5 Tips for Marketing to Gen Z

Gen Z is entering adulthood, and their buying power will soon become the largest of any generation. But Gen Z’s habits, and especially their relationship to technology, diverge widely from Millenials, Gen X, and Boomers. What do you need to know to market to this group successfully?

Generation Z was born in the late 1990s to the early 2010s (exact years vary depending on who you ask), and is rapidly coming of age. By 2023, Gen Z will number 74 million people in the United States alone.

Ready to learn how to market to Gen Z and convert them into customers?

Follow Fundamental Best Practices First

First things first, there’s no magic formula. Not all members of Gen Z think and act the same, and pretending they do won’t help much. With inbound marketing, there’s no substitute for defining buyer personas based on your business’s target market.

When strategizing about marketing to Gen Z, create at least one buyer persona in this age group. Remember, your Gen Z persona does not represent an entire generation. They represent the interests, problems, and desires of one type of person who could become your customer. 

Also, always consider your perspective and goals as a business. If your product or service appeals primarily to retirees, for example, you may not need a Gen Z buyer persona. On the other hand, if your brand aims to solve problems for people entering adulthood, you may need several. 

Now that you’ve considered buyer personas, let’s talk strategy. We know Gen Z is diverse and has varied interests, but what collectively sets them apart from previous generations? Our top 5 tips will help get you started.

1. Strive to Entertain

Members of Gen Z are the first digital natives,” people born and raised with technology at their fingertips. In part because of this, they tend not to distinguish as much between different types of content. Consider that years ago, video advertising used to come only during scheduled commercial breaks. Gen Z’s reality is much different.

They have been bombarded with content their entire lives, with marketing messages taking many different forms. It’s necessary to stand out to get their attention. One surefire way to do this? Entertain them.

Content that grabs the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds is best. Consider video tutorials for social media, behind-the-scenes content giving an honest look into your brand, and helpful resources framed with a sense of humor.

2. Use Short-Form Video

Gen Z consumes more videos than their older counterparts, particularly short-form. Given their high usage rates of YouTube and TikTok, they often expect short videos with features such as music, visual effects, and text overlays.

Include video marketing in your strategy from the start, and keep your videos to 15 seconds or less for best results. Instagram Reels and TikTok work well for your polished videos, while Instagram stories can help create a more personal connection with your audience.

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3. Highlight Your Brand’s Values and Beliefs

On average Gen Z cares more than older generations about what businesses stand for, and how they contribute to the greater good. Before marketing to Gen Z, consider your brand’s values and vision, and think about how to communicate them to your audience. 

If you haven’t already, make the mission of your business publicly available. Better yet, incorporate your beliefs into your content strategy so viewers start to associate your brand with those values. 

As a side benefit, the more you care about the content you create, the more authentic it becomes. Gen Z views brands skeptically, looking for proof of their values in what they do, not only what they say. So stick to your mission and spread the word about how you’re trying to make positive change.

4. Create Community

Brands often fall into the trap of marketing on auto-pilot. But especially with social media marketing, don’t forget communication goes both ways. Gen Z expects to interact more than previous generations.

Consider interactive options such as polls, quizzes, and Q&A sessions. Solicit feedback and monitor comment sections for opportunities to start conversations.

Other ways to jumpstart community include influencer marketing, which can help your audience see themselves in your brand, and user-generated content, which gives your audience a stake and a feeling of belonging.

In the near future, Gen Z might help accelerate a more fundamental change in social media. Research shows they are more comfortable with community-based platforms such as Discord and Twitch over more traditional social media.

5. Consider TikTok

When it comes to which social media platforms to focus on, the old rules no longer apply. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can still give you results, but don’t stop there. 

One of the top social networks for Gen Z? TikTok. Fully 60% of TikTok’s users are in Gen Z. Known for less formal and more spontaneous content, TikTok can help your business connect with customers on a human level.

Joining a new social platform can also help refresh your brand image. Given TikTok’s emphasis on short-form video and humorous content, it’s a great place to experiment with tips 1-4 on this list.


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How to Write a Script for Your Brand Promotional Video

So you’ve decided to make a promotional video for your brand? We approve! The first step is writing a really great script.  

Given that social video is dominating digital marketing trends in 2021, there’s no better time than now to use video to promote your brand. After all, customers can’t become interested in your brand if they don’t understand what you’re offering them or how it will help them. Videos are an excellent tool to educate potential buyers about your products and services in a fun, visual, and potentially interactive way. 

However, before you can even start creating your video, first you have to write the script. Not only is this an opportunity to collect your thoughts, but it also creates the blueprint to help guide the rest of your creation process. Your script needs to be concise, relevant, and attention-grabbing. This is essential. If your message in the script isn’t on point, no amount of post-production will be able to redeem your video. 

Many people feel the sweat drip from their brow when they hear they need to write. It doesn’t always come naturally, and even the best of writers sometimes struggle to find the words. But, if you find yourself staring at a blank screen for hours, the tips and tricks in this article might just help you break free of writer’s block. 

Getting Started

Before you dive into writing your script, there are some questions you should ask yourself that can help guide your messaging to better communicate with your audience.

1. Who is your target audience?

The key to any marketing or digital communication campaign is to know your target audience (also known as buyer personas) well. Is your target audience business owners, influencers, students, parents? Male or female? What do they do? How do they consume content?

Well, the tone, language, and visuals used in your video will need to be aligned to match their interests. The better you know your target audience, the easier it will be to write a script that will lead your viewers to take action. 

2. What does your target audience need?

Once you know who your target audience is, it’s time to define their needs. By identifying their problems, you can better portray how your product or service can meet their needs. 

3. What message do you want to send?

What do you want your audience to remember about your brand? What is the unique selling proposition (USP) of your product or service? What does your brand stand for? Does it offer a solution to their problems? What does your brand promise to do? 

Answering these questions should be the heart of your script. 

4. What comes next after watching the video?

No video is complete without a call to action (CTA). With no CTA, your audience will simply watch your video, then do nothing – you want to guide them to the next step in the buyer journey.

A few examples of a CTA would be “book an appointment,” “visit our website,” “subscribe to our channel,” etc. A clear CTA will not only help create a lasting impression on the minds of viewers but also provide instructions on what their next action should be. 

Now that your homework is done, it’s time to write your script. 

Here are some rules to write an engaging script for your promotional video. 

Outline Your Script

First and foremost, it’s important to structure your ideas in a logical way. The goal is to demand the viewer’s attention and make it last until the end of the video. So, always start with a catchy introduction, dig deeper with your message and finish with an impressive conclusion

A good script usually:

  • Addresses your audience’s issues/needs at the very beginning of the video so they relate to it and stop scrolling to watch further
  • Convinces your audience why you are the best solution to their problems and demonstrates what sets you apart from your competitors
  • Concludes with a CTA that leads the audience to take further action. Never forget that the end of the video is as important as the introduction

Pay Attention to the Opening Sequence

No doubt that there’s abundant content on the internet for audiences to consume. The world of social media is quickly moving to video, but you only have a few seconds to capture your viewers’ attention before they scroll on to the next video. Therefore, your opening sequence is important. 

Here are a few ways to get your audience interested:

  • Intrigue them with some suspenseful opening, reaction sounds, or captivating visuals
  • Ask them questions like “Did you know…,” “Have you ever..,” etc.
  • Start with some interesting yet unknown facts that are relevant to your brand

Tell a Story

Remember the goal of your video is not only to make the audience watch it until the end, but it also needs to be memorable. There’s a simple yet effective way to do it… through storytelling of course! Telling stories through videos helps make a brand more relatable and engaging for potential customers. Plus, who doesn’t like a good story?

Here are some tips to perfect your storytelling:

  • Make sure your video has a clear beginning, middle, and end so it is easy for your audience to follow.
  • Focus on emotions–the audience might forget the words in your script but they won’t forget how the video made them feel.
  • Write like how you speak to personalise your message and connect with the audience instantly. Don’t be afraid to be less formal. 

Add Visual Aids

Did you know that 85% of Facebook videos are watched without a sound? Visuals are equally important as your script and serve as a great tool to segment your video and keep your audience engaged. 

Your visual aids should be simple and informative. That being said, don’t force visuals in the video just for the sake of doing so. They should complement what the script is saying without distracting the audience. Try to write a script that naturally and seamlessly creates opportunities to use visuals. Never write the script first and then look for places to incorporate visuals. 

“Close” with a Call to Action

Writing a perfect intro is how you get your audiences intrigued about your product or service, but it could actually hurt your brand more if the video doesn’t have the right outro. If you don’t close your video correctly, the impact your video created won’t last, and the best outro is nothing but a good CTA

What do you want your audience to do after watching the video? What do you want them to walk away with? Whatever it may be, make sure to communicate it directly and clearly. 

Video marketing plays a major role in digital marketing in modern times, and writing a script for high-quality videos takes a lot of time and planning. But, now that you have the knowledge, you’re ready to go write scripts for some amazing videos. 


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