catch a thief” Definitely for this digital group you just need to be digital period. Here is how to go about it.

  • Join the social media platforms and create pages to market your product or services.
  • Instagram
  • Tiktok
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter 
  • Facebook 
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • WhatsApp etc, mostly in Kenya and very many apps doing ads like Google, Institutions etc.

  • Use pictorials and videos more.

After setting up brand-specific pages on various social media platforms, it is advisable to create content that primarily consists of pictures showcasing your products or services, as well as videos, as these tend to attract Gen Z. Being creative in this aspect is crucial in order to effectively capture their attention and differentiate your brand from others online that offer similar products or services. It’s important to understand how to uniquely catch their attention and stand out from the competition.

  • Be precise and authentic

This is when creating the content to market your brand. Let it be short and authentic because Gen Z has little concentration span on a particular thing, so being able to deliver what you intend in the shortest time possible, is particularly if you using videos. 30-90 seconds should be time enough to deliver so that they don’t view halfway due to boredom as a result of a little concentration span.

  • Be fun and creative

Creativity here means understanding what particularly they need and coming up with what they relate with. This will surely catch their attention. So long as they can relate they will give you attention. A good example of the new billboard strategy Pizza Inn is using to market in Kenya is, “Vyombo ni chafu Leo, this calls for pizza!.” Wow! How creative. This definitely grasps Gen Z’s attention in the marketplace to actually know that they offer Pizza, and that’s the goal. Remember to do it in a fun way. Use different platforms to your advantage. You can tailor different content to fit the different social media spaces.

  • Using Celebrities to market your brand.

 I love that the Kenyan business community has understood and embraced this strategy which is apparently working out well to increase purchasing power among Gen Zs. This is because celebrities have a major influence on the social media population whose highest percentage of consumers are Gen Zs. They spend following their lifestyle, how about using their many followers to market your product to them hah! Sounds like a good deal. 

  • Be consistent and loyal

Consistency is to keep the page active so that your followers or content consumers are constantly reminded of your existence. Keep posting and ensure you are trusted as a brand to deliver exactly what you market. This is mostly with those that need video content, YouTube and Tiktok.

  •  Flexibility to change.

This is due to also the dynamic nature of Gen Zs. This group get bored very fast so what fascinates them now may not be what will fascinate them the next minute. They somehow tend to be the more”selfish” types, “do it our way whatever it takes or else “‘I’m out” Yes, this is them and so it calls for a marketer to be very flexible to know of their changing demands in the marketplace and adjust to them. If it’s delivery services that need to be added or some little changes in the product or service delivery so be it, adjust. 

Remember the goal is survival in the marketplace to ensure the best returns. This is where I rest my pen for today. See you next Tuesday.

Ms Emmie❤️❤️.