Social Media Trends: Generation Z

Gen Z Explained: What They Expect From and How They Engage with Brands on Social Media

While everyone’s been busy focusing their marketing efforts toward Millennials, Gen Z is getting ready to step into the spotlight. According to Snapchat, “Gen Z is a hugely influential group that’s already redefining both societal norms and brand-consumer relationships.” Gen Z’s expectation and engagement behavior on social media is largely different from generations before them. Let’s go through what we know to get you up to speed.

Who Are They?

There’s some wiggle room in the cut-off dates, but for the most part, Gen Z includes those born from 1995-2012. Otherwise known as digital natives, Gen Z is the generation right after Millennials and they’re the largest and most diverse generation in US history.

The Facts: Social Media Obsession

So what does all this mean for marketers?

In terms of social media, although they’re on fewer platforms, Gen Z spends more daily time on social media than any other generation. 44 percent of Gen Z check their social media at least hourly.

So, get in front of them early and often.

Unlike Millennials, Gen Z is actually more likely to be using social media just to fill up time and to find entertainment, rather than stay in touch with their friends.

Unique, exciting content is what keeps Gen Z on the platform.

Another notable difference between Millennials and Gen Z is that Gen Z is more educated on the true costs of social media. They know brands have more access to customer data, and that means they expect highly personalized interactions.

Posting the same message across all platforms isn’t going to cut it anymore. Gen Z wants to interact with brands that interact back.

Platform Bias

With such high social media consumption rates, where are they spending the majority of their time?

Twitter has definitely taken a back seat to just about every other platform, and Facebook is primarily seen as “where their parents are” — therefore it’s not cool (sorry, Facebook).

Snapchat and Instagram are where we’re seeing this audience spend the majority of its time, followed by YouTube.

Instagram is the most popular app for brand discovery, followed by Facebook. Before making a purchase, Gen Z is two times more likely than Millennials to turn to YouTube.

What about gender differences?

Girls are significantly more likely to use Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Pinterest, and Tumblr. Whereas, boys are more inclined to spend time on Twitch, TV, and Reddit and are more likely to say they can’t live without YouTube.

Video > Everything

It should be no surprise that video is the future of content. Just this year, video streaming made up 74 percent of all internet traffic. For brands, we’re seeing a large shift in content creation to match this statistic.

Add that to the fact that attention spans are at an all-time low, the majority of consumed video content for this generation is fast, frequent and often sound-free. If attention isn’t captured early, the message will be lost.

Creating mobile-optimized video content can be a huge win for marketers and brands alike.

User-Generated Content

Not only is there a large push for more video content in the market, but we’re also seeing a need for more user-generated content (UGC).

UGC not only gives users more reasons to share and interact with content from brands, but it also showcases more “real-life” content. Gen Z wants authentic, real content they can interact with and use for inspiration. UGC allows for more engagement and higher personalization levels.  

Brands that are utilizing UGC effectively are also incentivizing this kind of social sharing through discounts, social shoutouts and exclusive content and swag for those who participate.  

FOMO is Real

Urgency is key for Gen Z content, especially in the e-commerce space. Capitalizing on this fear of missing out can be achieved through exclusive behind-the-scenes content and limited-quantity merchandise.

Platforms like Instagram Stories and Snapchat perform well for many brands because of this quick consumption format. Brands that figured out this early, are seeing success in expanded reach and more meaningful engagements.

If you’re not including Gen Z in your current marketing strategy, you could be missing out big time. As they start to enter the workforce (read: gain more disposable income), a large audience with massive potential opens up for brands and marketers alike.

It may sound easy, but remember, this audience wants unique and highly personalized content. Brands who put in the work to create this type of content and those who get in front of the audience early (and often) will be the winners.

Does your social media strategy match your target audience? Let me build a custom strategy for you.