Marketing to Gen-Z: what colleges need to know

Gen Z is the most hyper-connected generation, meaning that by the time they all reach college age, digital, online, and mobile-first marketing will be vital to your strategy.

Generation Z (also known as centennials), refers to the generation that was born between 1996-2010, following millennials.

A few insightful statistics for you about this digital-savvy generation:

• More than 74% of Gen Z says they spend their free time online. (Insititute of Business Management)
• 66% of Gen Z reports using more than one internet-connected device at a time. (Institute of Business Management)
• In the UK, Gen Z spends an average of 10.6 hours online each day. (Adobe)
• Roughly 75% of Gen Z most frequently uses a smartphone over computers and other devices. (Institute of Business Management)
• On average, Gen Z will pay attention to content for a span of eight seconds -- four less than millennials. (VisionCritical)
• One of the top factors that draw Gen Z's attention to items is an aesthetically pleasing product shot. (Vision Critical)
• 60% of Gen Z will not use an app or website that loads too slowly. (Institute of Business Management)

See the full list of Gen-Z statistics compiled by HubSpot.

So, what does this mean for colleges?

If you work in a college, you are probably familiar with Gen-Z already (many will already be your students!) but as we learn more about this generation, the way that you market your organisation will need to adapt meet their expectations and interests.

This is a great time to audit your digital strategy, and see if you're missing out on any Gen Z-friendly platforms.

Video

The recent (and rapid) rise of video app TikTok is an example of the speed that this generation move on digital platforms, it is also a reminder to not overlook video! A recent report from Criteo showed that Gen Z individuals stream videos for roughly 23 hours each week. In 2020 video should be a well-embedded tool in your college marketing toolkit.

Speed

Speed and convenience is key for this generation and a slow, clunky website (especially one that is not mobile-optimised) is just not going to cut it anymore. If you are aiming your marketing efforts at Gen Z, then you should be thinking about how to make your website faster and more user-friendly. From optimising images, to planning your menu structure with a mobile-first approach, if your website is slow it will be turning your prospective students off before they have even engaged with you.

Try this free Website Grader to see how your site measures up.

Inbound approach

A report from Vision Critical found that 69% of Gen Z finds online ads disruptive. This is a generation with more online content at their fingertip than ever before. If you are interrupting their experience with annoying or irrelevant ads, then you are going to annoy rather than entice.

This is where implementing the inbound marketing methodology comes in, put your prospective students first by offering them the information they need, when and where they want to find it.

Make sure that your site and content clearly show how you add value to your student's lives; through imagery, video and written content.

Develop your Gen Z personas

Knowing which personas you are targeting with your marketing efforts is key, time developing your Gen Z personas will be time well spent. Here's a handy, free persona development tool.

Do you want a free website audit? Arrange a free consultation.