Move over, millennials. Generation Z is the newest market segment in town, and it’s time to learn how to market to them.
That’s because, according to CMO, Gen Z will make up 40 percent of all consumers by 2020. They’re already amassing an impressive amount of influence over their families’ funds. In 2015, they impacted $600 billion in family spending.
Print can offer a unique way to reach the newest generation if you can successfully leverage the pros of paper with Gen Z’s developing preferences.
Read on to find out how to reach that elusive Gen Z using print marketing.
How to Pique Gen Z’s Interest with Print Marketing
One of the cardinal rules of any marketing campaign is to know your audience. If you want to reach Gen Z, you need to know everything about them. So who is Gen Z?
The Center of Generational Kinetics published a 2017 white paper to answer that precise question. Here are a few takeaway points about the newest target audience.
They were born between 1996 and 2015. We won’t really know the true cut-off date until Gen Z has grown up a little more, but in general, they’re age 21 and under.
They have some traditional attitudes. While Gen Z is the first purely digital generation, they hold some old-school ideals when it comes to living debt-free and saving for retirement. You heard that right—kids 21 and younger are already planning for their post-career lifestyle.
They trust YouTube. Gen Z puts a lot of trust in social media. As much as 30 percent find YouTube ads more trustworthy than any other type of advertising. So advertising say a cabinet painting company on YouTube will go a long way.
They value realism. When deciding what to purchase, almost one-third of Gen Z said they want to hear from real customers who have purchased the product first.
They stick with their tribe. What’s the number one influencer Gen Z turns to before buying? Friends and family. Almost half said they check in with the people closest to them before making a purchase.
With a little ingenuity, you can turn this information into a fool-proof print marketing strategy.
Effective Print Marketing Techniques
As we’ve said, Gen Z has a surprisingly traditional bent when it comes to some things. They also value reality—and what’s more real than paper? You can play into those preferences through the use of printed materials. Follow these tips to learn how to tap into the youngest market.
Tickle Their Senses
Not only is Gen Z digitally savvy, some of these kids are mobile native, too. Some younger members started using their hands to manipulate technology before they could walk. Print is a great medium to tap into that natural dexterity.
That’s because printed materials are inherently tactile. They’re fun to touch, fold, and otherwise manipulate. You can take advantage of this by choosing a heavier stock of paper with tons of texture to tempt your audience away from their tech.
Make It Unique
Gen Z is the most ethnically diverse, gender fluid, pluralistic generation to date. They’re not bound by the boring, so your marketing materials shouldn’t be, either.
Tap into this generation’s love of the unusual by making something truly unique. Consider incorporating unusual shapes or an innovative layout in your marketing materials. Use bright colors and intricate, beautiful designs to draw their eyes to your message. Make materials so fun and engaging they won’t want to toss them aside.
Make Your Point—Quickly
Gen Zers are not particularly an attentive lot. You only have 8 seconds to make your case. That means you don’t have much time to grab their attention. And once you’ve got it, it might be a battle to hold on to it.
Opt for a clear, direct message when you market to Gen Z. Make sure they know what you’re all about the moment they pick up your flyer or brochure.
Create Something Shareable
We’ve already said that Gen Z keeps a pretty close relationship with friends and family. You can incorporate that into your print marketing campaign by making materials that encourage them to share with their friends.
Consider a booklet with tear-off coupons they can give to their friends. Encourage them to bring along someone else for a bigger discount.
Combine Your Print and Digital Campaigns
While paper might just speak to Gen Z’s surprisingly traditional ideas, make no mistake—these kids spend a lot of time online.
They prefer to shop on mobile devices, spend between two and four hours per day watching YouTube videos, and are three times more likely to respond a message sent on chat platform than an email.
It’s not enough to reach them only through print. Gen Z is online, and your marketing campaign needs to be, too.
By combining print and digital marketing campaigns, you can engage your audience wherever they are. Include your social media channels on your printed materials. Encourage your viewers to read your message and hop online to share their thoughts and comments.
If you want to make it easier for your audience to jump from paper to mobile, use QR codes or another augmented reality add-on in your brochures or flyers.
The more you integrate your digital and real-world presence, the better chance you have of reaching Gen Z.
Emphasize Sustainability
One of the biggest perceived drawbacks about print marketing is the idea that it takes a lot of resources to produce anything on paper. That perception makes a big difference when you’re targeting Gen Z. 76 percent of the generation worry about humans’ impact on the Earth.
With sustainable printing methods, you can create great marketing materials without running counter to Gen Z’s green ideals.
Despite some common misconceptions, sustainable printing produces beautiful, affordable results. Plus, it gives you an extra talking point with your audience.
For your next project, choose an alternative paper source—like sugar cane, bamboo, or even hemp—and play up its sustainability.
Reach Your Target Audience with Help from Royal Printers
At Royal Printers, we offer a robust catalogue of printing services to meet your every business need. We have 80 years of experience producing high-quality, consistent results for our clients. Let us put our expertise to work for your company.
Reach Your Target Audience with Help from Royal Printers
Speaking of combining digital marketing and print media, we would like to give credit to Coding Bull – Web Redesign Agency. They’ve helped us redesign the website so that it is easier and quicker for readers to understand the advantages of working with Royal Printers. We know people nowadays have a shorter and shorter attention span. By reconstructing the content of the website following the latest user behavioural data, we are now able to present all the essential information to our readers within a scroll.
