Generation Z, composed of people born between 1996 and 2014, falling between Millennials and Generation Alpha. A more appropriate name for Gen Z might be “a group of children and young adults who have always had the internet.”
In 2020, Gen Z accounted for 40 percent of all consumers, so it is crucial to figure out how to market to them. They are well-informed consumers and social media experts; they have a short attention span and a very different perspective on what influences their purchases and commitments. Most importantly, their brand loyalty is not strong, and can easily decline if expectations are not met.
The six ways to help your school expand your reach and attract Generation Z are:
1. Understand the Way They Use Social Media
Gen Z has no memory of a time when you had to tie up your landline phone to use dial-up Internet because they have always had access to the Internet through a variety of devices. A recent study showed that 95 percent of Gen Z have a smart device and 45 percent are on it “almost constantly.”
Each social media platform has developed a unique way of appeal to Generation Z users. In order to grab their attention and trust, it is important to understand the purpose of each app from their perspective.
What are the five most common social media platforms?
Instagram & Snapchat
For Gen Z, Instagram and Snapchat are the most important platforms for their social lives. These young people use both of these platforms to show off the best moments of their lives.
Generation Z loves quick, visual content, so Instagram stories and Snapchats are great ways to produce this type of content. Your stories will probably get more engagement than your regular posts because they are shorter and more to the point.
For schools, it may not be practical to incorporate Snapchat into your communications strategy. In order to create content your prospective and current Gen Z community wants to engage with, you should follow a few best practices:
- If you want to increase the reach of your photos, you can use a location and up to thirty hashtags on Instagram. This will help you appear in the feeds of potential followers.
- Make an “ask.” Gen Z loves engaging with the brands they care about, and that includes your school. Ask them to tag or comment on your posts to make them feel more connected and grow your organic reach.
- Your photos need to be high quality if you want to get Gen Z’s attention. Vibrant colors and sharp images are key to getting them to stop mid-scroll.
- As Gen Z has grown up using Instagram, they are used to its features. If your account has the capability, use the “swipe up” feature to draw your audience to a desired landing page. You should also incorporate polls, stickers, questions, and other interactive story features to encourage engagement.
- Before you can analyze your school’s Instagram account, you need to make sure it’s set up as a Business page. This will give you access to post insights, which you can use to see which posts and stories are generating leads. By studying your insights, you can learn what your audience is responding to most positively.
Twitter is the perfect platform for Gen Z-ers who have a short attention span and prefer their information straight to the point.
What should go in a person’s 280-character Twitter post? The facts. That is what people go to Twitter for, after all – they want the truth. Generation Z is not using Twitter to show off their life or to connect with friends; they are going there to find out what is happening in the world, in short, bite sized chunks of information.
Share news from campus, accolades, news articles or press releases, or simple updates on your school community site to stay connected with your audience.
You can post an intriguing back-to-school picture on Instagram, while on Twitter you should focus on tweeting about the new award-winning changes to your program for the upcoming semester.
Facebook is not popular with young people, who see it as a place where adults communicate and catch up. Therefore, if you want to reach out to this age group, Facebook is not the best platform to use. You may consider it when communicating with your prospects’ parents however!
Facebook is a hub of information for its users. If someone wants to know what people are saying about a certain restaurant, they can go to the restaurant’s Facebook page to see reviews, pictures from real guests, hours of operation, and more.
Although Gen Z may not be interested in Facebook, don’t forget the importance of compelling content. This is relevant to all audiences, not just Gen Z.
YouTube
YouTube is a great place to find reviews and learn about the things that Gen Z loves. So take advantage of it!
If a 16-year-old is moving to Columbia, MO next week and doesn’t know anything about the area, they might use YouTube to get a better understanding of what it’s like. With a few quick searches like “Columbia, MO virtual tour” or “Columbia, MO,” the 16-year-old can gain a better sense of what to expect in their new town. It’s amazing that we have technology that can make someone feel like they’re somewhere they’re not.
When thinking about how to get your audience to commit to your school through video, consider what you can do to make them feel comfortable and excited about learning more. Perhaps you can provide a tour of the campus and town, or build a personal connection with staff through interviews. Keep in mind how video can be used to create a strong impact and gauge their interest in your program.
McCallie School in Tennessee uses YouTube to share a variety of short, 1-3 minute videos that showcase campus life and culture. They have over 2,000 subscribers.
Social Media Integration
Because Gen Z loves social media, it is important to integrate it into your website. You can use a tool like Finalsite Feeds to integrate content from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and more to build an engaging collection of the latest social media content in a single location — the perfect experience for this social media loving generation.
2. Impress Them In 8 Seconds
If you want to engage Gen Z-ers with your video content, you have about 8 seconds to do so. This is because they are very selective about what they watch online and only give their attention to content that is worth their time.
They are happy to spend a lot of time looking at online content, but because they grew up using the internet, they are choosy about what they will give their time to.
This means that you need to be clear about what your video will consist of in the first 8 seconds.
If you want to make a video that will appeal to current students, start with a student saying “I love my school because…” and then show extended footage of your campus.
Make sure to include captions on all of your videos. A lot of people scroll through social media without the sound on, so captions make sure the message gets across. They might also convince viewers to turn the sound on once they read what your video is about.
3. Keep Your Content Real
The most important thing for Gen Z-ers is that posts are authentic.
This means that potential students are not interested in hearing sales slogans like “The Best School in the World!” It is more important to show the real side of your school, such as the student body, professors, campus, and history.
To market your school effectively, use real photos, videos, and stories. You don’t need to explicitly state why attending your school is a good idea; focusing on the positive aspects of your school will do that on its own.
4. Recruit the People They Trust
Peers are highly influential to members of Gen Z. Therefore, schools should use testimonials from people around the same age as students rather than from celebrity alumni to encourage enrollment.
If you want to reach Generation Z, try using social media influencers. You don’t need to find someone who has hundreds of thousands of followers. A number of micro-influencers with 2,000 to 10,000 followers can have a big impact.
There are a few ways you can get footage or photos of students for your website. One way is to ask first or second year students if you can take pictures or videos of them during a typical school day. When you post the photos or videos online, be sure to tag the students in them. Doing this will likely cause the students to share your content with their followers.
Hashtag campaigns are a great way to get your message out to student influencers. By using a hashtag, you can make sure that your message is seen by a wide audience.
The reach of a student’s post about where they’re going to college can have an impact when multiplied by the number of unique posts.
5. Focus on the Practicality of a Degree
One surprising thing about Gen Z is their practicality. They grew up during 9/11, the wars that followed, and an economic roller coaster.
This generation will be the first to have to confront the full effects of climate change.
This uncertainly has led to a generation who is prepared for challenges they anticipate being full of unique,unpredictable obstacles. They want to be in a secure position, financially and otherwise, to withstand whatever the future may hold. This generation is driven to find a career with stability and benefits, rather than taking chances that things will work out for them.
For this reason, they’re bound to be concerned with three things:
- The likelihood they will find a job upon graduation
- How much the job will pay
- How much school will cost.
Talking about how affordable your school is a good way to address the concerns of students who are considering attending.
Make sure to include information about tuition and other costs on your website, as well as job placement rates, average salary of graduates, and scholarship opportunities. This will make attending your school more practical for potential students.
6. Showcase What Makes Your School Important
Gen Z students are looking to change the world and be a part of something much larger than themselves. The college they choose will play a big role in their identity formation.
You can satisfy this desire by talking up the social and environmental justice history and present day activity of your university.
You could probably come up with a variety of other examples in which your school demonstrates civic engagement. Does your school have any innovative new technologies for a future without fossil fuels? If so, promote it. If your school played an active role in the Civil Rights Movement, promote that too. You could probably think of other examples where your school has demonstrated civic engagement.
If your school has made an impact on the world, you will be able to attract new students who want to do the same thing.
The text is discussing Generation Z, who are unique in that they have high expectations and a lot of options. It can be tough to let go of old methods and explore new ones, but it will be worth it since 40% of consumers were already from Gen Z by 2020.
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