The new generation of Internet users consumes the global network in a completely different way. Unlike middle-aged people and Millennials, Gen Z-ers insist on ultimate immediacy and utter honesty in online business marketing. As a significantly individualized generation, it expects a personalized and authentic approach. All-round marketing solutions won’t yield results with Gen Z. Because of that, business owners aiming at this audience need to turn to influencer marketing.
These four following strategies can help you get there quickly and efficiently.
1. Choosing influencers for your target audience
Let’s say that you’ve launched a small business that wants to get to people within the age range 15-25. Yes, it’s useful to follow the traditional steps when you’re bringing a marketing campaign. Set the social and economic specifics of your target audience and write down the expectations of your campaign.
After that, you can throw that paper away and do one thing that will save your time and money: choose a proper influencer. As explained in the report published by Morning Consult, Gen Z is the generation that knows more about YouTubers and Instagram influencers than other famous people. If those boys and young men see that their favorite gaming YouTuber wears a certain watch, they’ll notice it.
Similarly, if those teenage girls or young women see a pair of glasses on their favorite Instagram influencers, they’ll become interested in them. So, the best thing you can to do for your marketing campaign is do your homework and one or more relevant influencers to promote your products.
2. Relying on authentic video materials
When you start collaborating with your promo influencers, you need to give them some basic instructions on how to advertise your business. The largest portion of your target audience is active on Instagram, plus they are avid watchers of YouTube videos. Therefore, you should focus your work with these influencers on these channels.
For starters, think about shooting some original video materials. It’s highly likely that your chosen influencers make their videos regularly. So, they can promote your products or services in these videos. Still, it’s not a guarantee that it will work, especially for online clothes stores. Since it’s a huge global market, you’re competing with thousands of other rivals.
That’s why you and your influencers need to come up with original videos that will stay in your buyers’ minds. As a current master degree in fashion management suggests, fashion is a complex system and it takes special knowledge to present items properly. This is where your influencers can give you an extra hand. They probably have more experience than you so let them do the brainstorming and tell you how they would authentically promote your products. In the end, you can analyze the ideas and choose the most adequate ones.
3. Producing experimental content for engagement
Closely related to the previous point, business owners and their influencers should join forces to create some experimental content. Truth be told, the Internet is brimming with generic, impractical content. As a result, every marketer who sheds a different light on a product draws more attention than others. That’s why business owners shouldn’t be afraid of experiments in their marketing campaigns. This is even more obvious if they’re aiming at the post-millennial generation.
In line with this, think about organizing events such as flash mobs or other similar actions close to guerilla marketing. These methods are suitable for both offline and online environments. As for the latter, you can think about shooting your influencers having fun at parties using your products. The more unique events you choose, the more personalized approach to your Gen Z target audience you’ll achieve.
4. Turning to innovative social tools
We’ve all seen the Snapchat craze and we’re still witnessing how much Generation Z is literally obsessed with Instagram, constantly trying to push the envelope and find even more innovative ways to communicate, share their ideas, and be independent of their parents. Therefore, far-sighted entrepreneurs need to go the extra mile and grasp the new social tools that are emerging as we speak.
For instance, teenagers and young men belonging to Generation Z have embraced the Twitch platform. Ideal for chatting and live streams, this platform has become very popular with gamers and sports enthusiasts.
On the other hand, both young men and women are using the TikTok app. The basic function of this platform is sharing videos that have one specific limitation – they can be up to 15 seconds long. These two options are only the tip of an iceberg for new business owners who want to use influencers to promote their business.
Members of Generation Z are coming of age so they’re taking a fair share of the consumer market. Many business owners are aware of that, but they’re not sure how to access them. Using influencers to grasp their attention is a smart way to do it.
Still, you have to do it in an innovative and appealing way. We hope that the takeaways from this article will help you hit that road to professional success.
Author bio:
Jennifer Hahn Masterson is a senior business strategist at Spread the Word Solutions, holding an MA degree in business communication. She is always doing her best to help her clients find their place in the ever so competitive business arena, insisting on long-term sustainability rather than on some questionable get-rich-fast scheme. You can check her out on LinkedIn.