A New World (Wide Web) Order: Top 5 Tips for working with Millennial vs Generation Z Social Media Influencers

Two Millennials and a GenZ-er walk into a bar…

The Millennials quickly leave because, like, ugh. How are they supposed to get a good ‘gram of their Aperol Spritz in this lighting? The GenZ-er goes solo, settles into a back booth, orders a whiskey neat with their fake id and shares a grainy selfie. Welcome to 2019. It’s not… “pretty.”

Though much of Generation Z (born after 1995) still has to ask for a hall pass to go potty, there is no denying their presence in media and their budding impact on society. They are just starting to enter the workforce, but GenZ has produced some awesome social media influencers who have been doing werk for a while now. Many don’t remember a time (or weren’t born) when there wasn’t social media. Even before they had their own accounts, their parents created baby accounts and hashtags for them.Their lives have been online from day one and they’ve grown up with ‘influence’ coming at them from all sides. Now that they’re coming of age, GenZ is putting their own spin on the Millennial-ruled social scene, one TikTok and unfiltered picture at a time.

Who Run The World?

…GenZ

Generation Z is moving in on the Millennial social reign and brands, retailers and marketers should take note. We may not understand everything about these youngin’s quite yet, but it won’t be long until we’re asking them for help stabilizing our hologram messages (This ish is comin!). It’s time to pass the crown, so let’s dig into what this new world order has in store for us and how to best work with Generation Z.

Millennial vs. Generation Z

We’re both young, obsess over oatmilk and Netflix and can be found consumed by our phones in our favorite habitat:  overpriced coffee shops. So how can you tell us apart in the wild?

You’re, Like, Really Pretty

Let’s start with the oldies, but goodies: Millennials. We’re older, dreamier, and care a lot about what others think (even if we say we don’t). Our style is pristine and bold and we think that we’re, like, really pretty. Also, the eldest of us inevitably had to start adulting, so you can find us driving minivans (cool ones, though), paying mortgages and frequenting Home Depot on the weekends.  

Natural Social Media Habitat: Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, Reddit, Facebook, Snapchat… and for old times sake, MySpace + Vine (RIP..we loved you)

Age Range: 1980-1994, Current age – 26-40

Behavioral Characteristics:
-Bright walls and street art are irresistible. Photos must be taken with them.
-Appearance may be different in the wild. Filters and presets are often used on their images.
-Common to find them standing on chairs or tables to take pictures of smoothies and lattes.
-Often wearing athletic attire when not exercising and have no plans to exercise that day.
-Constantly checking Instagram for an update of their recent post’s likes and comments.

-Mottos include YOLO (You Only Live Once) and Treat Yo’ Self, championing all to “live your best life.”

Summary:

Millennials are the dreamers and the do-ers! Traditional 9-5’s in a cubical on the 16th floor? No, thanks. Instead, we will hold three part-time jobs while crushing our side-hustle at night until we can fully become self-employed entrepreneurs. We’re often misunderstood as “lazy” by older generations because our idea of success isn’t the cookie-cutter career and family of the 50s.

Millennials are the first generation of social media users. It was created for us, by us (Shouts to FUBU, a 90s millennial fashion fave). Social media really started to blossom right when we reached our self-conscious, awkward adolescence, causing us to care a lot about what others thought simply because we were now projected across the interweb for all to see. Just imagine going into Freshman Year of highschool wondering if your image was on the Hot or Not website (a depressing, very public and addictive precursor of today’s Tinder).  To cope, we found ways to look prettier, seem cooler, and fill our feeds with perfection. To the online world, we have perfect skin, vacation constantly and our kids are little angels.

The Millennial online image requires work – a lot of work. We take a million pictures to get the right shot, we strategically plan our posts so that our feed flows beautifully, and our captions take eleven rewrites. What we put on the internet is a longstanding representation of ourselves and we only put our best feed forward.

Example:

Carissa Burton – @carissa_burton.

An NYC-based Millennial influencer whose feed includes beautiful food, travel and leisurely city-life. She’ll have you simultaneously drooling and booking flights in just a few scrolls.

We are the Weirdos, Mister

Hold onto your avocados, we’re about to do a 180° to dive into the refreshingly weird world of Generation Z. They’re realistic, self-assured, pessimistic and unadorned. Listen to one song by their current Queen, Billie Ellish and you’ll get their vibe. Dark, contemplative, chill and friggin’ cool. They don’t give AF about nobody, but everybody about to give AF about them.

Natural Social Media Habitat: YouTube, YouTube, YouTube… Reddit, TikTok, Twitch, Instagram, Snapchat

Age Range: 1995-2015, Current age – 5 – 25

Behavioral Characteristics:
-Attracted to financial plans and clear career advancements. Security is sexy.
-Lifestyle is “basic” (in the most literal, non-Millennial way). Serve them a glittery latte at your own risk.
– Exceptional opposable thumb scrolling skill. Moves quickly between various online platforms.
– Gender? Nah, don’t try to put that on them.
– Inclusive, honest, and value helping others. AKA, really good people.
– Found in basements or unkempt bedrooms entertained by gaming systems and live streams.
– Wholeheartedly dismissive of unicorns, fairytales and the idea of having to walk into a store to buy something.

Summary:

Generation Z is the first to grow up with the internet and smart technology.  The idea of childhood has changed because of it and we’re just now seeing the how playing Minecraft instead of Marco Polo creates some seriously tech savvy adults. The world has always been at their fingertips, and that’s something older generations are still trying to grasp.  

GenZ-ers are distrustful of, basically, the world, but secure in themselves. They know who they are and don’t hide it. Their equivalent of the popular Millennial caption “felt cute, might delete” might be “felt normal, f*ck you.” Their anxiety is insane. Think about if your first memories took place around 9/11. Terrorism, school shootings, Trump being Trump. How could they not be worried and distrustful? As a teen, I had never heard the word “collusion.” Today, 10-year-olds can discuss Mueller’s report. WTF.

via GIPHY

Though technology has made way for seemingly endless opportunities, most of GenZ has grown up during a recession and because of that, have a very pragmatic view of their life goals. Watching their parents struggle with college debt is pushing this generation to start saving sooner and reconsider if college is even a sensible path. We could see a shift in society where college degrees mean even less than they do today. (Seriously, do they matter? Does your boss even know what your degree is in?) These kids aren’t messing around. Soon you’ll be vying for a job against these extra-eager, hardworking little dudes, so you better shape up!

Don’t take any of this to mean that GenZ is a sad, lonely, little generation. They’re cool, unfiltered, raw, fun, and beautiful humans, who are truly going to change the world. These are generalizations focused on the older half of this generation. There will always be outliers and gray areas where the generation ages blend.

Example:

Avrey Ovard – @avreyovard

YouTube star and laidback champion of understated awesomeness, Avrey Ovard is a prime example of a GenZ influencer. Real, practical and already an over-achiever (graduating highschool at just 16), her posts are refreshingly simple and unassuming.

Working with Millennials vs. GenZ

Moral of the story: They’re quite different generations that require quite different approaches to working with them.

At LMS, we work with social media influencers day in and day out, brokering killer partnerships that result in awesome content and engagement for our clients. Through our work, we’ve built an immense network of influencers of all ages, styles, interests and audience sizes and have developed best practices for working with each, including Millennials vs. Generation Z.

Here we detail our Top 5 Tips Each for Working with Millennials vs. Generation Z Influencers:

Millennials:

We’ve all had a little practice with these guys, so your tactics may just need some fine tuning at this point!

1. Surprise and Delight
   1. Millennials love to feel special.  Consider personalizing everything from your communication with them, to the product you send, to the experience they’ll have with your brand to show their value.
2. Let them Lead
   1. The Millennial generation has proven itself to be amazing product pushers. These influencers can take a steaming cup of coffee and turn it into the it thing to be drinking in the desert in July. Lean into that and give them free reign for posts.
3. Don’t be Cheap
   1. As the generation that built social media, they know their value and it isn’t cheap. The results are in – social media influencers work. In fact, an average business earns $6.50 per dollar spent on an influencer. They kill it for you, don’t drop the ball on them.
   2. For career influencers,  their online presence is their job. It pays their bills! Don’t disrespect that.
   3. Tight budget? No problem. Payment doesn’t always mean a check. Contact LMS today to learn how you can work with influencers on any budget.
4. Educate!
   1. Do you have sustainable packaging? Let them know. Want them to use your brand’s hashtag? Call that out specifically. Need to promote versatility in your product use? Send them ideas and examples.
5. Find the Right Fit
   1. Create a criteria of your target audience and be detailed. Location, income, interests, occupation, family life, diet… all of these things affect the type of influencer that will speak to them.
   2. Keep in mind that the influencer criteria may not always match the audience criteria. For example, a fitness instructor influences individuals who may have very different lifestyles and eating habits than their own.

Generation Z:

This is a whole new world and big corporations in particular may have to change their ways to earn some business with these kids.

1. Respect Them
   1. They may be young, but they aren’t dummies. They’ve grown up in a world that has forced them to have strong opinions about tough topics, and they aren’t afraid to stand up for their thoughts. Respect that and regard them as you would any other partner in business.
   2. GenZ is real and they aren’t going to change their ways for you or your checkbook.
2. Prove Yourself
   1. This generation really cares. A lot. Lots of feelings here. They don’t trust big corporations and will reject brands that do not seem interested in community and bettering the world.
   2. A recent study by DoSomething Strategic found that ⅔ of GenZ consumers experience an increase in positive feelings about a brand if it is associated with a social cause. Over half said it would spur a purchase (Oh hi, ROI).
3. Simplicity = Success
   1. The content they produce may not be the high-end production you’ve gotten from Millennials in the past. Be ok with weird. Be ok with not perfect. Be ok with casual and honest. GenZ knows how to speak to GenZ. Trust them.
   2. Keep packaging to a minimum. Frilly product accompanied by four varieties of tissue paper and a leashed peacock that delivers it to their door will not go over well. Most of all, be economical and eco-friendly!
4. Meet Them Where They are
   1. Getting on Facebook makes most GenZ-ers cringe. Expand your platform strategy to include apps that attract this generation most. YouTube is a clear winner, Instagram still holds up, TikTok Twitch and Reddit are places you want to be.
   2. Do these platform names seem like a foreign language? Let LMS translate for you.
5. Build a Real Relationship
   1. Take time to find the right influencers and invest in them. Provide product and let them truly try and evaluate. Be prepared for honesty!
   2. One off branded posts will not be as effective with this skeptical generation. They’re interested in success and security. Prove that you value them by negotiating fair terms and possibly long-term partnership opportunities.

As Generation Z rises to take the social media throne, keep up with the new platforms, interests, and changes that are sure to come with LMS.  Looking to work with Millennials or GenZ social media influencers? Inbox us at imgame@wearelms.com to learn how your marketing strategies can rule in the GenZ kingdom.

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