Build a Brand That Attracts Gen Z and Millennial Customers

How to build a brand that attracts Gen Z and millennials

It’s more important than ever for small businesses to build a brand that stands out to millennial and Gen Z consumers. These generations are open to taking a chance on small businesses, but it’s up to you to ensure your brand quickly and effectively communicates who you are and why these consumers should learn more about your company. Business owners must prioritize these goals to acquire new customers and get to the next level of growth. 

Here are some important tips for connecting with this essential demographic through a solid, cohesive brand.

Design an effective logo.

Creating a logo is the first step in presenting a unified, professional look that attracts younger consumers. Listen to your brand voice. What do you sell? What do you stand for? What feeling or message do you want people to get from your logo? An effective brand image is simple and visually appealing. Your design doesn’t have to say everything about your business, but it should at least be a good start. It also needs to be flexible enough to span all of your marketing. 

Know the difference between unified and uniform.

To achieve a unified look and feel, you must create your own style guide, which will make all your materials, including your business cards and packaging, feel cohesive. That said, they should not be replicas. Stick to the same general or complementary color palette as your logo. If you introduce new elements, make sure they convey the same feeling as your logo so your brand expression stays intact and customers know everything is coming from the same business.

Find your voice.

Your brand’s look and feel are not just visual; they have a voice as well. To identify your brand’s voice, consider your personality as well as your company’s, and then get a sense of your customers. Figure out who you’re selling to, what these millennials and Gen Zers care about, and how they’d like to be spoken to. A relatable tone of voice will make your business feel trustworthy and encourage customers to continue their relationship with you. Once you find your brand voice, make sure it’s consistent across all aspects of your business.

Lindzi Shanks, co-founder of gourmet marshmallow company XO Marshmallow, advises taking a less-direct approach when you’re talking to your customers.

“Both demographics do not want to be directly marketed to,” Shanks said. “They don’t want targeted ads. They want the people, the behind-the-scenes process, the rawer details of the business side of things. The more transparent we are, the less we try to sell them, the more our sales increase.”

Tell your business’s unique story.

Whereas your brand voice shapes the “what” and “how” of your business, your brand story should provide the “why.” A clear, well-articulated brand purpose builds an emotional connection with your customers. This higher-level brand purpose doesn’t just give customers something to buy; it gives them something to believe in, which is important to younger consumers. 

Chances are, you already know your business’s story and purpose. Look back on what motivated you to get started. Was there a problem you sought to solve?

A brand story doesn’t have to be complex or emotionally intense to resonate with your audience. A bakery’s purpose might be to make customers’ days a little sweeter. A landscaper’s mission might be to help neighborhoods bloom. What matters is that you tell your story in a unique way. This story becomes an authentic part of your branding that is crucial for showing your desired customers who you are and what you stand for. [Read related article: How to Become a Better Business Storyteller]

Make yourself visible on the right platforms.

Just as marketing to the wrong people won’t yield the right results, marketing to the right people on the wrong platform can be just as fruitless. For example, targeting Gen Z consumers through Facebook would be a waste of time and resources; HubSpot data shows this group responds better to influencer marketing found on TikTok and Instagram.

To avoid this outcome, L Parker Barnum, managing director at creative agency Mythology, recommends maintaining a strong presence across multiple digital platforms.

“While both generations are digital natives, Gen Z prefers newer platforms like TikTok for short-form video content, while millennials may engage more with Instagram and YouTube,” said Barnum, whose agency works with clients such as Target, Warby Parker and Mattel.

Take the time to understand the nuances of these different platforms, including which types of content are best suited to each.

“Our TikTok focuses more on raw, behind-the-scenes content or ASMR [autonomous sensory meridian response],” Shanks said. “Our [Instagram] focuses more on aesthetics and now on ways to use our product.”

Branding mistakes to avoid

Knowing what not to do when you’re building a brand to attract Gen Z and millennial customers can be just as helpful as knowing exactly what will work. If you can identify weaknesses in your growing brand, you can strengthen its impact. Be aware of these missteps.

Lacking a strong branding strategy

When building a brand geared toward consumers of any generation, you need to have clear goals in place for both the brand and the customer journey. If you’re struggling to hit the mark, start by evaluating your ideal customers. Who are they? What problem do they have that your business solves? 

Identify your audience’s needs. Then, provide a solution and use it as your core message. For example, Canva identifies four parts in its brand strategy: personality, voice, identity and values. 

Use that framework as the basis of your own strategy, and adjust the specific components within each category over time as you learn what makes the most sense for your brand and what can be thrown out. Through it all, make sure you’re demonstrating the authenticity that Gen Z and millennial buyers crave. A genuine and authentic business vision and branding are vital to connecting with a younger audience.

Targeting the wrong audience

Even a standout product with great potential will go unnoticed if it’s not marketed to the right people. Pinpointing the right audience for your brand is crucial to its success. If you fail to do so, you will have wasted a lot of time and effort.

An easy way to identify your target audience is to look at what your competitors are doing. Does their tone of voice reflect a younger demographic? What ages are the models in their websites’ photography and advertising? These images can indicate whether the brand is targeting Gen Z and millennial consumers. You should also look at consumer data for your own products to determine what type of buyer is most interested in your brand.

Finally, remember that millennials and Gen Z are not necessarily in the same life stage, so their priorities and needs will differ.

“Many millennials are now in their 30s and early 40s, potentially with families and established careers, while Gen Z is just entering the workforce,” Barnum said. “You can adjust your product offerings and marketing messages to address each group’s specific needs and interests.”

Failing to be consistent

Have you ever come across a great product that doesn’t match the company’s branding? If the packaging design is off or the tone and voice of the brand’s website don’t complement those on the company’s social media pages, consumers can tell the business is being inconsistent. For many shoppers, this results in a negative association with the brand because inconsistency breaks trust. 

Companies must establish consistency before speaking from a place of authority. A famous example of brand consistency is Coca-Cola. The company is so well known that its red color and white typeface are instantly recognizable, and the brand doesn’t stray from that aesthetic. While most businesses don’t have this kind of long history with consumers, failing to achieve long-term consistency may devalue your brand’s reputation.

Neglecting market trends

When you ignore market trends, you slowly ruin your business’s long-term viability. It can be hard to keep up with the fast trends in the internet age, but the potential for growth is worth the hustle. In this case, pay attention to the trends dominating the behavior and preferences of Gen Z and millennials.

Research shows that many consumers want brands to take a stronger stance on social issues, such as healthcare, racial justice and climate change. That means businesses would be wise to authentically incorporate these topics into their brand content. A company that ignores such matters may come across as tone-deaf, ignorant or clueless, which is a surefire way to turn off, rather than attract, this key demographic.

Trying too hard to be “cool”

Because authenticity is the key to appealing to Gen Z and millennials, content designed to be “cool” or “trendy” — without taking the time to genuinely understand younger generations — can come off as disingenuous.

“For example, brands often get it wrong when they hire a celebrity to endorse their product but fail to portray it as an authentic use by the celebrity, making it read as a paid endorsement,” Barnum said. “While the exposure might reach millions of eyeballs, they’ve missed an opportunity for a more meaningful engagement with their customers.”

“If [millennials and Gen Z] are your target audience but you are not in that demographic, then find someone who is to help you create relevant and authentic content,” Shanks advised.

Beyond the “vibe”: Prioritize long-term connection and value

Branding a business to attract millennials and Gen Z consumers comes down to selling a feeling, a personality, a vibe or even a lifestyle. To truly bond with these potential customers, your brand’s story must enable a larger connection for continued experiences beyond a single transaction. This tactic is intended for selling beyond the “now” and demonstrating that your brand can meet needs beyond the immediate sale. When you have achieved the right branding, you can establish a relationship with your customer that lasts well into the future. 

Erin Shea contributed to this article.