How to Market to Gen Zers

October 21, 2022
By Claire Xue

If you’re a product or service business with “Gen Z” written down in bold for your ideal client demographic, you’re not alone. In fact, it’s safe to say that a majority of today’s up and coming brands are targeting the same audience.

" Beyond the use of motion content, it’s become increasingly clear just how much Gen Zers appreciate real, raw content. "

So, how does one market to a Gen Z brand? We’re here to cover the three categories to perfect when it comes to marketing to a Gen Z brand: specifically, your content, color palettes, and copy. 

Imagery + Visual Content

Let’s start out with the obvious, shall we? It’s been well established that Gen Zers and Gen Z brands prefer short-form motion content. Reels, TikToks, GIFs, or micro videos (1 minute or less), perform well within the Gen Z community. 

Beyond the use of motion content, it’s become increasingly clear just how much Gen Zers appreciate real, raw content. Let’s take Emma Chamberlain for example - Emma is a well known Gen Z Youtuber, who has amassed over 11.2 million subscribers on Youtube. She’s best known for her authentically casual approach to content creation. 

If we were to study Emma as an avatar for the Gen Z community, we’d be able to identify a few crucial things. First and foremost, Emma has the ability to invest in more expensive fashion and accessories, but she chooses to thrift. Why? Well, she wants unique, casual pieces that make her stand out from the crowd. Unlike her Youtube predecessors, Emma is also focused on natural hair and makeup looks. Not only does Emma enjoy creating casual lifestyle content, but she loves consuming it, too. 


Those that fall within the Gen Z community also tend to consume content through their phones, which means that they’re not as concerned with high production content. What can we take from that info, you ask? By creating more authentic and raw motion content on a regular basis, you’ll garner the attention (and trust) of those Gen Z consumers and brands. 

" Gen Zers shop and buy from brands who do greater work in their community - activistic, purpose-driven and heart-centered brands are the ones who will gain their trust. "

Color Palettes

If you were to do a quick search for “Gen Z color palettes” on Pinterest or Google, you’d see a variation of bright, contrasting colors, with loud font and pattern pairings. The beauty of Gen Z lies in their boldness. To put it bluntly, Gen Zers are not afraid to be colorfully loud and imperfect.

With that in mind, think of saturated, neon colors like lime green, lilac and orange. Because Gen Zers are not afraid to showcase their personalities (loudly, might we add), you’ll want to brand yourself with a color palette that calls attention to that. In the case of Gen Z, maximalism and chaos > minimalism and cleanliness. 

Language + Copy

Gone are the days where brands operated just as for-profit businesses. Gen Z brands and consumers are passionate about remaining purposeful, in every area possible.

So, if you’re launching a brand specifically intended for the Gen Z community, make sure you’re doing so with a deeper intention in mind. Gen Zers shop and buy from brands who do greater work in their community - activistic, purpose-driven and heart-centered brands are the ones who will gain their trust. Find a way to give back, be sustainable, or go carbon or plastic neutral. You’ll not only attract your ideal demographic, but you’ll also have the peace of mind of knowing that your brand does *that* much more for your community and world. 

Once you’ve created your purposeful Gen Z brand, you’ll need to ensure your language and copy adequately reflect your beliefs and intentions. Make sure you’ve written out a clear mission statement that calls out your brand’s bigger purpose, and feature it on your site. Include a personalized About Page that gives more context to your brand’s mission and story.

Never forget to keep your language and copy informal and fun! The days of writing lengthy Instagram captions and emails are next to obsolete - Gen Zers appreciate short, to-the-point copy. And the more slang and pop culture-related content, the better.

Our Bring Your Brand to Life Course Bundle is now open, where we show you how to create a brand for Gen-Z. Check it out here.

 

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