Strategies for building relationships with Gen Z customers

Mark Price This week, I read a post by Scott Zimmerman on Fast Company’s web site, talking about the differences between Gen Z customers and previous generations.

Understanding those differences can make that difference between companies that build relationships and those that will eventually be commoditized.

Gen Z customers, as Scott describes them, are “young, busy and often forgetful.  They are also worried about fitting in with their peers and put a value on being highly connected. They’ve grown up with the Internet, instant messaging, text messaging and mobile phones.  In fact, most Gen Z customers have their own mobile phones, and they spend their free time texting and communicating online.  As a result, they expect family, friends, and even businesses, to communicate with them electronically.”

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Viral marketing: how to create and guide controversy

If you have a healthy interest in social media, it should not be surprising to find yourself spending an hour or two a day reading through tech websites, looking at controversies and discussions of the social media world.

From Facebook to Myspace, social media companies are constantly in the news, drawing criticism and controversy for their decisions. It is not limited to the major players, either. Check out any major technology website and you will see links to hundreds of small companies that are becoming involved in scandalous, controversial stories.

This constant barrage of controversy does two things to your news intake.

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