Mid, slay, drip, hits different – if you’re not familiar with these words and phrases and you’re a cannabis marketer, then you need to learn what they mean and how to use them. Why? Because these words are the language of Generation Z, and the Gen Z audience is the future of your cannabis brand.

Who is Gen Z?

Generation Z includes individuals born approximately between 1995 and 2012, and it has become the largest generation in the United States with a population of 86 million people (27% of the total population). Today, Gen-Zers have immense purchasing power with overall spending estimated at more than $140 billion.

Gen Z Marketing Tips for Cannabis Brands

The Gen Z consumer audience is different from every other audience you market your cannabis brand to, and you need to develop unique marketing strategies and programs that appeal to them. A same size fits all strategy will not work and generic, non-personalized programs will fail.

Following are some Gen Z marketing tips to help you build effective strategies and programs for this audience that will continue to grow in importance for your brand every year in the foreseeable future.

Digital First and Always

Generation Z is the first generation that grew up with the internet. They’re truly digital natives and don’t know what life would be like if everything they needed was accessible instantly at the tips of their fingers. They’re capable of operating multiple applications and using multiple screens at the same time. In fact, doing so is the norm for Gen Z. It could be said that they don’t know how to live without technology.

According to research by IBM and the National Retail Federation, 94% of Gen Zers own laptops, and in their free time, 74% say spending time online is their primary activity. Significantly, spending time online was rated as the primary activity by a considerable margin. Three activities tied for second place at 44% each – watching TV and movies, hanging out with friends, and spending time with family.

Clearly, digital-first strategies should be used and campaigns should be optimized across various platforms in order to connect with Gen Zers in the places they spend time and the ways they prefer.

Keep It Short and Keep It Real

It’s been reported that Gen Zers have an attention span of 8 seconds compared to 12 seconds for Millennials. They also have no tolerance for inauthenticity. That means cannabis brands need to get their messages across very quickly while being transparent, honest, human.

Keep in mind, transparency, honesty, and being real apply not just to marketing communications but also to your cannabis company’s culture. Generation Z wants to support companies that treat the environment, communities, customers, employees, and the wider world well.

Effective imagery and short copy that provides information quickly and clearly are critical for your brand’s marketing efforts. Short videos work particularly well for the Gen Z audience.

Prioritize People and Community

Research shows Gen Z is the loneliest generation, which isn’t really surprising when you consider how much time they spend using digital devices every day rather than interacting with other people face-to-face. The Los Angeles Times reports that Gen Zers spend more than half of their waking hours each day on screen time.

As a result, Gen Zers look for opportunities to interact with other people while staring at their screens. For Generation Z marketing, cannabis brands must focus on engagement and people. However, there is more to engagement and people then publishing content on social media channels. You need to prioritize people above promotion.

Influencer marketing can be a highly effective strategy for cannabis brands that want to connect with and build loyalty among the Gen Z audience. The data shows 65% of Gen Zers have purchased a product or service after an influencer recommended it.

However, Gen Z doesn’t necessarily want brands to spend a lot of money to work with the most popular celebrities. Instead, partner with micro-influencers who are passionate about your brand and have highly targeted Gen Z audiences.

Here’s some data to put this into perspective – 72% of the online video content Gen Xers watch is professionally produced. That percentage drops to 52% for Gen Zers according to the Los Angeles Times report.

That means you don’t have to invest in high quality video or expensive influencers to drive measurable results for your cannabis brand marketing. Generation Z likes content that is not professionally produced and influencers who are not celebrities.

Key Takeaways about Gen Z Marketing for Cannabis Brands

Creating an engaging user experience is essential when targeting Gen Z. This unique audience responds best to campaigns that showcase authenticity and personalization. Rather than relying on generic messages or visuals, it’s important to create marketing content, copy, and communications that speak directly to this audience and reflect specific values and beliefs in order for it to really resonate.

Bottom-line, cannabis marketers should use the tips above to increase brand awareness amongst Gen Zers while promoting trust in your products or services that turns into sales, loyalty, and word-of-mouth marketing.