Let’s Give a Warm Welcome to Gen-Alpha. They’re Officially Logging On in 2023
Can you believe that Gen-A is going to be THIRTEEN this year? Wow. I remember the Internet when I was 13 and so much has changed since then. God, I miss NeoPets so bad. What I would do to be able to visit the Giant Omlete and get one of these bad boys
Despite all the change, so much has stayed the same. Our desire and need for connection and community building is still present but our need to flaunt and flex is a phenomenon that Gen-A really isn’t here for. In 2023, Gen-A will be officially logging on to social.
While it might seem premature to be thinking about how you can target and engage with this new generation, as a Virgo, I think it’s never too early to start planning.
Let’s look at 7 Ways that I’m predicting on how Gen-A will be using social and the Internet.
Get Personal
One of the things we do best at Digital Candy is to humanize brands’ social presence. People like people. And Gen-A is no different. Actually, they’re a little different. They LOVE people. After watching their parents and grandparents be absorbed into social, the rage-machine that is the 24-hour news system, and just the all-consumingness of the Internet, Gen-A doesn’t want to be like their parents (who does?). They don’t want to be absorbed or consumed by faceless digital presences.
They want connection. They want value. They want to feel like they have made a friend. In order to effectively target and engage with Gen-A, you’re going to need to get personal. This doesn’t mean just flexing your wins, dope trips, and luxury items. This means sharing your fails and falls, as well. They want transparency and openness from you. How are they like you? How are you like them? Treating your digital presence in the same way you would with a friend is how you’ll win the hearts and follows of Gen-A users.
No Flex Zone
Speaking of no flexing, with this new generation it’s a NO FLEX ZONE. With Gen-A knowledge reigns king. Gen-A doesn’t care about your hot trip to whatever the trendy destination spot is right now or your branded bullshit. They want REAL. They want VALUE. They don’t find influencers inspirational because they understand that these individuals are attempting to cast a wide net to bait and catch people who are easily susceptible to shiny things. They don’t care about looking cool they want to be intrinsically cool. They’ll obtain this effortless coolness by filling their brains with knowledge. And hopefully, use that knowledge in the future for good! Rather than show off your material items, show Gen-A your savvy, awareness, insight, and wisdom. It doesn’t have to be related to your business, industry, or niche either. Remember, they want to get to know you.
Big Followings Are No Longer Cool
Remember when you were nobody unless you had 10k followers? Now if you have 10k, they still consider you a micro-influencer. Can you even imagine a room with 300 people in it? Now imagine 10,000. Anyway, that’s just some perspective for you. The new generation won’t care if you’re a micro-influencer or if you’re on par with the Selena Gomez and Kim Kardashians of the world. Actually, we might even have to invent a new term for creators with small, tight-knit followings. That’s because Gen-A is seeking niche content creators who provide value within the niche that they are exploring. In my post, Content Creators as the New Search Engine, I go into detail about the future of content creation and its role in search. Basically, Google is for old people.
Basically, I’m old people :(
Because big follower numbers don’t matter to this generation, Gen-A will be following a bunch of different content creators to build a library of learnings. This means that having one singular content creator with a lot of followers won’t really mean much to this generation. To them, they understand that followers=vanity metrics. The more niche you are, the cooler you are.
But isn’t that always how it is when you’re younger? You are developing your personality, likes, and interests, and for some weird reason, you don’t want anyone to share that with you because you found it/liked it/heard it/saw it first. Oh, to be young and interesting.
It will be curious to see how brands and creators adapt. For brands, it will make more sense to utilize a wide range of content creators in your niche and creators adjacent to your niche in order to capture their attention, time, follows, and money organically. This means you’ll want to look for creators who have followings of all sizes. That account with 112 followers? Yeah, they might just be your best marketing asset!
Generation Anonymous
These kids don’t want to show their faces online. And if you follow me on social, you know that I feel the same way. It feels icky to have your full face shown to the whole world. Honestly, I’d rather be naked than have randos look at my full face-fronting face. Even thinking about it makes me cringe. However, that’s not really a common feeling among Millennials, Gen-X, or Boomers.
Gen-Z straddles the line between anonymity and being front-facing. They prefer to show themselves and their faces to their closest friends on their Finstas and carefully curate a persona on their “real” social channels which they allow for public consumption.
Gen-A not only doesn’t need to be seen but they don’t want to be seen. Avatars will be big with this generation. We already have a taste of it with Meta avatars and Apple avatars. Avatars already exist in more “professional” settings like Google Docs where you can present as an anonymous ant eater, dumbo octopus, or frog, among many other freaky little animal options.
Personally, I’m looking forward to faceless social media. Does anyone remember the lawyer cat? Perhaps in some digital settings, we’ll want to see real human faces but it might be fun to have a lawyer who is a cat or a meeting with a rabbit.
Embrace Engagement
If you’ve worked with me or talked to me about work, you know how crucial I believe engagement is. Not only is it fun (who doesn’t love scrolling?), it’s how you build your online audience— the right way. But engaging with content won’t be enough for Gen-A. They know that kind of thing can be done by bots or outsourced to individuals or agencies who really don’t mean whatever they’re typing (not me though. I mean it).
Going live will be essential when considering your content calendar. Gen-A will want to see and hear from you on a regular basis. After all, aren’t you good friends anyway? When targeting Gen-A to engage and retain them, 1-2 lives a week will be necessary. But you shouldn’t treat this like a press conference. Think of it more like a town hall meeting or a coffee chit-chat with your best friend(s). The content you should be sharing in these lives should be all about providing value. This includes things like hours updates, product updates, personal life updates, and don’t forget, this is a conversation. You should be asking them questions as well. It’s a 2-way street. Ask how they’re feeling, and what everyone has been up to, and, make them a part of your content planning, ask them what they want to see from you.
Always remember, social is for SOCIALIZING. If you have forgotten how to do that, you should start brushing up on the Art of Conversation. After all, it is an art.
Follows Will be Earned
If you can teach them you can earn them. Earn your Gen-A followers by teaching them something they didn’t know before. You know how we used to ask our parents why the sky was blue or how cars were made or what time really means? Well, YouTube and the Internet have replaced the parental role in that sense. With this in mind, you can create a safe learning space for these impressionable users to visit and hang out.
Gen-A wants to be enticed. They want you to earn their follow. Because to Gen-A, a follow=an endorsement, this generation wants and needs all of their consumables to be in alignment with their personal values, morals, and beliefs. Showing off aspirational content won’t sway this generation quite like it did for Millennials, Gen-X, and Boomers. Actually, it’s going to repulse them.
Prefer to Consume Rather than Create
While this may change as they get older, as they are now they are more likely to be consumers rather than creators. This is actually super exciting because anyone who is a consistent consumer, with the right perseverance and dedication, can become a great content creator.
As we wait for them to find their creative flair, we should be creating content for them to consume. Struggling to make content? You’re not alone. Content Creators, Influencers, and UGC Creators are all great options to fill up your content calendar. Just keep in mind that Gen-A won’t fall for the traditional Influencer Marketing as we’ve come to know it. Content Creators will need to honestly integrate products and services into their lives as an experience and less as a “look at this, you should buy it because I said so.” A great local example of a creator who gets it right is Gabbie Egan. She’s real, honest, and doesn’t hold back her opinions on her account. When seeking content creators, Gabbie is a great example of what to look for.
Let’s Get Social
Still need help with trying to figure out how to find your place online? Let’s chat! Social is what we do at Digital Candy. Whether you just want to do a coffee chat, looking for a short or long-term consulting project, need a community manager, or seeking full account management, we can find the right solution for you. Email me at candace@digitalcandyllc.com!
