Is your content resonating with all your B2B buyers?

Gen Z: Purpose and personality

Born 1997 – 2012

There’s a good chance you’ve heard a lot about Gen Z and how important it is to consider them in your marketing. As the digital-first demographic that’s fast becoming the key decision-maker, what you’re hearing is right.

What you should know:

• Purpose influences motivation and engagement for 89% of Gen Z.
• 89% of Gen Z are on Instagram, 84% are on YouTube, and 82% are on TikTok.
• 90% of Gen Z and millennial buyers report dissatisfaction with vendors, compared with 71% of older buyers.

How you should approach content:

Let the platform lead

Reaching Gen Z means expanding beyond LinkedIn to cater for platforms they’re spending time on and analyzing how they’re consuming content on those platforms. That means visual-first posts, short and snappy videos, and making the most of other features like Instagram Stories.

Make it personal

At Ad Age’s NextGen Marketing Summit, Danielle Atanda, managing director of client leadership at OMD, said, “Gen Z is looking for brands that behave more like people,” and that’s a good mantra to live by when creating content for the demographic. B2B content is technical by nature, but that doesn’t mean it has to be dry. Look at how you can introduce personality, solve real pain points, and make it feel as personable as possible.

Beware of AI

Did you know that Gen Z is nearly twice as likely as millennials to view AI-generated ads negatively? It's an interesting insight but speaks to a wider caution that should be applied if you’re choosing to introduce AI into your content creation. The best content is always going to be human for most generations, but Gen Z especially.

Millennials: Self-sufficiency and authenticity

Born 1981 – 1996

As the generation that saw the transformative impact of the internet firsthand, millennials resonate with online experiences that are quick, seamless, and intuitive. They want B2B experiences that match the B2C expectations that have taken shape in recent years.

What you should know:

• 68% of millennial B2B buyers prefer self-service research tools over speaking to a sales rep.
• Millennials now make up 73% of all B2B buyers and 44% of final purchasing decision-makers.
• Millennials are 2.2 times more likely than older demographics to purchase on marketplaces such as Amazon Business.

How you should approach content:

Personalization is powerful

All buyers will respond well to or expect some sort of personalization. That’s particularly true for millennials who resonate with content that makes them feel seen, heard, and understood. Specifically, that means crafting content around data you have available and engaging buyers at critical points of their purchasing journey.

Polish isn’t always powerful

If there’s one thing that matters for the millennial B2B buyer, it’s authenticity. In B2B marketing, there’s a tendency to lean on big-budget, highly polished corporate videos or a very professional tone. If you can ease up on that, and instead embrace more organic, ‘real’ content, there’s a good chance your audience will respond well.

Be transparent

Millennials (like Gen Z) like to take research into their own hands, and do as much learning about a company, its products, services, and what others think about that company before committing to conversation. With that in mind, you should create content that’s transparent and aims to get to the heart of what you offer, and how you do it, quickly.

Gen X: Planning and proof

Born 1965 – 1980

With so much talk about the B2B buyer changing in favour of the Gen Z and millennial mindset, there’s a risk you’re not catering to Gen X. If that happens, you’re not making your marketing age-inclusive and you’re not appealing to a demographic that still plays an important part in B2B decisions.

What you should know:

• 92% of Gen X use social media every day, with 28% on TikTok.
• 55% of Gen X say responding to customers is a trait that makes a brand memorable.
• Gen X still represents 34% of B2B buyers.

How you should approach content:

Plan for the long-term

Don’t expect Gen X to see a piece of content and rush to close a sale. As a demographic with a more traditional mindset, content should work to build trust over time, fostering relationships with a long-term content strategy rather than chasing virality.

Lean into evidence

Whether it’s case studies, testimonials, or content that unpacks how your product or service works, Gen X resonates with material that offers proof behind the promise. This also lands well with millennials, who will be researching the ins and outs of your business.

Don’t rule out social media

You may be thinking the way to reach Gen X is with more traditional content, like whitepapers, downloadable brochures, and sales sheets. While there’s still value in those, Gen X is as active on social media as anyone else. Don’t miss an opportunity by not meeting them there.

It’s worth noting here that while there will be differences between demographics, and the boomer demographic (born 1946 – 1964) is also still having an impact, there’s a lot of overlap. In a lot of cases, it’s about going back to marketing 101.

Think about what will resonate on a human level, provide value, build trust, and feel human, and take the time to understand your target audience so you know which demographic you're talking to.