Introduction

If you are marketing with influencers, you will have to find a way to reach the right audience. Finding this audience is difficult, and there will be a lot of considerations involved. One of the primary considerations should be the age of your target audience. Certain age demographics are highly active on social media. Millennials and Gen Z specifically come to mind. While both are highly online and make for quality demographics to target, one thing has long set Gen Z apart: their reliance on influencers.

Influencers have significant power with Gen Z. They have an incredibly strong connection with their younger audiences because Gen Z grew up in the age of influencers. As many of the younger Gen Z audiences grew up, YouTube and Instagram became sensations. Influencers began to matter, and many of these Gen Z audiences forged strong connections with them.

This has been something influencer marketers have accepted as an immutable fact for years. The age group with the strongest reliance on influencers’ opinions, where social media creators hold the most sway is from 10-25. But is this still the case? Let’s look into whether Gen Z remains highly reliant on influencer recommendations and see if the numbers back it up.

Breaking Down Gen Z and Influencers

As we’ve mentioned, the Gen Z influencer connection is believed to be strong. Most people in Gen Z grew up in a world where social media existed. They’ve been following their favorite YouTubers since childhood and had accounts on different social channels in elementary school. That has inspired a sustained authentic connection between Gen Z and their favorite creators, which has positively impacted influencer marketing.

According to Influencer Marketing Hub, nearly two-thirds of all Gen Z consumers follow influencers, and over 50% say they trust their recommendations. They are also highly active on social media, spending on average 2 hours and 55 minutes on social channels daily. It is a generation that is extremely present on social media and trusts influencers. That is an easy recipe for success for influencer marketers.

Beyond that, Gen Z doesn’t have the same connection to celebrity influencers as they do to smaller, more authentic creators. 63% of Gen Z consumers state that they prefer to see real people in advertisements rather than celebrities. They are a generation that is fixated on authenticity, and while many still follow major celebrities, they prefer to get their marketing from micro-influencers. Brands don’t need to splurge on a major celebrity influencer to appeal to Gen Z.

This all bodes well for influencer marketers that are hoping to target them. They are a generation that is highly accessible through influencer marketing and has a significant trust of influencers. The next question brands need to be asking is are they big enough spenders.

Why Gen Z is the Best Target Audience for Social Commerce

When running an influencer marketing campaign, the goal isn’t just to attract likes and engagement, even if that does help with branding. The goal is to get consumers to make purchases and drive sales. That begs the question, do Gen Z audiences make purchases from influencers, or do they just enjoy following them? The answer to this question is that Gen Z is a big reason why influencer marketing is a viable strategy. Their connections with influencers often translate directly to sales.

According to Marketing Dive, 44% of Gen Z consumers have made a purchase based on an influencer recommendation. For the general population, that number sits at 26%. Gen Z accounts for $29 billion of direct spending in the economy right now, and that number only grows as more of them age into significant consumers. They are a high-impact cohort that uses social media not just for communication but as shopping platforms. 

Whether running a YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok influencer marketing campaign, gearing your efforts towards Gen Z audiences can be a difference-maker. They are a group of highly active social media users who trust influencers and are willing to make purchases based on their recommendations. That makes them the ideal target audience to boost sales in an influencer marketing campaign.

Partnering with influencer marketing firms helps brands see an immediate impact with their social outreach. Influence Hunter is a top influencer marketing agency with years of experience helping businesses from start-ups to global corporations develop high-performing, customizable campaigns. Contact Us Today to find out how we can help grow your business.