Some brands may turn a blind eye to Gen Z as they are too young or too insignificant, but this cohort of the youthful audience can influence the markets and businesses financially, economically, technologically, and even culturally – and this impact will only continue to grow. The time is not far off when this teenager group will throw away the term ‘Millennial,’ denouncing it as derogatory and will call themselves the ‘Pragmatist’ generation. From a business perspective, it’s vital that industries understand these real digital natives of the future and establish a rational as well as emotional bond with them. For companies to successfully become accustomed, they first need to comprehend who the Gen Z is and how they interact with brands. This next generation’s participation and interest will be the key to success for many of today’s brands.

Who is Gen Z?

The first thing most people believe that Gen Zs are quintessential Millennials, which is not true at all! And as a matter of fact, they are entirely different than Gen X, Gen Y, and Baby Boomers. These post-Millennials are the successors of the Y and X Generations born between 1995 and 2000. Gen Z is a descendant of Generation X, and most of them are still in school.

The main difference between Gen Z and other generations has to do with technology. This elusive group is usually synonymous with digital technology since they raised up in the period of smartphones and other latest gizmos. They practically came out of the womb with a mobile phone in hand and soon became an expert with social media platforms long before they ever learned basic arithmetic. According to AdWeek, more than 50 percent of Gen Zers can’t imagine their lives without YouTube.

What’s the Importance of Marketing to the Post-Millennials?

Today, the Holy Grail for every business is to create an eternal brand that can communicate with all consumers as well as withstand the challenges of ever-changing trends. To accomplish this, marketers need to target and begin building relationships with more consumers willing to spend dollars and get involved with brands. And that next emerging consumer powerhouse is “Generation Z.”

In the US alone, the Net Gen cohort is on the roadway to become the predominant generation, expected to represent 40 percent of all consumer shopping by 2020 with approximately $44 billion in direct buying power. Various studies demonstrate that Gen Zers are the most enthusiastic and powerful troop of consumers than any other generation. According to IBM, Generation Z demands highly personalized interactions, seeks excellent digital shopping experience, and values quality over price.

How to Reach Gen Z on Social Media Platforms?

There’s no denying that reaching Gen Zers is just as challenging, if not more so, however, it is also the most rewarding and enlightening adventure for the businesses. In reality, many companies are still preoccupied with the millennial generation and overlooking the fathomless potential of Gen Z, which is why marketing to this savvy group won’t be actually easy. The reason being that it’s taken entrepreneurs years to capture and engage Millennials, and most of them are not ready for yet another shift.

Some Interesting and Important Facts about Gen Z:

• Not disposed to be passive consumers to any further extent, Gen Z is keen to actively participate, co-create, and most importantly, be a part of the brands they are fond of.

• This perceptive group has learned from the mistakes of the previous generations and is no longer to believe anything that brands say solely on faith. Gen Z doesn’t want to walk on eggshells, and therefore they potentially question their small circle of friends regarding specific products, brands, and services on various social platforms.

• A study “The Next Generation of Retail” conducted by Interactions Marketing states that 82 percent of Gen Z was influenced by the opinions of others on social media and shopped at the stores they never visited before.

• Around 60 percent of Gen Zers prefer purchasing goods from retailers who approach them via social media.

Brands and businesses need to tread lightly, taking into consideration these facts, when trying to reach the screenagers on social media platforms using various marketing strategies. Below we have outlined the five golden rules of marketing to Gen Z.

• Keep up with the latest technology trends

• Develop a listening and participation strategy

• Make them look good among their peers

• Design a sense of fun and adventure

• Don’t give them a reason to cheat on your brand

That’s all for now! In the next part, we will explain the aforementioned rules in details, so stay tuned for that!