Selling To Gen-Z? Think Community First.
Generation Z —the generation composed of anyone born between 1997 and 2015 –is the newest and perhaps the most unique group of people to enter into the workforce in a few decades.
Like millennials, their community and their identity can’t be defined without referencing the internet. But unlike their millennial counterparts, Gen-Z is not responsible for building the internet’s apps and social infrastructure.
Just as the Greatest Generation in the 1940s and 50s built the infrastructure for the modern economy, and the Baby Boomers of the 60s and 70s subsequently formed its culture:
Gen-Z is actively building the digital economy’s culture, on top of what the millennials have built.
Not only are we building its culture, we have been molded by it, shaped by it. The words we use, our sense of humour, our world view. They are all rooted in the boundless confines of the internet.
And as we all collectively witness the surprising influence of tiktok trends, and the overwhelming power of Reddit fuelled investment rallies; Gen-Z’s cultural influence is hard to ignore.
So, as a business owner or marketer, learning to navigate the world and culture of Gen-Z should be a top priority. Particularly if you plan to still exist in 15 years.
So here I am. To tell you that this is a cold world for those used to high-volume sales pipelines. And an even colder world for the door-to-door salesman.
And don’t get me started on —we’ll be right back after these messages— style TV commercials. They don’t work anymore.
To reach Gen-Z. You need to develop a new skill.
Community building. One of the rarest skills there is.
COMMUNITY BUILDING AS A SKILL
Naval Ravakant, a well known internet personality and founder/CEO of AngelList, described the skillset of community building in the following way:
To grow any brand, you need two people. A salesman, and a do-er. But you can also have a community builder. If you can find one, a community builder is better than a salesman. A community builder is a leader, and is more effective than a salesman — but the skills of a community builder are the most rare to find. Especially among people who are comfortable being labeled an “employee”.
Elon Musk, is one example of an effective community builder. His persona and personality do the selling for him.
The difference between a community builder and a salesman, in my view, is that a salesman focuses all his or her energy on selling to a single individual. Resulting in only a single sale. Not the most efficient approach if you ask me.
A community builder, on the other hand, engages with individuals and groups as a community member of their own. They are able to sniff out what the community actually wants and needs. And then they work to help build an effective solution to fill the void. This is called effective leadership.
You see, effectively built communities double as marketing funnels. And it is primarily through these marketing funnels that you can originate new ideas, and sell your goods and services to Gen-Z. The brand precedes the product.
Some good examples of community marketing funnels are sports leagues, video game platforms, social media pages, websites, campuses, clubs, etc.
HOW TO BUILD AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNITY
Step 1: It all starts with membership. And when it comes to Gen-Z, there is only one rule here:
Don’t be a Boomer.
That is to say. Don’t shy away from humour. Don’t act overly professional. You don’t have to be born after 1997, but your brand’s voice might have to have been to get your point across.
Step 2: Have principles, a vision, and a mission statement. Why are you building what you are building? What problem are you trying to solve? Be overt about it, and ask the community to help you find a solution.
Gen-Z likes a brand with a purpose that they can get behind. We are, on average, less inclined to buy into value propositions that satisfy our immediate needs.
We crave purpose, meaning, and moon shot ideas.
Queue JFK: “We will go to the moon”.
Step 3: Acquire specific knowledge. That is to say, be an expert.
Take the time you need to become an expert in your field. You should know exactly what problems your community faces, and the best way to solve them.
You need to be the one with the answers. So ask yourself, what is the question?
All of this boils down to design thinking.
Which I will be speaking more about next week, here.
Step 4: Be engaging. This isn’t a world of billboards and flyers. Gen-Z expects accessibility. They expect to be able to have a dialogue with the brands operating in their community.
Stay up to date on current trends, breaking news, recent events. Make memes about them, comment on them, start a fund-raiser, anything that brings your brand to life.
Just remember to stay consistent with your vision. Your vision is a promise to the community. Your very own American Dream. If you stay true to it, your community will defend you to the bitter end.
Step 5: Produce sharable content, that will hook new members into your community. This is how you grow in numbers.
Find an in-depth guide on how to produce sharable content here.
Bonus Points: Build a mutually beneficial rivalry with another community. Nothing fires up a community more than an “Us v.s Them” mentality. Just don’t get too carried away with it.
NOTABLE EXAMPLES
Can you name a bigger small-business advocate? Standing up for the little guy, and diving head first into internet culture. Dave Portnoy is the perfect example of an effective community builder.
Built on the back of a common interest, and the stigmatic name. “Gym Rat”. Joining this community makes you a Gym “Shark”. I guess protein is cool now.
Building a community through their communal work spaces. No matter where you are in the world, walking into a Starbucks feels like home.
The iconic rivalry between Playstation and Xbox forces customers to justify and defend why they chose one or the other. They become brand advocates.
Built on the values of freedom and risk taking, Harley Davidson resonates well with the most entrepreneurial generation to ever exist; Gen-Z.
See Harley Davidson’s Gen-Z ambassador program here.
Cryptocurrencies : Anthony Pompliano
If you have been paying attention recently, Anthony Pompliano and his millions of followers are digging in their heals on bitcoin. He is vocal about the problems his ventures aim to solve, and his community defends him for it.
Lenard McKelvey : Charlamagne Tha God
And finally, the Co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Breakfast Club. He is a master at leveraging his social stature to build a community to promote and empower BIPOC communities across the country.
CONCLUSION
Generation Z, and the environment it is creating for new business leaders to navigate requires an approach to marketing so seemingly foreign to the old way of doing things.
No longer will your highest producers be high-volume salesmen making thousands of calls in a week while working under a quota.
Your most effective team members will be leaders, brand ambassadors, and community builders. Those with the social acumen to sense what the community needs, and mobilize the right resources to provide for it.
Maybe this means the most effective teams will be less hierarchical. Maybe even a little smaller.
So there is only one thing left to do now. Dive right in!
Just, for the love of god, don’t be a boomer.
Kieran McConnell
GenZconomics.
