If you have a teenager in your house, you are probably all too familiar with the challenges of getting them off their devices and social media. Indeed, cooped up at home with my four children, aged between 13 and 20, I spent a large chunk of the pandemic policing the content that they consumed, deeming it a complete waste of time when there was home-schooling to get on with.
However, I might have been too hasty in condemning their time spent online. Gen Z are the first generation of truly digital natives and they speak the language of social media fluently. Their insights into this landscape are unparalleled, as I came to discover when building the social media strategy for our newly launched e-learning company. Whilst I, like much of my generation, am well versed in the workings of Facebook and LinkedIn, the intricacies of platforms like Snapchat and TikTok are rather more nuanced.
FI MORRISON-ARNTHAL, FOUNDER, PROGRESSIVE TRAVEL TRAINING
By spending a couple of hours sat down with my teenage children, discussing the content that resonates best on their socials of choice, I was able to immerse myself more fully in this field of digital marketing. They were incredibly knowledgeable about what makes the most engagingly curated Instagram feeds, and knew where to steer me so that I could explore the most creative Tubers and TikTokers.
They have a great nose for authentic content, and an enviable understanding of the magical ingredients that drive content viral – the holy grail of social media. Armed with these insights from my kids, I was
able to finesse our online launch, making it something that even the most discerning teenager would be
proud of; as well as bringing a more youthful lens to the social media training that we have created for the hospitality industry.
SEEING IS LEARNING
Chances are that many of you will have teens of your own, or at least know of one in your broader circle. There is great opportunity in looking to these Gen Zs as a source of digital marketing expertise, and using their insights to elevate your hotel’s social media campaign.
The hospitality industry is one that innovates and abounds with creativity. There is some astonishingly good content being created by hotels, and those that have the resources to employ dedicated social teams tend to dominate.
However, for hoteliers with more modest budgets and aspirations to elevate their digital marketing game, leaning into our teenagers’ social media usage and learning from these tech natives can help smaller players to gain an advantage.
A few highlights that I gleaned from my own teens are:
1. Just like every hotel is different and has its own DNA, each social media platform has its own tone and level of formality. A fivestar hotel will have a very different audience than a hip guesthouse, so it is important to choose the platforms that resonate best with your audience and create content accordingly.
2. Teens live their lives on social and, as such, their content has real authenticity. This is a great lesson to digital marketers: be authentic and true to yourself, or your audience will see through you. Showcasing the people behind the brand will really animate your offering and demonstrate your service offering in a human, real and engaging way.
3. Be consistent with your branding visual identity – logo, brand and handles – to amplify impact across
your social channels. If your user names vary wildly between platforms, you will be much harder to find.
4. Keep your content fresh. If you are embarking on a social media campaign commit to it, by posting relevant, informative, fun and interesting content regularly.
5. Set up a content calendar to help you plan your social media posts. Make a note of special days that
might be relevant to your audience and use content tools to help you get organised. Experiment and try posting at different times of the day to see what works for your audience and gives the highest levels of engagement.
My final takeaway was to be more tolerant of my teenagers’ neverending appetite for social media. With 448m active social media users in India, these platforms are here to stay, and if you can’t beat them, you might as well learn from them.
