Six Marketing Strategies to Reach a Gen Z Audience

So, you’ve built a great business but just don’t seem to be reaching the right audience? We get it. Selling to Gen Z is, well, different. It focuses less on “BUY THIS” and more on “We do this”. 

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What Do Gen Z Consumers Like to See?

According to a survey, Gen Z’ers have grown up in the era of “fake news”. This means that they are most interested in brands that are transparent and authentic. The survey also found that Gen Z consumers value meaningful relationships, with 46% of 19-to-21-year-olds claiming that they have “a strong connection or loyalty” to a brand. 

As experts in the industry, we’ve rounded up some top-notch strategies on how to successfully sell to this strong-minded, tech-savvy generation. Keep scrolling to reveal our top tips!

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Demonstrate Your Values

Having strong values is now one of the best ways to build brand affinity, attract customers, and stand out from the competition. Whether you follow sustainable practices, support charities, or sell vegan-friendly products, your audience should know ALL about it. To boost awareness, we recommend adding this information to your website, social media pages, paid adverts and, of course, within your packaging.

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Be Transparent & Authentic

Brand transparency is all about being honest & authentic when it comes to your products/services, pricing, values, and your business as a whole. It gives customers an insight into what your company is all about, ultimately building trust and loyalty. 

In a digital trends article, Google mentioned brand transparency as a critical competitive differentiator. To back this claim, the article provided an example that in France, one in six people use Yuka, a barcode scanning app that provides the health benefits of food, beauty & wellness products.

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Create a Relatable Brand Personality

If you want to impress a Gen Z audience, you’re going to have to humanise your brand. Today’s young consumers don’t just want to buy from a business that they trust, but also one that they can relate to. This can be achieved by:

• Showing behind-the-scenes content
• Jumping on trends that align with your audience
• Talking about your personal/brand journey
• Maintaining a witty tone of voice
• Engaging with comments, customer posts and Tweets etc.

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Build Meaningful Relationships

Now that you’ve impressed your audience. It’s time to start building meaningful relationships. You can nurture your customers by:

• Offering them exclusive discounts
• Resharing their posts
• Maintaining strong communication via email & social media
• Asking for their feedback
• Offering birthday treats
• Giving them early access to new products 

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Make Good Use of UGC

What better way to demonstrate authenticity than by using real photos of REAL customers? As a Gen Z-focused brand, it’s super important that you take advantage of the content shared on TikTok & Instagram. This won’t just help you to build trust, but it will also encourage customers to tag you in their photos/videos, increasing brand awareness and potential sales.

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Keep Your Content Short & Snappy

It’s no secret that Gen Zs have a super short attention span. 

Reading a 1000-word blog post? Absolutely not. 

Watching a 10-minute tutorial? No way! 

How about a 30-second TikTok? Now we’re talkin’!

Of course, this doesn’t mean that you should only post 30-second TikTok videos. But we definitely recommend creating content that’s captivating and easy to digest. Long paragraphs displayed in small, complicated fonts will certainly bore Gen Z users. Not to mention the fact that it will literally waste your time. Instead, start with a catchy hook, followed by short, readable sentences.

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Brands that are Successfully Capturing the Gen Z Audience

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Urban Outfitters

A recent post by Urban Outfitters features a UGC image by the highly-engaged influencer, @mariedopita. In the photo, she styles the UO BDG Mini Denim Bag, prompting the caption, “@mariedopita is carrying the BDG Mini Denim Bag all summer, wbu?”. The UGC image, combined with the simplicity of the caption, shows that this brand is all about tapping into the Gen Z mindset. 

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UGG

For Pride Month 2023, UGG launched a special collection of colourful items, collaborating with members of the LGBTQ+ community. The brand has also announced that it will be donating to @itgetsbetter, a project aiming to improve the lives of LGBTQ+ youth. Now, I know what you might be thinking. “What does this have to do with Gen Z?”.

Well, quite a lot, actually.

According to recent research, 32% of the generation consider themselves something other than straight, and many agree that brands need to pay more attention to supporting the LGBTQ+ community. For this reason, those who do support important causes are more likely to gain attention from Gen Z.

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Glossier

This TikTok video reveals the fun and exciting elements of the Glossier HQ; a perfect way to catch the attention of Gen Z. It offers a glimpse into the brand’s culture, establishing a relatable image and leading to increased brand awareness. The video itself is simple, yet reached 1.7 million views and generated hundreds of positive comments.

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Chamberlain Coffee

Remember when we spoke about brand transparency? This is exactly what we meant. In a recent Instagram post, Chamberlain Coffee mentioned the fact that their product contains natural ingredients such as coconut milk, sometimes causing separation. Instead of over-complicating the situation, they offer the simple solution of shaking well before serving.

Not only is the post honest and educational, but the caption is super easy to read; something that Gen Z social media users highly value.

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Fenty Beauty

“Millennials SERVED so Gen-Z could SLAY! 💅🏿💅🏾💅🏻 👀 Big congrats to our baddies who just graduated college...”

I mean, do we even need to say any more?

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Ryanair

Ryanair’s creative use of social media certainly makes them stand out from the crowd. With over 2 million TikTok followers and 30 million likes, this low-cost airline has certainly caught the attention of Gen Z. 

Focusing on humanised content (and using a super sassy tone of voice), there’s no denying that Ryanair has cracked the code of Gen Z marketing. 

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What Can We Learn?

As you can see, successful Gen Z marketing teaches us the power of authenticity, inclusivity and community-building. Brands that embrace these values are establishing strong connections with young consumers, thriving in this fast-paced era.

If you’ve got a great brand but need a little help with the marketing side of things, why not sign up for our FREE audit?