At this year’s Content Summit Australia event, we had the opportunity to listen to a variety of panels and segments covering marketing techniques and shared knowledge from local professionals in the field. One of the key discussions we found particularly important was how to tailor your marketing strategy to effectively engage with Generation Z (Gen Z), a key audience on social media.

With Gen Z being a social-first, digitally native, and highly influential generation with 94% of individuals on all social platforms, it can mean a world of difference for a brand to tap into this age group. Flo Le Mens, the Social Media Lead at the Queensland University of Technology, discussed what can be achieved when brands start to understand their audience on social media. He highlighted the importance of authentic engagement and how to adapt your content to align with Gen Z’s preferences to lead to better connections and increased brand loyalty.

Here’s what you need to know

A powerful new shift has been evolving over the last few years with Instagram and TikTok changing the way we research. Gen Z now values finding information on social media compared to using the Google search bar, with Instagram and TikTok becoming preferred search engines and the proof is in the pudding with 46% of Gen Z favouring socials for search.

Putting brand identities onto social media platforms can help raise awareness, build trust and create deeper and more meaningful connections with the right target audiences. Positioning a brand on social media where Gen Z is already searching can make it easier to capture their attention and drive organic engagement straight to a brand’s social page.

Gen Z wants real stories and relatable content while being able to absorb the information and knowledge quickly. We learned from the panellist that having a sense of irony, sarcasm, humour, identity and intertwining a sense of belonging in a brand’s content and messaging goes a long way and drives audiences in!

With decreasing attention spans, creating quick videos that are visually engaging and easily digestible is the way forward. Because our Instagram and TikTok feeds are filled with endless information, knowledge and satirical and humorous content, cutting through with relatable, short, concise and digestible videos the Gen Z audience will resonate with helps brands capture the attention of active social media users.

By tapping into current wider trends, formats and trending songs, marketers can create content that not only stops the scroll but also fosters genuine engagement and interaction while staying relevant.

As social media evolves, so do the ways Gen Z interacts with social media platforms. The key will be to keep adapting, experimenting, innovating, using AI to illuminate the way and most importantly, understanding the influential Generation Z and their values.

As Gen Z has a craving for authenticity and quick, engaging content on their feed, marketers will need to leverage the right trends and have their target audience top of mind to keep creating content that sparks curiosity and encourages participation and organic sharing among social media users.