When marketing your moving business, it’s important to define who you’re marketing to. Different demographics respond to different things. The target of your marketing will, therefore, determine your strategy. For this reason, determining your target demographic is always the first step to developing an effective marketing strategy. But before you answer this very important question, remember one thing: in business, you must always think long-term. And as younger generations begin to take over as the biggest spenders, you need to start thinking about targeting Gen Z consumers. So what do moving industry marketing experts have to say about promoting your business to young adults?
What is so special about targeting Gen Z consumers?
Every generation is unique in its own way. But when it comes to moving company marketing, Generation Z is special. This is the first generation that grew up with the internet readily available and social media as a part of everyday life. They’re tech-savvy and expect you to be as well. What is more, they’ve been seeing marketing efforts all around them their whole lives and they can see through them. Better informed and more socially conscious than their predecessors, the young adults of Generation Z are not your typical consumer. So marketing to them cannot be typical either.
The best marketing strategies for targeting Gen Z consumers
If you want to advertise your moving company to Generation Z, you’ll need to try some things that you probably didn’t think of before. Here are some things to incorporate in your marketing strategy when targeting young people:
Be authentic
Having grown up in the era of mass media, Gen Z has seen all kinds of marketing including all the major marketing fails that have been haunting big brands for decades. They know when you’re being dishonest and they don’t appreciate it. Instead, they prefer it if you’re just being yourself. Build your brand around your authentic personality. If you’re a bit quirky, funny, friendly, even a little awkward – let that show through your marketing. You’ll come off as relatable and likable, which is a lot better than being fake.
Promote your values
We live in a time of social and political turmoil. No one understands that better than the young people most affected by the consequences of social issues. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they want to fix these problems and make the world a better place. They care about causes such as animal rights, climate change, social justice, and peace. One way to appeal to them is to show that you care as well. So throw your weight behind a movement you believe in, not just in name but in action too. Donate to charity organizations, participate in protests, and organize petitions. Gen Z consumers will appreciate your passion.
Follow the trends
In business, there’s nothing worse than lagging behind everyone else. Not only will you miss out on opportunities, but you will also hurt your image by appearing outdated. This is never more of an issue than when you’re targeting young people with your marketing. Gen Z are the ones setting the trends so they will know if you’re missing the mark. To avoid missing out on potential conversions, make sure to do regular market research to find out what the latest marketing trends are and follow them.
Try new platforms
It’s no secret that different media platforms attract different demographics. If you’re trying to attract seniors, you’ll do well with printed ads and TV spots. If you’re aiming for millennials, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter will be much more fertile ground. But if your target is Gen Z, you’ll need to branch out some more. While Generation Z still uses many of the social media we’re all used to, they’re always creating new ones as well. So make sure to create a TikTok account for your business – that’s where you’ll find the younger crowds.
Focus on visual and interactive content more
New platforms are not the only change that you’ll have to make when marketing to Gen Z. Even on existing platforms, they appreciate creativity. So you’ll need to invest in novel forms of content as well. Visual content such as infographics and short videos are a very effective format that users of all generations can appreciate. But don’t stop there – Gen Z consumers don’t like to passively absorb content, they prefer to have a hand in it. Interactive content will, therefore, attract them a lot more. Try calculators, planners, checklists, quizzes, apps, and more.
Optimize for mobile
The joke about young people always being on their phones is actually not so much a joke as the truth. With millennials and Gen Z as the largest portion of the market today, more than 50% of all traffic comes from mobile devices. That number is only predicted to rise in the future. So it’s no wonder that responsive web design and SEO have become intrinsically linked – marketing to people who use mobile devices is simply a must and any serious marketing professional knows this. Make sure that your website is optimized for mobile, loads fast, and looks good on all devices.
Respond to feedback
One of the things you need to understand about Gen Z is that they are not just passive consumers. They are engaged and active; they will leave honest reviews, share their opinions about different companies on social media, and even organize boycotts if they’re not happy. You should see this as an opportunity – responding to their concerns will score you tons of points. So reply to reviews and social media messages. But more importantly, if you notice the same criticisms over and over again – take them under advisement. Changing in a way that your customers appreciate is not a bad thing!
Why is targeting Gen Z consumers important?
Despite the common misconception, millennials and Gen Z are very much not the same. The marketing strategies that work on millennials won’t always work on Gen Z (and vice versa); instead, you’ll need to develop new tactics if you want to expand your customer base to the younger generations. But given that millennials still make up more of the working and spending force than Gen Z, why should you bother with targeting Gen Z consumers at all? The answer is simple – you need to think about the future. Gen Z might not make up most of your customers today or tomorrow, but they will soon. If you convert them now, you can count on years of loyalty in the future!