

Apr 02 How to Engage Generation Z with Influencer Marketing

While many brands are still fixated on Millennials, the next generation is slowly on the rise: Generation Z.


And there are many differences between Gen Z and the generations that came before them that can impact your influencer marketing strategy.

>>Download our Free Whitepaper: Influencer Marketing and Generation Z<<

To start, Gen Z is comprised of those born after 1995. They are the first generation to really grow up surrounded by technology, surrounded by a social media world, and they are on their phones constantly with 90% owning a smartphone.

Additionally, this generation practically lives on YouTube. And what's most important for brands to remember is Generation Z only has about an eight-second attention span, so you must capture their attention very quickly.

Gen Z is also looking for inspiration in a different way than older generations. They aren’t really on Pinterest where you find extremely aspirational content, or looking at perfectly curated, perfectly filtered Instagram handles. They're looking for real people that they can relate to with real stories.

Ironically, Millennials tried to curate this “best life” on social and increasingly the generation following them felt that this wasn’t an ideal lifestyle. Instead, they’re showing real-life moments, and that’s reflected in the types of people they're choosing to follow. Because when it comes to influencer marketing, they're not following celebrities. They don't feel like they can relate to celebrities, and so it's more important for brands to focus on finding the right type of micro-influencer to work.

Many of these concepts support the notion of implementing an ambassador strategy if you’re trying to reach this audience. By using the same influencers on an ongoing basis, influencers get better communicating about the brand and it enforces the message that an influencer honestly likes the brand they’re working with. It's not just hocking a product, it's about reinforcing that authentic relationship.

Conversely, Gen Z can and will sniff out greenwashing. If your brand tries to just talk about doing good things and spends a lot of money advertising good things and then takes very little time to actually do good things, they're likely to call out your brand.

If you’re interested in learning more about Generation Z and how you can engage them through influencer marketing, download our latest white paper. Gen Z has already become a fascinating generation that’s going to be increasingly powerful for buying over the next 10+ years.