Nowadays, TikTok has become way more than a social media platform. With around 150 million active users in the US and with an average user who is an adult well past college age and nine in ten customers say that videos help them make buying decisions. Gen Z, those born between 1997 and 2012, are particularly fond of this social network where videos follow one another continuously, which makes TikTok a platform that easily reaches this segment. But they’re not the only ones TikTok can reach. A Horizon study found that 20% of parents of this younger generation are often influenced by their children. Indeed, these children also use the app as a reference for finding restaurants, places to visit, gift ideas, and much more.
WHY DOES TIKTOK ATTRACT GEN Z ?
Gen Z is a generation that grew up immersed in technology and social media from a very young age. They love things that are fluid, entertaining, and connected to the world. TikTok is therefore the perfect tool to meet their needs. The videos they scroll through all day long are short, funny, trending, and driven by a highly personalized algorithm that never disappoints.
On this app, users can follow not only the stars they admire but also ordinary people from all types of demographics with whom they identify and connect through their content and personalities. Indeed, since TikTok gives everyone a voice and visibility, everyone can express their personality and creativity through varied content that will reach a specific target audience and build genuine communities.
HOW BRANDS ADAPT THEIR STRATEGIES FOR GEN Z ?
Gen Z now represents a growing share of the market and a target audience that differs from those brands have encountered until now.
To successfully target this segment, brands must therefore adapt their digital marketing strategies to their behaviors: their ways of thinking, communicating, expressing needs, etc.
Brands must then reinvent themselves to reach new standards and demonstrate a fresh creativity that resonates with young people. TikTok is therefore a powerful tool for achieving this. Thanks to the ease of interaction not only between users but also with the brands themselves, it offers an opportunity to increase the proximity between brands and their customers. Gen Z often seeks authenticity and inspirations from their favorite influencers on the Chinese social network, creating new spaces for brands that wish to engage with this young audience. In fact, 80% of consumers say they decide to buy a product or service after it has been promoted by influencers.
But that’s not the only way. Brands themselves must be able to reinvent themselves through their Tiktok marketing strategy, adapting to new trends, particularly by following those shared by these new influencers who act as trusted figures within their communities.
THE IMPACT ON BRAND ENGAGEMENT
A brand that has perfectly understood how to reach the new generation on TikTok will be able to increase their consumers’ engagement with their brand, since this social network offers the opportunity to build a dynamic and varied marketing strategy that resonates with the new lifestyle of Gen Z, a segment that loves innovation and entertainment. Thanks to this TikTok marketing strategy, brands can easily insert themselves into the daily lives of these consumers and create an emotional attachment to their products; brands gain proximity and therefore loyalty, boosting their brand awareness and driving sales.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Forbes. (2023, November 15). How marketers can target Gen Z: Tapping into social media and TikTok. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/meganpoinski/2023/11/15/how-marketers-can-target-gen-z-tapping-into-social-media-and-tiktok/
Dept Agency. (n.d.). Why Gen Z loves TikTok: Being real and nostalgia. Dept Agency. https://www.deptagency.com/insight/why-gen-z-loves-tiktok-being-real-and-nostalgia/
HEC Montréal Digital. (n.d.). Influenceurs et campagnes marketing numérique. Digital HEC. https://digital.hec.ca/blog/influenceurs-campagne-marketing-numerique/