It’s Gen Z’s world, we’re all just living in it.
This demographic of consumers is influencing the way businesses shape their marketing strategies. Gen Z requires a different approach to gaining their loyalty and grabbing their attention. They’re bold, creative and innovative and so are their expectations. They value authenticity, brands that are value-conscious and a sense of community. Whether you're a business looking to fill jobs in Manchester or one of the many recruitment agencies in Manchester, understanding Gen Z is key to staying relevant.
Prioritise Authenticity and Transparency
As a socially conscious generation, one thing that Gen Z values is authenticity and inclusivity. They can easily sus out a brand’s values and culture and are more likely to buy and connect with companies who share their values and have a positive impact on society and the environment. Businesses offering recruitment in Manchester can benefit greatly from embracing these principles to attract young professionals and talent.
When marketing to Gen Z, you should aim to establish credibility by being transparent and honest. Representing diversity and social responsibility are topics that Gen Z feel strongly about. By promoting these topics in your brand marketing, this helps to promote a genuine purpose-driven brand image and build a loyal customer base that share similar values.
Produce Interesting and Engaging Content
Gen Z is notoriously known for having a short attention span. You have T-minus 10 seconds to grab their attention until they’ve scrolled onto the next thing. Therefore, it’s important to be entertaining - create content that is engaging and interactive. Most Gen Zers will be active on at least one or all social media platforms, so brands need to be active and able to capture their attention from multiple angles. Think of ways to engage with them in meaningful, memorable ways such as participating in trends, managing social media campaigns and making branded content. This is especially useful for recruiters in Manchester, who can use social media to highlight exciting career opportunities or share success stories from past candidates.
Maintain a more conversational tone of voice – Gen Z likes to feel connected with brands and prefer friendly interactions that provide comfort and a sense of belonging. If this isn’t your company’s style, going down the educational route can also be beneficial as social media is often used as a search engine that Gen Z use to become more informed on topics and learn more about products and services, or even jobs in Manchester offered by local businesses.
Determine Your Brand’s Personality
For Gen Z, it isn’t just about the look and feel of a brand, it’s the brand's personality that really shines. The generation values personability and personalised efforts. It’s important when marketing your company that you not only focus on the what and how, but the why – what is your brand's story?By sharing the purpose of your brand, it helps create a more personal connection and gives customers something to believe in, instead of just purchase.
As Gen Z are very tech-savvy and socially inclined, they expect a lot from a brand's marketing efforts and customer service. Your online presence should be visually engaging and strong, which emphasises your brand's personality. Remember to identify your brand's voice, when doing so consider your company’s personality, and also your customers. How do they like to be spoken to? What draws them in? Gen Zers tend to prefer a relatable, friendly tone of voice which builds a trustworthy connection and will encourage brand loyalty. If you're in recruitment in Manchester, this approach can set you apart from competitors.
Build a Community
Gen Z have grown up around technology and social media, and these days social media platforms aren’t just used as a marketing tool but also to facilitate communication and customer service. Gen Zers are constantly searching for new ways to engage with and meet people similar to themselves. Brands can enable these forms of communication and conversation by building a community for like-minded individuals to connect with each other. Working with influencers can significantly boost your customer engagement and reach, however, using real, relatable people (even Gen Zers themselves), with interesting platforms and who embody brand values would truly appeal to Gen Z consumers.
User-generated content (UGC), such as blogs, videos, reviews and podcasts, is a great way for Gen Z customers to create and share their own content that can help build brand visibility and a sense of community. It emphasises a humanised approach and the idea that the product you are selling is available and made for everyone, and can be accomplished through contests, influencer marketing programmes or by sharing customer experiences on social media. It’s an authentic way of sharing experiences and building loyalty, as it gives customers a chance to be involved in the brand instead of remaining as a spectator. Having a strong community also provides more brand validation. People trust other people more than they do strategically placed marketing tactics. Whether you're a business owner or a recruiter in Manchester, building trust with Gen Z through genuine community engagement can create long-lasting loyalty.
You might think that Gen Z are hard to impress, and perhaps they are. Either way, Gen Z are reshaping today's marketing landscape. Businesses and recruitment agencies in Manchester are learning that they must alter their tactics to capture Gen Z's attention. Companies can forge lasting relationships with Gen Z and maintain an advantage over rivals in the competitive market of today by comprehending and putting these strategies into practice.
Gen Z are breaking the barrier and changing the expectations of brands. They value authentic, engaging marketing that prioritises entertainment and community over simply selling a product. Marketing towards Gen Z, whether to promote services or advertise jobs in Manchester, is a great way to connect with a different customer demographic and implement new and exciting marketing strategies that can significantly benefit your business in today’s society.