How to market to Gen Z consumers effectively

With the oldest members of Generation Z being born in the mid-late nineties, they’re a generation every business should pay attention to – even if you’re a Gen Z entrepreneur yourself! According to Statistics Canada, Gen Z has overtaken Gen X in terms of generational size.

As the younger members grow out of teenagehood and start getting jobs and money of their own, Gen Z will make up a large proportion of potential customers. As digital natives, they have their own preferences and habits that are worth understanding.

So, how do you market to Gen Z consumers effectively?

Email marketing program Campaign Monitor recently released a Gen Z Consumer Trends Index Report. It’s focused on American members of the generation, but there are similarities that Canadian business owners should know. For example:

  • More than half of Gen Z consumers made an in-app, mobile purchase in the past year
  • 84% of Gen Z consumers prefer authenticity and businesses that understand their specific needs
  • 70% of Gen Z takes data privacy very seriously
  • Interestingly, 74% of Gen Z are willing to share surface-level information about themselves (such as their hobbies) for better service
  • Just over half of Gen Z consumers participate in loyalty programs

To us, this data suggests Gen Z consumers respond best to marketing that feels tailored to them, making an authentic connection rather than making them feel like just a number. Help them feel like part of a rewarding community that deserves their loyalty. And, of course, mobile-friendly marketing options should be high on the priority list!

Check out the report here – how can you tweak your business’ marketing to engage the growing Generation Z demographic?

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3 ways to set your small business apart

Many Canadian entrepreneurs tell us that differentiating themselves from their competition is one of their main struggles. But the good news is: it doesn’t have to be painful! Try these 3 tips to help your small business stand out from your competitors.

1) Identify a specific niche

Understanding your business’ overall industry is important, since it’s home to many factors that can influence your business decisions. However, “niching down” even further is a great way to help your business find its differentiating characteristics. For example, your flower shop may be one of dozens of flower shops in your city. But what if customers knew that you were the only florist in town to source its flowers and plants from local growers? This is an immediate differentiating factor, and one that’ll help you stand out from the competition.

2) Ask your existing customers for their perspective

Your happy and loyal customers return to your business because they know and trust you. Asking them for their feedback could be a great way to help you stand out from the competition. The way you do this depends on your customer base. It could be an informal chat with your regulars, or a more traditional customer feedback survey – try a modified version of our quick eight-part customer survey. You may be surprised at the specific things your customers identify as your differentiating factors.

3) Consider a business pivot

A core component of the lean start-up methodology, pivoting is a useful way to iterate quickly based on customer feedback. If your customers identify a different platform, new technology, a new product feature, or something else, that can help you stand out in a crowded market, do some research to see if it could help you stand out from the rest.

Want to learn more about things like identifying your industry, picking a niche, customer satisfaction, and lean start-up? Check out our industry-leading small business training video program for Canadians.

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Small business blog 2022 in review

The end of another year already! We wanted to share some of our favourite 2022 blog posts, that we hope will be helpful going into 2023:

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How to generate brand awareness on a small budget

Are you just starting your small business? Have you been going for a while but are looking for cost-effective marketing ideas?

GoForth’s CEO and Founder Leslie McGeough has some tips to help! As one of our GoForth Experts, she was asked how to generate awareness of a business on a limited budget. Here are just three of her tips:

  • Get creative with social media. For example, post a behind-the-scenes Instagram video, or do a Facebook Live Q&A.
  • Partner with related, complimentary businesses to offer bundled services.
  • Investigate influencer marketing.

Click here for more of Leslie’s list of affordable marketing ideas!

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