If you’re attempting to reach Millennials and Generation Z through television advertising, you’re doing it wrong.
According to VidMob’s State of Social Video study, Americans in these two distinct generations have replaced the television consumption of Gen X and Baby Boomers with the short videos and stories posted on social media apps. The study, which surveyed 1,000 individuals in the 16-to-24 age bracket (Gen Z) and 1,000 of those between 25 and 34 (millennials) across the nation, found that younger people are — unsurprisingly — prime targets for video ads on their favorite social networks.
What Does This Mean For Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
Your company already offers a fantastic product. But so do lots of other companies. So how do you tap the power of social media to help your company grow?
There’s one obvious takeaway from this data: young people love social media. But you already knew that. What you may not have known is that social video in particular can have a major impact on your target demo. That being said, remember that young people aren’t the only ones checking their social media feeds. Up to 46% of consumers’ purchase decisions are now influenced in part by social media.
That doesn’t mean traditional ads are obsolete. Up to 54% of consumers say they still like direct mail marketing, which is still a common method for sending out coupons and ads. But that’s definitely not the way to go with consumers ages 16 to 34. The study revealed that 33% of millennials’ digital time is spent watching video. That number rises to 41% for Gen Z. The latter generation is even more eager to gobble up “stories” shared on platforms like Snapchat and Instagram, as 70% of young people now watch these short videos regularly.
Of course, that doesn’t mean any video advertisement will do. Once you’ve decided to use social video in your company’s marketing strategy, you still have work to do to obtain social media marketing benefits.
You Have The Medium, But What About the Message?
Fortunately, thanks to remarketing tools, social media lets companies cater the message to the millennial, so to speak. And since 91% of consumers are more likely to shop with a brand that remembers their preferences and provides relevant recommendations, that’s good news for savvy digital marketers.
In general, these younger users like tutorials, hacks, how-tos, unboxings, vlogs, and even pranks. But both generations seek out video content for products or services they’re thinking about purchasing at about an equal rate (about one-fourth).
As far as advertisements on these platforms go, both millennials and Gen Zers want to see ads that speak to their own style and taste. Traditional ad personalization methods, like using gender or age as a marker, aren’t nearly as effective for these users. And 44% of Gen Zers and 34% of millennials are annoyed by brands when their ads are overly repetitive — which means it’s more important than ever for brands to create fresh content on a regular basis.
It’s no real shock that social media has replaced traditional television in the minds of younger generations. Around 660,000 drivers use cell phones or electronic devices while driving, a problem that’s even worse among the 16-to-24 demographic. But it’s not just Gen Z that suffers from cell phone dependency. Around 23% of millennials say social media has a significant influence on their choice of travel destination, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a member of either generation that doesn’t have social media accounts and a smartphone addiction.
You Ignore Social Video At Your Peril
If marketers want to stay relevant, it’s time to embrace social media sharing — and specifically, social video. Because social media users are constantly bombarded with content, it takes a concerted effort to actually stand out and make a sale. Most of all, you’ll want to make sure your ads are original and portray a true reflection of this audience. If you can hit young people where it counts — right in the feels — you can keep them watching (and buying).
