Look here, please: How to market to Gen Z and Millennials 

With the media landscape shifting faster than Nascar, it can be difficult to know the most effective methods for marketing to Millennials and Gen Z.

When the printing press was first released, it made literature accessible to the average person, and now social media has made marketing more accessible for the average business owner.

TikTok’s increasing popularity made it challenging for small businesses to know how to retain the younger generations' focus. For those unfamiliar with TikTok, it is a collection of videos recommended by the platform based on previous content topics consumed that if the viewer dislikes, they can swipe to the next one; it’s “the stream that never ends.”

To target their audience effectively, business owners need to understand them. For example, Millennials and younger generations care very much about brand authenticity. Having a good ad or campaign isn't "good enough" anymore. They want to know that the brand is looking out for the people they serve and the place in which they work. This is also referred to as the triple-bottom-line or three "P’s” of People, Planet, and Profit.

Knowing what social media platforms they favour is imperative too. Businesses need to know where their audience is to reach them. For instance, Millennials are more likely to use Facebook than TikTok or Instagram, because it was released when they were still in middle or high school, so they are more comfortable on those platforms. Another very effective marketing tool is recruiting social media influencers to create Integrated Marketing Campaigns (or IMCs); IMCs are a combination of multi-media and various marketing techniques to most effectively reach the target audience. For example, if an artisan soap company wanted to market its products to Gen Z, it could recruit a popular social media influencer (with at least 1K followers) to test their products and share their opinion on their social media account. They may have to sign an agreement to only post about the product if they love it. Since the influencer has many Gen Z'ers following them, they already gained the trust of the target audience. This technique is like viral word-of-mouth advertising – instead of reaching one person only, it's one person to possibly thousands.

If the influencer can effectively communicate the features and benefits of the product, such as it's made with organic, fair-trade ingredients only and the target audience cares about ending human trafficking and preserving the Amazon rainforest, the product could become quite popular with the target audience. Another example of IMC is creating hashtags and motivating customers to share User Generated Content (UGCs) where the consumer generates the content; for example, the start-up handmade soap company could create a contest to win a prize if their patrons share a video or photo using the customized hashtag.

In summary, the younger generation feels apprehensive about big name corporations and favours authenticity and social and environmental responsibility. They want to know how the company genuinely cares for their target audience and how their product or service provides practical solutions adhering to the principles of People, Planet and Profit. If business owners choose to implement non-traditional marketing via social media IMC UGCs in the form of multimedia, they are more likely to reach their target audiences and increase their annual revenue.

Disclaimer: This is an opinion piece. The information used to create this article was acquired through a lot of university research. The author is not responsible for the outcomes if the reader attempts to implement this advice.

Rebekah Schulte