Every marketing campaign starts with a hundred questions: “Is it the right approach to deliver the brand message? Is the right approach to engaging these customers? How should we think about this? Do I know my audience? What actually works? What is the best targeting strategy? Am I sharing content the right way? Am I using the right analytics to measure success?” Your main goal is to create a positive experience every time your customers interact with you, so let’s see how you can make that happen by answering the simpler: “Who? Where and How?”.
WHO?
You need to know exactly who are you communicating with. You can’t achieve brand loyalty without a clear understanding of who your customers are, understanding is the key to providing good service. In 2019 you’re the largest crowd is Generation Z. Their buying power is estimated to be about 44 billion USD. But, unlike Millenials, this generation is unlikely to live on their own, thus they are also responsible for another 600 billion USD of influencing the family purchasing. So, move over, Millenials! Gen Z is the demanding crowd that grew up online and were born into a digitally transformed world. Marketers face an entirely new consumer mentality in Gen Z. They prefer video to any other content, love custom visuals and are ready to spend tons of money on food and drinks. But, the most important thing for brands to remember is: Generation Z know that they will be changing the world and feel that brands need to fully support and share their morals and values. Here’s a statistic you should know by heart: a survey by DoSomething Strategic shows that a whopping 67% have stopped buying or will consider ignoring the brand completely if the company’s message doesn’t reflect their values.
WHERE & HOW?
You have to be everywhere your customers are.
Offline: reach your customers with Digital signage and DOOH. Digital out-of-home is the best way of advertising to just about anyone. We all spend a lot of time outside thus creative dynamic DOOH is a safe bet for any marketer, it is a great way to tell your brand’s story, make a statement with your advertising, engage people and build customer loyalty. Additionally, digital signage is a must-have for anyone trying to reach tech-savvy customers: interactivity, artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, personalization and gamification are very welcome and much preferred by Gen Z-ers. Compared to Millennials they are slightly wealthier and have a bit more money to spend on shopping – they prefer to spend more on food and clothing, though spending a huge portion online they prefer to shop at brick-and-mortar store, they identify as gender-fluid and appreciate gender-neutral marketing as stated in the “Looking Ahead to Gen Z: Demographic Patterns and Spending Trends, 2018” of Packaged Facts. This means that there’s a big chance you’ll be able to reach them with your messaging in stores, restaurants, movie theaters, etc. Make their life easier and entertaining by introducing DS innovations: install wayfinding devises, smart shelves, offer personalized in-store advertising and shopping, use interactive digital try-on mirrors, stream UGC, incorporate digital POP displays, entertain customers with screens in the lines or waiting rooms, use digital menus, and so on.
Note! Invest in awesome digital signage soft. The right software is one of those things that fall into the “crucial” category when talking about boosting customer loyalty. We cannot stress this enough: bad visual content won’t win you points with anyone, especially the Gen Z. Research shows that you’ll have about 8 seconds of undivided attention from most of your digital consumers. That is why investing is a professional quality soft with beautiful eye-catching designs, easy to read templates and the ability to run interactive content is a must. The majority of Gen Z-ers are qualified for and work or hope to work in the tech industry, so, when looking for DS company that can communicate with your biggest audience, check out someone young. We have been working for 2 years now with Kit Cast, a young and successful digital signage software company with few Gen Z-ers on board. Check out their blog, you’ll get a better idea of who they are and see their high-tech innovative approach to DS: https://blog.kitcast.tv/.
Online: Social Media is the KING
Almost all of the social platforms are the perfect way to get your message across to Generation Z. Their favorite social networks are YouTube, Vine, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitch. You need to have a clear understanding of formats used on every platform: don’t just flood all of your channels with the same marketing materials, it’ll backfire. Video is always your best bet for engagement, stock photos are the best way to quickly lose your client base and subscribers. Always opt for professional quality visual content, adjust storyline according to your audience, and pay attention to your targeting. Generation Z is all about personalized messaging. Since nowadays technology allows you to target people based on their online preferences and behavior, that is exactly how you should be reaching them with your ads. Lastly, start working with influencers. People identify with them, as they feel influencers represent and reflect their values. There is a reason why YouTube influencers are now strutting on the red Met Gala carpet alongside Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian or Taylor Swift. YouTube-famous means 96 million subscribers, like Felix Kjellberg’s PewDiePie channel. And we can name 96 million reasons why you should try to work with him.