[00:00:00.540] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Let's talk about marketing to Gen Z couples. Inside this episode of the podcast, I'm sharing five things that you need to know to market to Gen Z.

[00:00:13.070] - Candice Coppola (Host)

You're here to grow a business, but not just any business. You want to grow a profitable business with purpose, a business where you wake up every single day driven to serve your customers and make a difference in your own life. I'm Candice Coppola, Published Author, Business Coach, and your guide to building a profitable business with purpose. Join me here every single week as we explore how to build and grow your business with purpose. Get ready to dig in and have meaningful conversations about the strategies and techniques that will help you build your dream business. This is The Power in Purpose.

[00:00:58.900] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Hey there, friend. Welcome back to The Power in Purpose Podcast. It's me, your host, Candice. And I have a special episode for you today. We're talking all about Gen Z, how you're going to market your wedding industry business to them, and some things that you just need to be aware of as we begin to have this changing of the guard or this influx of Gen Z couples getting married very shortly, couples that we're going to need to understand how we can better serve and what they expect from professionals like us, how we can attract them, how we can sell to them, and how we can serve them. That's what this episode is all about. This is one of the most researched episodes that I've done on the show. I spent a lot of time doing research around this topic because I'm not a Gen Z expert by any stretch. But I did filter through a lot of data and a lot of information to bring to you five things that I think you should be aware of as you market your business to Gen Z clients and things that you need to be changing now in your business to support these couples, these customers.

[00:02:07.900] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Now, the oldest Gen Z is 24 at the time of recording this. We're getting into marrying age for Gen Z couples, Gen Z clients. We're getting into that marrying age. You've likely already served some Gen Z clients in your business and expect to serve a lot more as the years and the seasons go by. Gen Z is a lot different from millennial customers, and there are some pretty drastic differences between the two generations. Now, before I share some statistics with you and then advice on marketing to Gen Z, I want to just have a conversation about maintaining a sharp blade. And this goes for everybody who's just starting a business and you're listening to this show, Love you, and all my OGs out there who've been in business for maybe double digits. You want to keep your blade sharp and you need to keep a connection with your customer. And there is a tendency, as your business matures and as you mature for you to rely on old ways of doing things that are familiar and uncomfortable to you, outdated ways of doing things, marketing strategy, business process that further date you and your business and make you unappealing to the next generation.

[00:03:32.720] - Candice Coppola (Host)

And I saw this firsthand when I entered the wedding industry back in 2007. I remember coming into the industry and there were lots of wedding pros. But they had been in business for a while, and the industry was getting a pretty big shakeup. A lot of us were entering into the industry at the same time. A lot of new photographers, a lot of new planners, a lot of new businesses popping up. And the old guard didn't love it. They, in fact, didn't like us at all. It was difficult to break into the industry, but what was even more difficult was watching their businesses fall to the wayside as our businesses took over, as naturally happens when new comes in, and their unwillingness to adapt to a changing society, a changing clientele, and a changing way of doing things. I remember my friend Eric Foley, former wedding photographer. We had this conversation about this, and I'll never forget. He went to one of those photographer meetings back in the day, and he was like, It was like something out of the movie, Cacoon. I walked in and it was like I was in a retirement community.

[00:04:47.230] - Candice Coppola (Host)

It stuck out in his mind, and the joke sticks out in mine because you can visualize it, right? But it sticks out because this happens where people age themselves out of an industry. I don't want that to be you, which is part of the reason why I'm bringing this topic to the show and raising awareness about it for all my professionals no matter how long you've been in business. I don't want people looking at you like you should be in the movie, Kuku. I want you to be at the forefront. And if you run a business, you have to be at the forefront at the cutting edge of strategy, of marketing. And of course, you need to know who your customers are. You need to know what they value, what their problems are. And those values and problems, they begin to change with this new generation. Let me share with you some statistics. Beginning with Gen Z, 65 % of Gen Z buyers don't want to see items sold out when shopping. Isn't that interesting? I found that interesting because selling out and that exclusivity thing, that's maybe a very millennial, maybe even a very Gen X mentality that we should show things as sold out, that scarcity that people want to buy.

[00:05:55.280] - Candice Coppola (Host)

They don't want to see items sold out shopping online. It's changing how I'm thinking about doing things in my business. 66 % of teens pay attention to the product's quality when picking a brand. I find that surprising for young people, but teens are very focused on this. And so teens, Gen Z. 82 % of of Gen Z buy things based on what their parents and friends tell them to buy. Similarly to millennials who vet everything by committee, Gen Z also goes on the recommendation of family and friends. And what does that tell you? Wedding industry is relationship-driven. You know this. I know this. That's going to be even more important as we enter into this generation. But remember, friends and family, it begins to expand. When you think about the friends people have online, the people they follow, influencer marketing. You see where I'm going? 52 % of Gen Z look to online advocates to help decide what to buy. 52 % of Gen Zers look to experts online to tell them what they should buy. It's why Amazon favorites, Amazon must-haves. It's why there is a shopping talk on TikTok. No matter what corner of the TikTok you go to, there is somebody sharing something about what somebody should buy in some niche.

[00:07:15.110] - Candice Coppola (Host)

60 % of Gen Z wants to use text to stay in touch with a brand. I know a lot of my OGs don't like texting. I know, but this is what they like. And are they going to choose another business over you because of it? Because of your communication style? You bet your ass they are. We don't have to like it, but we have to acknowledge it. By 2025, 85 million US customers will be in the Gen Z age group. That's just two years away, less than two years. 85 million. Gen Z can only pay attention for eight seconds at a time. I can only pay attention for eight seconds. Gen Z, I believe this. What does that tell you about marketing? What does that tell you about meeting with them and connecting with them and having them plan their wedding or having them follow your processes? Tells you a lot, actually. 67 % of Gen Z would rather see real people and ads. Kind of a little blow to our styled shoot with big fancy models. At least that's how I'm thinking of it. 68 % of Zoomers read at least three reviews before spending money on something for the first time.

[00:08:29.580] - Candice Coppola (Host)

And over a third of Gen Z has never made a purchase due to an email marketing campaign. Over a third of Gen Z has never made a purchase due to an email marketing campaign. Fascinating. I wonder how that is going to change email marketing and if it will change email marketing. Email marketing is one of the oldest forms of marketing and also one of the most effective. I'm very curious to hear how that changes things. I wanted to share some of these statistics that I found to prep you as we go into five things you need to know as you market to Gen Z. The first thing that you need to know is that you should be using customer feedback and reviews as user-generated content or UGC. Gen Z wants you to establish credibility and authority and transparency with them. And in order for you to build trust with an audience that PS is very skeptical, they have been sold to and sold to and sold to since the day they were born. Many with an iPad in their hands and ads popping up on YouTube, they have been sold to since the day they were born.

[00:09:43.270] - Candice Coppola (Host)

So they have a skeptical outlook on advertising. And with that skeptical outlook, they're trusting more customer feedback and user-generated content because it provides a genuine and unfiltered perspective of the products and services that you offer. And when you can incorporate this into your strategy, into your marketing strategy, you're going to align yourself with their preferences for real and relatable content, right? I just shared with you a statistic that they want to see real people in ads. They don't want to see models and actors. And because they have trouble trusting what they're being sold, they're more likely to trust a person telling them that this product or service is great versus you telling them that the product and service is great. Some ideas for this, and of course, if you have products that you sell, this is much easier. But whether you're product-based or you're service-based, some ideas are video testimonials from your clients. Video testimonials can really speak to Gen Z when marketing your business. Now, of course, client testimonials in any form or fashion is important, and you should be prioritizing getting customer testimonials and reviews. But if you can get these on video, you are going to be able to use that content to attract a more Gen Z crowd.

[00:11:09.260] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Social shares from clients can also feed into this user-generated content. So your clients who are on Instagram, if they're sharing your work or sharing their wedding, resharing that and showing that will appeal to Gen Z. Screen captures of your comments, your DMs, and your reviews would be user-generated content. And just sharing any client-generated wedding content to your social media or on your website will help to speak to this notion that they want customer feedback and reviews, and they want to see that in your marketing. And that is actually what they gravitate towards the most. Now, I source this from Sprout Social. And if you go to today's show notes, which is blog. Candiscopla. Com/ep118, you will see all of my sources for today's episode cited with links to those citations. You can continue to do more research. It's really an interesting rabbit hole, and I've gathered information from all over the Internet to report to you on this episode. The first is user-generated content and reviews. The next is Gen Z loves personalization. So for all of my business owners, Gen Z will pay for personalization. They pay more attention to brands that create a personalized experience for them or even allowing them to create a customized product.

[00:12:43.110] - Candice Coppola (Host)

What does this tell us in the wedding industry? Well, if you sell a product, how can they customize that product? How can you customize the experience of purchasing that product? For all of my wedding pros who offer services, how can you give them the opportunity to take a base service and customize it to suit their liking? If we know that Gen Z loves personalization and they will pay for personalization, this is maybe an apples to apples comparison is like putting a monogram on a shirt, but it also is personalizing their experience, their adventure with you. How can you bring this into your business? How can you offer them a more personalized experience? Because according to this article from Forbes, if you offer them a more personalized experience, they will go out of their way to do business with you. And some stats at Forbes lists are 50% pay attention to brands that offer personalization and co-creation, 52% look for brands that understand them, and 51% allow brands to create products that reflect their identity. What does this mean for weddings? Weddings are already personal. We have that going for us. And expect them to want more personalization.

[00:13:58.270] - Candice Coppola (Host)

So expect them to want you to move away from things that have become very formulaic. And we're not maybe willing to admit that a lot of our designs are formulaic, a lot of the color palettes we use are formulaic, a lot of the photography, your shooting, your editing, all very formulaic. You may find that Gen Z desires a more personalized approach, even to how they plan their wedding that is less formulaic, or at least doesn't feel like it is formulaic. So expect them to challenge your processes, your packages, your pricing, and the experience, wanting that to be personalized and custom. If you can talk about personalization and customization in your marketing and how that is achieved through your services and your product, that's something interesting to them because it's what they're searching for.

[00:14:52.620] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Hey there, WeddingPro. I want to share with you what I use to send professional invoices, secure payments, create ironclad contracts, schedule appointments quickly, and do this with some powerful automations. If you've been looking for a software that can do all of that plus more, I want to invite you to sign up for a free trial with our partners over at Honeybook. I've been using Honeybook.

[00:15:19.800] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Since.

[00:15:22.170] - Candice Coppola (Host)

2013. It's been almost 10 years, and I could not do business without it. Honeybook helps me to manage my leads and my customers so that I can focus on what I do best in my business. If you'd like to learn more about Honeybook, go to Candacecopla. Com/honeybook to learn more and sign up for a free trial. When you use the code Purpose, you'll save 50 % off your first year subscription. That's Candacecopla. Com/honeybook.

[00:15:54.950] - Candice Coppola (Host)

The third tip comes from Entrepreneur, and it's that Gen Z hates being sold to. I mentioned this, but they hate it. They hate being sold to. And funny enough, most people hate selling. So now we're in this weird cycle where the business owners hate to sell. They're going to feel weird about selling and they're only going to feel weirder about it because Gen Z hates being sold to. Here's how you get past this according to entrepreneur. You want to make content and marketing that quickly cuts to the chase. If we know that Gen Z hates being sold to, well, let's not do the dance per se. Let's not skip the foreplay, so to speak, and get right to the point. Cut to the chase and explain why your product or service will provide value to them. Why do you stand out? Don't sugarcoat it. Be concise, be direct. Tell them exactly why you are different. It requires a bit of confidence because I think we can hide behind the marketing strategies that might appeal to millennials or Gen X, where there's this dance of being sold to and selling and revealing a little bit here and then getting them on the phone and doing all this stuff.

[00:17:10.670] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Gen Z doesn't want that. They don't like being sold to. They want answers. They want to ask questions. They want direct answers, and they want information. So how do we get past this? Don't gatekeep. Don't gatekeep information about your product and service. Be very upfront and straightforward and prioritize transparency and honesty in your marketing. Prioritize it in the tips that you give, whether it's planning tips, photography tips. Be just be very transparent. Do not sugarcoat things. Do not gatekeep. And if you are selling, ask for the sale. Be very confident. Get Kanye confident about it and ask for the sale. Tell them exactly what they're going to get and don't sugarcoat it. The fourth tip is to remember that mobile is king. Mobile is king. Gen Z, they're not cracking open computers, okay? Unless they're editing their videos. And this comes from HubSpot. Gen Z loves to use video to learn about products, and they spend most of their online time on mobile phones. I know you love the desktop version of your website. I know that you almost tell people, or maybe you do, Make sure you look at it on your desktop. Those days are over, okay?

[00:18:29.940] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Mobile is king. Everything you do needs to be mobile-friendly and needs to be mobile appealing. So you not only need to leverage short-form video marketing, but you need to mobile optimize everything. So stop obsessing about the desktop version of your website and start obsessing about the mobile version. Make sure everything you do is mobile-friendly, whether it is your marketing, whether it is your sales process or any process that exists inside your business client facing inward or outward facing. Deliver your pricing in a mobile way that is appealing. If your pricing needs to be like, I can't open it on my phone, I'm not looking at it, and you just lost a sale. Make it easy for me to buy. Always make it easy for me to buy, but make sure you deliver your pricing in a way that is mobile-friendly. And make sure that your process is also mobile-focused. Your clients are going to want to communicate with you via text, via DM. I know it's not conducive, especially for wedding planners who plan what... You need paper trail and email, but you're going to need to find a way to strike a balance between how this generation communicates and how you're going to do business to do the job that you've been hired to do.

[00:19:51.480] - Candice Coppola (Host)

I just think that some of the proclamations that pros make about... I've seen rants of wedding pros going on Instagram and ranting their heads off about DMs and text messages, and We don't do this. It's typically a wedding pro who's been around for a long period of time. I just shake my head because young people, they don't care about that. They're going to hire somebody else. You are literally dating yourself and also putting yourself in a position where you're costing yourself business because of your unwillingness to change. Same can be said for all things mobile. As much as we love a desktop version of a website or if you are pricing on your desktop, most people are looking at it on their phones. So prioritize mobile everything. The fifth tip, and this one I found really interesting, I actually got this from Wix, but I see this manifested in practically everything, is that humor in branding matters to Gen Z. An entire generation sense of humor, it can't be lumped into a category, but Gen Z, they share this distinct brand of humor. You see it all over with memes and TikToks, and just it makes you laugh, it makes you giggle.

[00:21:14.420] - Candice Coppola (Host)

It can take an interesting situation and find the humor or the balance in it. And if you want your business to stand out and you want to shine against a sea of sameness in the industry, find the humor. Find the personality in your copy, find the personality in your copy. Find the humor in your branding. Have a little fun. Be a little cheeky. Be a little sassy. Don't take things so freaking serious all the time. Add a bit of personality to your branding. Don't be afraid to speak conversationally in your copy, in your videos. Tell stories. Tell humorous stories in your branding and in your marketing. Take the piss out of situations. Do not be afraid to bring humor into your branding. I've done this for many years. I did it when I owned my event planning company as well. I love a good laugh, and I don't want to be taken too seriously. Truly, I find that that attracts the worst types of uppity clients who have no sense of humor and just it's not my vibe. I've been using humor in my branding for a long time, and I think it has worked really well for me.

[00:22:24.440] - Candice Coppola (Host)

I'll tell you, the brands that I gravitate towards are brands that have a bit of humor. I love the clothing brand, Reformation, because of the humor. I used to love Bando. Love Bando before all the Jen Goch debacle. I love Jen Goch, and I love the brand because it had this layer of humor to it. It didn't take itself too seriously. It was fun. It made it consuming their content fun, their ads were fun. Reformation can be really cheeky and really fun. Sign up for their emails. They have the funniest headlines in their emails. It's not what you would expect from a clothing brand. I find myself gravitating towards brands that bring in humor, that have a little fun, that can take the piss out of a situation, that can call me out on my own BS at times. I love that. I love feeling seen like that. It creates that no-like-and-trust factor. It accelerates it pretty rapidly. Humor and branding matters. Ask yourself, how can I bring my sense of humor to things? How can I lighten it up around here? How can I add some humor and funness to the language on my website?

[00:23:25.090] - Candice Coppola (Host)

How can I add some humor and funness to my overall brand esthetic? Make it a little lighter? Make it a little funner? What can I do in my marketing to add a sense of humor so that I can give people a laugh, create a connection? It's easier than you think, and it'll probably take a lot of pressure off you because you just have to show up as your funny self. Listen, we all have funny sides to ourselves. We all tell fun jokes and we all have funny situations that maybe we feel like aren't professional to share, but I'm telling you, and Wix is telling you that humor and branding matters. Those are five things that I want you to be aware of as you market your business to Gen Z, let's just recap really quick. If you want to market your business to Gen Z clients, you need to make sure that you prioritize user-generated content and customer feedback in your marketing. Gen Z loves personalization, and so you need to speak to how you personalize the process for people, how you give them a personalized experience. And then you also need to build personalization into all different touch points of your business.

[00:24:29.580] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Gen Z hates being sold to, and they value transparency and authenticity. Cut to the chase. Tell them what they're going to get. Don't mince matters. Be very upfront and straightforward. And be transparent and honest. Don't gatekeep. Mobile is king. Everything you do needs to not only be mobile-friendly. It's not enough to be mobile-friendly. It needs to be mobile-awesome. Mobile is where you need to prioritize design functionality. It needs to be beyond just mobile-friendly. It needs to be like mobile-awesome. Finally, humor and branding matters. Find ways to make it fun. Find ways to show off your personality. Find ways to take the piss out of a situation, make somebody laugh in your marketing. Make somebody laugh on your website. Make a client laugh throughout the process.

[00:25:21.710] - Candice Coppola (Host)

It really does go a.

[00:25:22.570] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Long way. I'd love to hear what you think of marketing to Gen Z. I'd love to hear any observations you have or any things that you found as you've marketed your business to the next up and coming interesting generation. If you like this episode, I'd love to hear that too. If you want more episodes about Gen Z, I'd love to do the research and to share with you what I find. So please just give me feedback. Send me an email. Send me a DM. Let me know what you thought. Thanks for listening to.

[00:25:50.560] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Today's episode of the show. And I'm here.

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To remind you, as always, there's so much power in your purpose.

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Until next time. Thanks so.

[00:25:58.700] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Much for tuning in to this week's episode of The Power in Purpose Podcast. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to subscribe so you never miss an.

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Episode and.

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Consider leaving a review. Head over to powerinpurposepodcast.

[00:26:14.460] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Com to.

[00:26:15.300] - Candice Coppola (Host)

Access all of the resources and links mentioned in today's episode. That's powerinpurposepodcast. Com. I'll see you next time.