How do you connect with them?

We all know that Millennials are out-of-control college kids doing shots on Spring Break. And Gen Z are the 10-year-olds currently being raised by TikTok, right?ȯld onto your hats: The youngest Millennials are in their late-twenties. The oldest Gen Zs are 25 נthat means theyҲe out of school and in the workforce. These two demographics are the fastest-growing cohort of B2B buyers.nd they donҴ think like Boomers or Gen Xers.So how do B2B marketers reach these mysterious digital natives? Here are a few pointers.How to Connect with the New B2B BuyerYou donҴ need the latest slang to speak authentically to younger audiences (though I find the new slang totes yeet). Just keep in mind these preferences.1 נOmnichannel or BustDigital natives grew up with the Internet and Gen Z grew up with social media. TheyҲe used to having the answer to any question at their fingertips. TheyҲe also accustomed to multi-threaded conversations: For example, they can start with a social media direct message, continue in text, and end with a quick call. If the only way to interact with your brand is on a phone call, you might as well insist people use semaphore.Hereҳ how dramatically the landscape has changed: In 2016, the average B2B buyer used five different channels to interact with suppliers. In 2021, the average was ten channelsBut itҳ not just about how many channels youҲe on; itҳ the experience you provide across channels. Omnichannel means that instead of thinking in terms of channels (ie, Facebook, SMS, chatbot, voice), you think in terms of a single conversation. Every person who interacts with a buyer on behalf of your brand should have access to the entire conversation history.If someone can interact with the brand across multiple channels with a single seamless experience, they are more likely to choose your brand at decision-making time. Thatҳ especially true for younger demographics, but it also applies across the board.[bctt tweet=Ӊf someone can interact with the brand across multiple channels with a single seamless experience, they are more likely to choose your brand at decision-making time.ԠנJoshua Nite @NiteWrites username=toprank]2 נMultimedia Is MandatoryIn the last few years, B2B marketers have finally pulled away from the static white paper or downloadable eBook as their primary content focus. While these old standbys still have a place in the marketing mix, top-of-funnel content must be more engaging to earn attention.Video, audio, motion graphics and interactivity all help your brandҳ story to come to life for your buyer. In a way, itҳ an ӯmnimediaԠapproach; Gen Z and Millennials are used to seeing all different types of media in their social feeds. They donҴ think twice about, say, a video embedded in a text document נitҳ the expected experience.For inspiration: Our client Prophix wanted a futuristic-feeling asset to promote the idea of AI in Finance. The end project includes animation, video, and an interactive audio feature.3 נSincerity Is the New SnarkIronic detachment hit its peak in the 1990s. From Friends and Seinfeld to Wayne and Garth, it was all about delivering maximum sarcasm with minimal emotional investment. The Gen X motto נif we committed to something as uncool as a motto נwould have been, ӏh well, whatever, never mind.ԉf youҲe a product of the Age of Detachment, itҳ time to re-engage. Caring is cool again נfeeling emotions, talking about them, supporting other people and lifting them up, the whole package. Think more Ted Lasso and less Chandler Bing.In short, digital natives want to see the people behind your brand. They want to know your brandҳ values and purpose, and they want to see those values in action. If your brand is too stand-offish, it wonҴ read as professional; it will seem impersonal.4 נLet Down Your GatesThe conventional wisdom used to be that any substantial asset should be behind a gate. Give away a few tidbits, a blog post or two, but keep the really valuable stuff behind a lead gen form. Give away the trailer and sell the movie.That approach doesnҴ fly with Gen Z and young Millennials, for one simple reason: They already have unlimited access to an enormous amount of content on any subject imaginable. The odds are slim that any brandҳ new eBook would be novel and useful enough to earn a form fill.Our agency has found consistent success by giving away the good stuff and gating an add-on. For example, client Mitel has this beautiful interactive asset that they offer without a gate: The Future Now of Work. One added benefit is that the influencers featured (more on that later) are more likely to share an ungated asset, too.Consider making your best content as easy to access as possible. For your lead gen forms, offer a download like a checklist, template or other useful tool. 5 נFind the True InfluencersTo reach younger people with influencer content, you need to go back to the original meaning of өnfluence.ԠItҳ not about who has the biggest following or the most retweets נitҳ who actually inspires their followers to take action.The career өnfluencerԠwith a million followers may look enticing, but the YouTuber with just 10,000 passionate subscribers is a better bet. Look past the numbers and look at who is actively engaging with their audience, building community and trust in their thought leadership.Ŷen better, look for influential people who are passionate about the subject you want to cover, people who share your brandҳ values and point of view. Instead of paying them to endorse a product, invite them to co-create content with the brand. The end result is bound to be more engaging, more useful, and something an influencer will be excited to promote.The Kids Are AlrightLook, I get it: Itҳ still weird to me that people can be born in the 90s. Now, suddenly the 2000s kids are hitting the workforce. Itҳ tempting to shake my cane and demand that they get off my lawn.As a marketer, however, Iҭ glad to see them. The digital natives arenҴ going to settle for boring, overly promotional, or insincere content. Itҳ going to be a challenge to make sure our marketing meets and exceeds their expectations. But itҳ a challenge that will ultimately make our marketing better for everyone נeven cynical Gen Xers like me.Subscribe to the blog for more upcoming trends in B2B marketing.The post Who Is the New B2B Buyer and How Do You Connect with Them? appeared first on B2B Marketing Blog - TopRank