According to recent Census data, Millennials (aged 25 to 39) have overcome the number of Baby Boomers (aged 55 to 74). Between Millennials and Gen Z (aged 10 to 24), they make up almost 40% of the entire Australian population. So, needless to say, there is a large percentage of businesses who have had a shift in their target demographic.
Why this is important to note, as explained by Digital Surfer’s Senior SEO & Digital Marketing Specialist, Ryan Chilton, at a recent Gold Coast Leaders event, is how the younger generations are searching and buying is drastically different to the generations before them. If you’re marketing to them, you need to know how to best meet them where they are and appeal to them to ensure you have a chance to level up your business. This is how to market to Gen Z and Millennials in 2025 with the latest marketing strategies.
Who are Gen Z and Millennials?
Millennials are the generation born after Generation X, born between 1981 to 1996, while Generation (Gen) Z follow Millennials, born between 1997 and 2012. Millennials saw rapid change in technology in their youth, while Gen Z were the first generation born into many of these developments, making them a unique target audience.
How to Market to Gen Z & Millennials in 2025
Leverage social media platforms as search engines.
When we need to find a product or service, most of us head to a search engine like Google or Bing, right? Well, data actually shows 46% of Gen Z and 35% of Millennials are choosing social media, like TikTok and Instagram, over search engines. Ryan says:
“The way younger generations are searching & buying has completely changed. It’s taking longer and requires more touchpoints before they’re ready to buy. This means you need to be reaching them where they hangout online.”
The good news is, social media platforms have caught onto this shift, and businesses and marketers can now search engine optimise their social media presence similar to how they would their website (although not nearly as labour intensively). Optimising your social media photos and videos to take up the most space on screens, integrating keywords into post descriptions and tapping into short-form content are all key to using social media to reach younger generations. User-generated content (UGC) is also going to be your best friend in doing this.
Embrace user-generated content (UGC) and social proof.
Social proof is king for young buyers. They want to see how real people are using products or services before making a purchase. While you as a brand can post videos and photos, nothing speaks louder than user-generated content where real customers share their insights.
Reviews & testimonial videos, encouraging customers to tag you in their content and other user-generated content is more important than ever before. Influencer marketing can also be helpful, however, it’s best to stick to those with very specific audiences to your niche, honing in on micro-influencers who have higher trust and connection with their followers.
TIP: UGC Content is making marketing your business easier.
Getting your existing customers who already love your product to record their thoughts can be a great way to get relevant social content that is genuine & doesn’t feel like an Ad.
Prioritise mobile-first experiences.
Having your phone in the palm of your hand all the time means you can buy what you want, when you want, especially with eCommerce brands marketing same-day or next-day shipping. Younger generations are making mobile-optimisation for businesses essential, with 64% of Gen Z and Millennials preferring to shop online, making more than 80% of their purchases online, according to Australia Post.
This means if you’re not diversifying your marketing and showing up where these younger audiences are, well you might just get left behind.
For businesses with online stores or younger target audiences, search engine optimisation and mobile user-experience should be at the top of your marketing to-do list. This includes making your website super fast on all devices, providing an impeccable mobile-first web design, and making it quick and easy to buy, book or enquire from a mobile device. And if you don’t have time, award-winning digital marketing specialists, like Ryan and our team at Digital Surfer can help.
Tap into FOMO and create urgency.
Younger generations are more likely to make impulse purchases due to social influence and time-limited offers, like flash sales on Instagram, than our generations. With the largest audiences on social media being these Millennial and Gen Z age groups, this makes a lot of sense. We can also see this in marketing activities like the Afterpay Day Sales, Cyber Monday Sales and other online-specific sales and promotions.
Businesses and marketers can tap into fear of missing out (FOMO) marketing by creating urgency in stories, reels, posts and paid ads. Set time limits, like ‘today only’, or exclusive caps, such as ‘discount code for first 25 buyers. It can give your business an immediate boost, if you have the audience or well-established ads to push your promotion.
Stay authentic and relatable.
Authenticity is non-negotiable when marketing to younger audiences. As a business, you need to be transparent about who you are, ditching the overly polished and salesly content for real, raw content and marketing.
“Social proof is the new currency. It’s no longer enough to tell people you’re good. you need your customers and community to be your advocates through user-generated content, reviews & a consistent online brand.”
Whether it’s reels, stories, reviews, or a people-centric about page, it’s more important than ever to be showing people the faces and values behind products ad services.
How The Younger Generations Buying Behaviour Has Changed
Below is a look at how people previously might have searched & bought online. (This still applies for the older generations). Compared to that of how Gen Z and younger are searching for things online. These graphics show how the platforms your market on will change and to keep up with the future of marketing you will need to diversify your strategies.
Previous Online Buying Behaviour
How the Younger Generations Buy Online
Younger Generations’ Buying Behaviours Have Changed, Has Your Marketing Adapted?
At Digital Surfer, we are committed and renowned for performance-driven marketing strategies that help businesses level up. no matter what area of digital marketing your business needs in order to keep up, our team can tailor a plan to ensure you’re reaching your ideal audience (even the younger ones) where they hang out.
Contact us for a free consultation with Ryan and our award-winning digital marketing team.
