13 Mar 5 Social Media Strategies To Help You Forge Powerful Connections With Gen Z
As a customer service leader you know that providing great customer experience is essential to the success of your business. Whether you call them iGen, Net Gen, Zoomers or just Gen Z, this segment is an important growing part of the consumer population. In 2021 Bloomberg stated Gen Z had $360 billion in disposable income. To get their attention (and some of that income) you need to understand their language. One way to connect with them is online. According to research it’s Gen Z that follows brands most on social media at 61% compared to 53% of Millennials and 36% of Gen X respondents. Here are 5 social media strategies to help you forge powerful connections with Gen Z:
1. Be Responsive To Comments And Questions On Social Media Platforms
Responding quickly and helpfully on social media is a great way to show your customers you’re engaged with them, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. It also reflects Gen Z’s preference for instant response.
Digital natives know what they want and they want it fast! Automated tools and dedicated personnel can help provide appropriate, speedy responses. This is essential if you want to stay visible in the online world of Gen Z.
2. Meet Gen Z Customers Where They’re At
With Gen Z, you need to meet them where they’re at. It’s not 2015 anymore and they’re not likely hanging out on Facebook. They use it less than any other generational group. Youtube is the most popular platform for Gen Z to research products (47%) ( and the most popular platform for teens 13-17 according to Pew research). Snapchat, TikTok (if it still exists) and Instagram are also better bets.
It’s important though to listen to customer feedback in order to better understand what content works best for your consumer base. Ensure you’re making agile decisions on how you use these platforms to connect with your customers.
3. Offer Deals Through Influencers and Creators
Customers love deals, Gen Z included. They especially appreciate deals that reflect their values and interests. According to SurveyMonkey research 58% of Gen Zers have bought a product because of an influencer or content creator. That’s more than any other generational segment.
Offering your Gen Z customers exclusive deals and promotions through a social media personality they like and trust is meeting them where they’re at.
4. Get Visually Literate
With visual content proving to be one of the top Gen Z trends, utilizing photos, videos, and gifs in social media posts is part of how you get and keep their attention.
The key is to invest in learning their visual language. Meme literacy is a thing. Using a meme incorrectly could be worse than not using one at all.
The same is true of emojis. Gen Z doesn’t use them in the same way as previous generations. Thumbs up isn’t positive in their visual culture.
Visual language, like colloquial language, is always changing. Each generation wants to tell their story in their own way. If you can’t understand what they’re saying, you can’t speak to them effectively with these tools.
5. Understand How Gen Z Thinks and Spends
Gen Z has substantial disposable income and likes luxury. However, they are also known to be savers, spending their money (or influencing their parent’s spend) with brands that align with their values. These include diversity, inclusivity, ethical practices, environmental issues, community outreach and authenticity. It matters to them where they spend their money and what that money supports.
Many members of this generation still live at home, which accounts in part for their ability to begin buying luxury at age 15 (five years earlier than Millennials). Three quarters buy via their phones. However, they want to move between online and in-store purchasing, and use their phones to scan products in-store for more info and deals. So, your brand’s online and social presence still has an impact in-store.
They are apt to use buy now, pay later (BNPL) and payment apps for purchases. If you are expecting young buyers who don’t yet have substantial credit history to pay with a credit card, you may be missing out on them as customers. Make it easy for them to buy from you both on social and in-person with the payment forms they actually use.
Like the generations before them Gen Z has their own set of expectations, communication, humor and purchasing styles. As a business, you need to learn their language if you want your brand to be on their radar. Connecting with Gen Z through social media is one of the best ways to gain them as customers. What kind of social experience are you providing?