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Social proof has always been a key concept in marketing and business, but now that Millennials and Gen Z—both digital native generations—make up 42.4% of the U.S. population, it’s never been more important. Because they spend more time online than other generations, they look at digital social proof and peer influence as crucial checkpoints a brand has to meet before they make a purchase decision.
Learn how Gen Z and Millennials are redefining employee advocacy on social media and how you can harness the power of peer influence to drive your marketing goals.
How Gen Z and Millennials Use Social Media Differently
Social media is a tool, and Gen Z and Millennials have found new ways to use it. These generations scrutinize brands and digital content with an increasingly critical eye. Traditional marketing techniques aren’t enough to capture their attention, but authentic recommendations from their peers and digital influencers are a surefire way to reach them.
Consider some of the ways Gen Z and Millennials use social media differently than the generations before them:
- Gen Z/Zoomers (born 1997-2012): Prioritizes short-form, visual content, and social trends, with 41% looking for social proof and influencer content from peers; uses social media like a search engine to find and research new products, interact with brands, and stay informed.
- Millennials (born 1981-1996): Focus on long-form and visual content, often personally engage with brands online, and value reviews and recommendations; use social media for news, purchase decisions, and personal updates on friends and family.
These preferences and usage patterns mean social proof is vital for Gen Z and Millennials in the purchase decision-making process. Both generations use social media actively, not passively, and want to hear from peers—whether it’s influencers with thousands of followers, friends and family members they know and trust, or recognized experts in their respective fields—to get honest perspectives on brands they might buy from.
The Shift Toward Peer Influence vs. Brand Content
Peers hold a greater influence for Gen Z and Millennials than content shared directly by a brand. These generations don’t trust brands the same way their parents did; net brand trust for Gen Z stands around 11%, compared to 19.5% for Millennials. They give more credence to content created and shared by peers than other generations do.
This means the average Gen Z or Millennial social media user is more likely to trust peer-created content like this:
- Posts, recommendations, and reviews from friends or online peers
- Influencer videos and reviews
- Authentic review content from experts in their age range
These preferences are radically shifting the way brands reach and engage new customers online. A digital brand ambassador campaign appeals to Gen Z and Millennials more than a traditional ad campaign or a brand that focuses on content marketing alone.
Why Peer Influence Matters With Gen Z and Millennials
Part of the reason for the shift toward peer influence and social proof is the digital native status of Gen Z and Millennials. Growing up with technology and digital means of connection, they easily spot sponsored content and place a higher value on authenticity. Their expectations for brands are higher, and they tend to look for “proof” from peers that a brand is worth engaging with.
Gen Z and Millennials also emphasize the digital connections they develop with their peers. People in their age range that share similar beliefs and values have more sway in influencing their purchase decisions. Celebrity endorsements don’t mean much to Gen Z or Millennials.
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Establishing Brand Trust With Younger Generations
It’s not that neither generation trusts brands—when they believe there’s authenticity, a good product, and value, they can and will develop brand trust. But with Gen Z and Millennials, peer influence wins out over brand influence almost every time. They tend to engage with brands that get positive feedback from people they already trust.
While traditional marketing strategies may fall flat with these generations, employee advocacy is an effective way to build trust and reach these digitally-discerning generations.
Reaching Gen Z and Millennials With Employee Advocacy
Reaching Gen Z and Millennial audiences rests on your ability to develop digital advocates that act as a mouthpiece for your company on social media. Brand reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations are great, but nothing appeals to Gen Z and Millennials quite like authentic feedback from peers.
You can foster that connection with employee advocacy. Employee advocacy enables you to tap into your team members' personal connections and social networks by having them act as digital advocates for your brand. Considering how many social media connections each of your team members likely has (around 669 on average), their own spheres of influence are broad.
Your Gen Z and Millennial employees have already established trust with hundreds—potentially thousands—of peers who pay attention to their recommendations and brand feedback. If you’re fostering positive relationships with your team, they can authentically promote your brand to their social connections and exponentially grow your company’s reach online.
Given the trust hurdles and decreased influence traditional marketing strategies have on these generations, employee advocacy becomes a vital way to ensure your brand resonates with Gen Z and Millennial users.
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How Employee Advocacy for Gen Z and Millennials Works
Employee advocacy involves getting your team members to share company content on their own social profiles. To appeal to more Millennial and Gen Z users, start an employee advocacy program that encourages employees in this age group to post company content, product recommendations, and information to their social networks.
While an article, product overview, or video your brand publishes on social media might not get a second glance from Millennials and Gen Z users, the same content posted by a peer—one of your team members—can pique their interest and establish trust. Best of all, having your employees stand as digital advocates for your brand can help you reduce your marketing spend, increase your reach exponentially, and build a bridge to hard-to-reach Millennials and Gen Z users, all by tapping into your teams’ existing social connections.
Employee advocacy software is the best choice for building an employee advocacy program from the ground up. You’ll overcome common challenges, like creating comprehensive social media content policies, fleshing out branding guidelines, encouraging employee buy-in, and tracking program success when you choose the right employee advocacy software.
Build a Bridge to Millennial and Gen Z Users With Clearview Social
Clearview Social is a leading employee advocacy platform designed to help you boost your revenue and reach more prospects online by tapping into your team’s vast social networks. Our solutions make reaching Millennials and Gen Zers easy with features like one-click sharing, social media automation, and content discovery that gives your team access to an endless queue of share-worthy content.
Track your top employee advocates with Leaderboards and sharing metrics, encourage buy-in with contests and prizes, and remove hurdles to sharing with our AI caption generator and Virtual Assistant auto-posting. Our platform transforms your team members into digital advocates who boost your reach and revenue with every share. Schedule a free demo now to see how Clearview Social can be your strategic solution to building vital relationships with Millennials and Gen Zers.
Experience the Power of Clearview Social
Clearview Social can maximize the reach of your B2B content marketing campaign and transform your entire workforce into impactful brand advocates. Explore our platform and empower your team.