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5 Steps to a Create Content Marketing Strategy That Really Resonates With Gen Z

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When it comes to marketing, content is always king. And what does Gen Z want from the content they consume? Authenticity, of course! But do you know how to gather your resources, assess your current output and boost your content marketing strategy to make it really resonate with Gen Z?!

If the answer is ‘ummm, no’, then look no further! Our content marketing template, 5 Steps to Optimize your Gen Z Content Marketing Strategy, walks you through the key steps to auditing, planning, and optimizing your Gen Z content marketing strategy. It’s packed full of top tips to make sure the content your brand creates really hits home with young people.

Today, we’re going to look at the highlights of these five steps and share some key insights from the Student Beans insights agency, Voxburner.

Step 1: Audit your content

Running an audit is one of the most effective ways to identify how your current content is performing and helps you to supercharge future content marketing efforts.

In the template, we discuss this in two simple steps: auditing your content and completing a SWOT analysis.

1. Audit your current content

Don’t get overwhelmed – it sounds like a LOT! So let’s break it down into a handful of simple steps:

  • Set clear objectives. What do you want to achieve from this audit? How do you want it to impact your content marketing strategy moving forward? Aiming to achieve a goal that is SMART, focusing on ‘specific’, ‘measurable’, ‘achievable’ ‘relevant’, and ‘time-bound’ objectives, is key to understanding what needs refining. 
  • Create a content inventory. Catalog all of your content in one place to make it easier and quicker to give all your content the once over. We’ve even included a free content audit template to get you started!
  • Analyze and look to the future! Review how each individual piece of content is performing against your content marketing goals. If it’s working – then that’s great news! Simply check if anything needs an update (like the CTA) and allow it to keep drawing visitors into your site. If it’s not performing, try to work out why. Maybe the keyword targeting is wrong for your Gen Z audience? Or could you be cannibalizing its searchability with too many articles focusing on the same keywords – this could be a sign to consolidate these pieces!

2. Run a SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis helps you to understand how your business is performing and how you can refine future content marketing plans. SWOT stands for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It’s a visual way of clearly assessing your output, encouraging critical thinking, and giving you the space to be objective. Make sure you download 5 Steps to Optimize your Gen Z Content Marketing Strategy now to access your interactive SWOT template!

Gen Z friends

Step 2: Understand your audience

Understanding your target audience is absolutely essential when it comes to perfecting your content marketing strategy. Taking the time to understand your current and potential customers, how they’re feeling and their decision-making processes will help you to craft a content strategy that really resonates with them.

So, who is Gen Z?

  • Born between 1997 and 2010
  • Can be either students, apprentices, graduates, interns, or employed
  • Have a spending power of $44 billion (this increases to $600 billion when you consider the influence they have on their parents!)
  • Main interests: The environment, sustainability, LGBTQ+ issues, diversity and inclusion, fashion and retail, technology, health and wellness

What does Gen Z want from brands?

  1. Convenience → As digital natives, they want brands to be available at the touch of a button
  2. Relevance → With everything you know about Gen Z, make sure the tone, look, and vibe of your brand align with what they love. Want to know more about what makes this generation tick? Check out the Student Beans insights agency, Voxburner… they’re the OG experts!  
  3. Value for money → Gen Z wants bang for their buck – they’re willing to invest money, but only if it’s worth it and you’re trustworthy. 

And there’s more where this came from! Download the full template to discover five key personality traits of this young generation, learn how you can create your Gen Z buyer personas, and find out how your brand can use this knowledge when creating content.

Gen Z friends hanging out

Step 3: Develop a content calendar

Creating a content calendar is invaluable. It’s somewhere you can organize your content in a weekly, monthly, or quarterly format and filter content by blog posts, campaigns, webinars, and social media platforms. Putting in the time now to organize and streamline your content strategy will save you hours in the long run, reduce the risk of mistakes, and boost creativity amongst the team.

In the template, we also discuss the importance of reactivity in your content calendars – after all, the world of Gen Z is constantly evolving and you need to be prepared for the latest industry trends and burning news stories! We also share our top tips on what makes a successful content marketing calendar, featuring keyword research, content marketing examples, and social media strategies.

Step 4: Get creative

Think about the most memorable bits of content you can remember. Were they visually dull? Of course not – because creativity is key. This creativity doesn’t come organically, however. In fact, a lot of planning goes into creating an effective content marketing strategy.

Content creation is the process behind creating a truly outstanding piece of consumable content (think blogs, e-guides, social media posts, videos, you name it!) – and it’s made up typically of the following steps:

1. Start with an idea

Every great piece of content starts with the initial idea phase. This could be an abstract plan, a topic or part of achieving a company-wide goal.

2. Set your objectives

Remember SMART? Ensure you’re setting a cohesive tone of voice so that the direction of your content is clear to the audience. Top tip: Gen Z prefers informality, so leave the jargon out of it.

3. Set measurable goals

Gen Z is your ultimate goal, but you need purposeful metrics to achieve this. For example, if you’re wanting to enhance brand awareness, start by measuring the number of users visiting your page or unique page views.

For more examples and top tips, be sure to check out the full template.

Four Gen Z friends talking together

Step 5: Action plan

You’ve gone through the audit phase, analyzed your buyer personas, developed a content calendar, got creative with the content strategy, finally pressed publish and have a plan to regularly audit your content. Phew! So what’s next?

In the final section of the template, we discuss some of the best methods of promotion to make your content go that extra mile.

  • Social media strategy. Over 3.6 billion people around the world use social media, and a big chunk of that is Gen Zers – in other words, the power of having a good social media strategy shouldn’t be underestimated. Social media allows brands to build intimate connections with audiences, and there are opportunities out there for both paid media and organic traffic (the pros and cons of which we discuss in the template!).
  • Email campaigns. A fun fact: 61% of B2C marketers use email to distribute their content. If used correctly, email campaigns and content marketing can be a winning combination. Our top tip? Segment your email subscriber list to ensure that your audience receives content that most resonates with them. Remember that your subscribers want to hear from you, so make sure you’re tailoring your content and communicating with transparency.

Check out the full template for more examples, including newsletters, creator marketing, and PR campaigns.

Sisters filming themselves while cooking at home

Key takeaways

  • Don’t be afraid to cut, cut, cut. You might have a lot of content, but is it all relevant? If the content isn’t serving you, get rid of it.
  • Being at one with your audience is essential for success. Researching your Gen Z audience is key when it comes to content marketing. It’s not just about understanding your consumers, it’s about knowing them.
  • Have a post-content action plan. So you’ve read this blog, you’ve downloaded the template and you’re ready to go. Great! BUT… don’t forget what happens after you’ve implemented your action plan. Constantly revisit, rework, and improve existing content in order to create a content marketing strategy that really helps you to achieve your business goals.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to download our full template, 5 Steps to Optimize yourGen Z Content Marketing Strategy, for more standout takeaways, interactive templates, and stats from the Student Beans insights agency, Voxburner.

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