How to Get Gen Z to Follow (and Love!) Your Brand

The Instagram generation (also known as Gen Z) is fussier about brands than any other in history.

In the past, Boomer buyers and Gen X (my generation) consumers would usually accept company claims and then move on. But social media and advanced communications technology is erasing that. Now businesses have to prove themselves online as never before. 

Part of this trend comes from the fact that practically anyone can set up an online business and start selling right now. They can put a kind of “skin” on everything they’re doing to make it look more professional than it is. 

Gen Z, however, can see through this. And that’s why so much of the content they consume is unpolished. They’re desperate to look at the real world through their digital devices, to the point where they are willing to accept its imperfections.

Here’s how to appeal to Gen Z in a genuine way without feeling fake or sleazy.

Think Purpose, Not Profit

Gen Z is the least happy and most high-strung generation ever, according to current data, and this anxiety is playing out in their social attitudes.

People just making money is no longer ethically acceptable to them. Companies also have to contribute to social good. 

So how do you get around this? The trick is to give your company a purpose, besides profits. You need to represent Gen Z’s values and improve the world in some way. 

If you don’t take this approach, you could be shunned by an entire generation using social media to tell everyone to boycott your brand. That’s not at all what you want. 

Gain Brand Loyalty Through Interactions

Gen Z wants more attention from brands, so how you interact with them matters. 

For instance, when hiring website design services, make sure to tell the agency to include text functionality so that you can chat with Gen Z customers interested in your brand. 

Being reachable has dramatically improved my business, so don’t hide behind your brand. Really seek out those meaningful interactions.

Also, try to create interactive brand campaigns that capture their collective imaginations. You want something that they can take part in, either on social media or in real life when the economy opens up again. 

Be Relatable

Gen Z is currently suffering from an epidemic of alienation. They’re not sure how to connect with businesses, or even whether they offer them anything of value. 

Make yourself and your business more relatable. Don’t talk to them “from on high.” Instead, steep yourself in their culture and build your branding around cues they find acceptable. 

Focus on Mobile Design

Around 75 percent of all Gen Z use a smartphone to browse the internet. By contrast, only around 30 percent ever use desktop. Thus, this is the most mobile generation in history. 

Gen Z likes to do their shopping online, primarily because of convenience. That means that your brand needs to optimize mobile content as early as possible, create a mobile-friendly website theme, and make checkout a breeze. 

Looking for a mobile friendly website theme? Beaver Builder is my favorite user-friendly WordPress page builder.

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