By now I’m sure that you’ve read all about Generation Z – the up-and-coming workforce and consumer population. There’s plenty of articles out there explaining who they are and why they’re useful to study; if you haven’t seen anything yet, do some research and familiarize yourself before reading further.
This article will take some of the data out there and show you how you can use video to successfully reach this new generation.
Who Cares?
So what? Why talk about Gen Z at all? This generation isn’t yet fully in the workforce and is just beginning to integrate with society as a whole. The oldest members of the generation will have just graduated from University anyway (if they attended).
Well, Gen Z is already changing how video is consumed on the internet. Since your business will more than likely live on the internet, you’ll need to stay up to date here. According to Business Insider, “Gen Z is estimated to soon become the largest US consumer population.” If you’re not currently prepared to communicate & establish relationships with Gen Z, you may be setting yourself up for failure in the future.
Gen Z’s Digital Expectations
Gen Z expects digital interaction with brands and businesses. That’s why you’re looking to create video for this audience in the first place! Per the previously mentioned Business Insider article, Generation Z spends “as much time on their phones as older generations do watching television.” Not only do Gen Zers generally prefer mobile devices, but they also prefer “snackable content.”
This is important to keep in mind when reaching this generation. You’re looking for your videos to be short, engaging, and optimized for mobile. Think about what service or product you’re providing, what problem you’re fixing, why it’s important, and how you can communicate that quickly. Gen Z is generally a bit more practical than Millenials, so they’re looking to understand what your business is all about.
Once you’ve distilled these things into bite-sized bits of info, you’ll be on your way to connecting with this generation.
How Gen Z Will Interact with your Business
A Study by Pearson shows that Gen Z “spends more time online overall [than] their Millennial counterparts for visual and game content.” This means that they will most likely encounter your product or service online (and through video). They consistently use video-sharing social medias in their daily lives (think Instagram, Snapchat, etc.) and use YouTube constantly. If you’re not prepared to engage with these social platforms, you won’t succeed at reaching Gen Z.
This means that you’ll not only need to use video to engage with them, but also meet them on their favorite social media.
The Type of Content Gen Z Likes
We’ve looked at how Gen Z operates, but what is it that they’re actually spending time on? What kinds of video are they watching the most of?
According to a 2017 YPulse survey, 58% of Gen Zers watch comedy videos weekly. This is followed by 48% watching music videos in a given week. Interesting.
To best draw these people in, you may want to consider humor in your video. In addition, it looks like you could get creative and market your brand/service through well-crafted music or music videos. Although this won’t apply well to all businesses, it should give you a hint as to how to best communicate with Gen Z.
At the very least, creating positive, fun, light-hearted content that explains your innovative, problem-solving solution will be most appealing to Gen Zers.
How Should You Interact with Generation Z?
Given all of the information we’ve learned today, I think the three most important takeaways are the following. To best interact with Gen Z, your videos should:
- Be Short
- Work well on mobile
- Engage with social media
- Get Silly
There’s still lots to learn about this up-and-coming generation. But if you begin to put these things into practice, you will develop a better customer experience and broaden your reach.