How to Market to Gen Z and Millennials Through Social Media

There are various marketing strategies depending on the type of consumers you're targeting. The consumer is key in determining how the product will be marketed, so if you know what kind of people these users are, your engagement with them will be effective.

In other words, marketing is all about figuring out your target demographic. You can then figure out how to best market your product or service to them.

In this article, we'll explore how millennials and next-generation consumers, like Generation Z, can shape your marketing efforts and approach.

The Millennials

Millennials are people that were born from the year 1981 to 1996. They’re considered the very first global generation, being raised in an era when the internet had gained widespread popularity.

They’re known to have witnessed rapid development in new technological breakthroughs, including the invention of dynamic technology that has been commonplace for many years now.

This generation is the coming of age for this new century. They precede Generation Z, and you need to know how to sell your product to them as a marketer. That’s how to succeed and thrive in the current business climate.

We know millennials or Gen Y for being tech-savvy, with high expectations in terms of branding and product knowledge - they're also very reluctant consumers.

Generation Z

Generation Zers—the group born in the late 90s and currently in their early to mid-twenties—are considered digital natives, as they grew up with all the benefits that a digital world offers. We also call them Zoomers.

Marketers should take note that this generation - the fastest-growing in American history - makes up 40% of the population today. Because they grew up with technology, they're more demanding and ready to use it than any other existing generation.

Zoomers spend a lot of their time interacting with technology. It's important to market your business to them strongly if you want it to thrive and flourish, as they've grown up with digital marketing all around them.

Gen Z vs. Millennials

One difference between the millennial and Gen Z is that the former likely grew up with the development of technology while the latter grew up alongside its advancement.

The millennials experienced a time before computers, smartphones, and tablets became ubiquitous in everyday life, while the zoomers know nothing but the digital world.

While millennials are different compared to Generation Z, they share some similarities. It's important, though, to remember that the overall experiences and exposure of millennials may be greater, so it's not surprising that there are differences.

Of course, when you compare the creativity, productivity, and organization of older adults to that of younger ones, you'll notice a big difference.

Respective marketing scope

Your approach to these highly-rated generations will determine the results you'll enjoy from them.

Now, you can't afford to start a brand and make traditional newspaper advertisements your go-to means for promotions. Rest assured you'll only engage the older generations.

These generations’ preferred method of communication and information consumption is social media.

The inception of social media has opened up a whole new system of interacting with people and their environment, and as a business owner, you need to know where your clients are to promote your business effectively.

Ways to sell to these generations via social media

• 1. Be human

  Despite the many advances made by marketers and with the advent of social media, it is still relatively easy to make a mistake and alienate customers.

  In the age of millennials and Generation Z, brands need to remember that they can't afford to act inhumanely in their promotion efforts or risk being left behind. The best way for them to foster a more intimate relationship with their customers is by showing empathy via their messaging and marketing campaigns.

  For example, if you were a mouthwash producing company, you can create an ad that shows a guy approaching a girl but she turns away because of his bad breath, then show another guy approaching her and she smiles and embraces him because of his fresh breath. This will easily get these millennials and Zoomers engaged with your product.

  Understanding and relating with nature and the environment is also vital for successful marketing. Hollywood uses the famous New York bridge in movies because this generation connects with the environment better than some made-up or fantasized events.

• 2. Be brief and simple

  Be simple in your messaging, language, and story. Avoid ambiguity because it will put off younger generations. To add: Don't give everything away, but also recognize that it's not enough to just tell people about your brand—you have to show them.

  Millennials and Gen Zers are very impatient people and require quick information that is easy to digest. You'll do well to keep your marketing messages simple, brief, and easily comprehensible by all.

  The most appealing brands are the ones that communicate their message simply and concisely. What’s worse, when you spend time creating a complex ad, your message is often diluted and not as powerful. (That’s a wasted effort on both sides.)

  This generation is used to technology making their life easier, so you can’t entice them with something confusing or complicated. If you want to win them over, you need to be simple and natural because they're too busy to waste their time on complexity—they don't have the patience for that.

  Just stick with what's most important - getting your brand or product known to them swiftly and memorably.

• 3. Sell emotions

  Emotions are critical to the success of any business, but they’re more important if you want to connect with your younger customers on a deeper level.

  These days, consumers respond and connect with a business based on the emotions that are captured in the products and promotions. From love and inspiration to energy, betrayal, or even anger - capture these feelings in every product and promotion you do.

  When you evoke emotions, you are tapping into the human soul—so it successfully opens your brand to potential purchasers, patrons, and partners.

  Many times, marketers cannot connect with their audience in a way that fosters the lively and successful interactions that brands need. This can go a long way in harming your brand if you're too rigid with your marketing programs and fail to leverage emotions.

  If you have ever heard of Zack the cancer patient, who released a song just before his death, which ended up getting more than a billion views on YouTube and staying number one on iTunes for months. This is because his story was emotional and that’s what these generations relate to and can flow with.

• 4. Be smart and creative

  If a business is successful in today's economy, it will owe its success to the creativity and innovation of the people who work there. It's important to be creative and wise when developing any marketing strategy so that your product or service is marketed effectively.

  Statistics show that millennials and zoomers are the most educated and intelligent generations ever, which makes brilliance and inventiveness important parts of any company's marketing strategy.

  These groups have an uncompromising demand for only the best quality work, and their tastes are not always easy to please. If you hope to target them, creativity must be essential to your message.

  Be wise in your strategies, be inventive, and try to avoid being dull and boring. This will allow you to maximize your purchasing power by engaging these generations, which will increase your chances of selling to them.

  Getting them to procure your product or service is a revenue boost for the company, and you can get such results by starting with an excellent sales strategy.

Final take

Some marketers engage the older generation but are often missing out on many engaging opportunities to connect with the current generation of consumers, who will soon make up most of the population.

Millennials and zoomers make up a large part of society and they represent a major investment in today’s world of sales and marketing.

When you can lure these groups to your company, you've succeeded in advertising the right way. Plus, you'll conquer a lot in product promotions and public relations.

Employ these guidelines today and you will see your business grow. Good luck!