‘Not Your Mother’s Fb’ — Is It Sufficient to Entice Gen Z?

Welcome to The Perspective, a sequence the place HubSpotters weigh in on the most recent enterprise and advertising tendencies.

“We aren’t your mother’s Fb.”

This daring assertion was handed round at Fb’s occasion for youthful creators in NYC earlier this summer season.

Because the social big turns 20 this 12 months, they know an enormous chunk of their future depends on Gen Z. Particularly contemplating solely 52% presently rank Fb as their favourite platform, and solely 33% of teenagers aged 13-17 use it in any respect.

(By comparability — 72% of Gen Z rank TikTok as their favourite platform, and 63% of teenagers are actively utilizing it.)

Can Fb truly present youthful generations there’s extra to it than “outdated” individuals and outdated memes?

To seek out the reply to that query, we now have to start out by unpacking why Gen Z decides to spend their social power elsewhere.

And who higher to ask than a member of HubSpot’s implausible social workforce and one in all my wonderful Gen Z colleagues.

Featured Voices:

Right here’s Why Gen Z Isn’t on Fb

“I feel it comes all the way down to the kind of content material on Fb,” says Reece Callaway, Model and Social Content material Supervisor at HubSpot.

“Since Fb is without doubt one of the oldest social media platforms nonetheless round, we see a variety of Millennials and Gen X on Fb who frequently put up content material that doesn’t resonate with Gen Z. Gen Z desires to see the most recent culturally related content material on their feeds, and Fb simply isn’t the place for that.”

And Callaway brings up an amazing level. The opposite a part of Fb’s tried rebrand is to place themselves as a “hub for all issues culturally taking place” within the platform’s underground.

Making a culturally related area for youthful generations is a crucial first step — but it surely’s not essentially a straightforward one to perform.

The Gen Z Perspective

Justina Thompson, Affiliate Advertising Supervisor at HubSpot (and Gen Z baddie herself), looks like Gen Z is not on Fb like different generations as a result of it has a popularity for being family-focused moderately than a real social platform.

“After I was rising up, my Fb was monitored by my mother and I primarily used it to remain related with aunts, uncles, and center faculty buddies whose profiles had been additionally monitored by their dad and mom,” says Thompson.

“Over time, I started to crave extra autonomy over my on-line presence, which I could not do by way of Fb.”

These are additionally the reason why I now not have Fb, and I am a millennial.

My timeline was a mixture of random posts from relations together with the occasional “hbd” from somebody I haven’t interacted with since elementary faculty.

It grew to become exhausting to curate my timeline and my following to align with my pursuits.

Thompson additionally says that Gen Z desires to excavate their very own identities on-line — particularly the place nobody they know is watching. That’s why TikTok is so well-liked for this age group.

“Individuals from wherever can work together along with your content material and never need to know you IRL. There isn’t any pre-existing impression that they’ve of you.”

Thompson continues, “Fb represents having an attachment to communities that already know you. Locations like Instagram and TikTok have confirmed that you do not have to come back bearing proximity to anybody you understand as a way to construct connections. That is the hurdle I feel Fb has but to beat.”

I second that — Fb has to make that leap as a way to compete. Channels like Instagram and TikTok have high-quality algorithms that make it simple for customers to curate their feeds and discover new individuals.

So, now, this all begs the query … 

Can a ‘rebrand’ work … or is it too late?

In idea, Thompson thinks a Fb revamp may work. And I am inclined to agree. However she says it’s going to take much more than shifting what we see on our feeds to get Gen Z again there.

“I do suppose investing in what’s already on the platform, like Fb Market, is an efficient place to start out — particularly as a result of I’ve personally had constructive experiences with that a part of Fb,” says Thompson.

And she or he’s not alone. Our analysis exhibits that social media is Gen Z’s #1 channel for product discovery, and 43% have purchased one thing by way of social media prior to now three months.

Plus, Fb Market is in actual fact Gen Z’s huge draw to the platform proper now.

“Nonetheless, Fb isn‘t simply its Market. It’s an amalgamation of many issues, and all of these items have to talk to one another in a means that is sensible,” says Thompson.

She continues, “I feel TikTok does an amazing job at this. Though I‘m not the largest fan of TikTok’s monetization efforts, they‘re accomplished nicely as a result of they’re built-in into the content material you see as you scroll.”

And since different channels like TikTok are already so well-liked amongst Gen Z, Callaway says it’s going to be tough to reroute their consideration.

“It’s going to be very exhausting to take Gen Z off of different platforms that they’re already on,” he argues. “I feel there is a chance for [Facebook] to rebrand themselves. Nonetheless, they’ve 20 years of popularity to work towards.”

He is proper — Gen Z nonetheless sees Fb because the social channel for older generations, crammed with inspirational quotes and boomer humor. It’s not not possible, however that rep goes to be fairly exhausting to shake.

So, what’s the important thing to bringing Gen Z again?

Fb says they’re specializing in three key options to get Gen Z to purchase in: the feed, reels, and creators.

They plan to spotlight extra related content material together with Fb Market, Fb Courting, and teams and occasions to draw youthful audiences.

From my perspective, this isn’t a nasty technique. Earlier, Thompson referred to as out Fb Market as a constructive, and serving tailor-made, audience-driven content material at all times wins.

Callaway says, “I feel they would want to get a variety of the largest creators that Gen Z enjoys to constantly put up content material on Fb and do it in a means that makes Gen Z select Fb to observe that content material over a unique platform.”

He continues, “Together with that, Fb wants options which are distinctive to Fb, not only a copy of a well-liked function from a unique platform.”

Thompson echoes the necessity for distinctive options to attract in youthful customers. Listed below are three concepts she thinks Gen Z could be inquisitive about:

• A customizable timeline: “Make the timeline extra customizable so Gen Z can filter by way of random posts from household whereas additionally getting the knowledge we truly need.”
• Simpler content material monetization: “TikTok has the Creator Fund but it surely’s extremely exhausting to get into … perhaps Fb may make a few of these pointers extra accessible.”
• App integrations: “I really like that Tiktok has develop into extra built-in with different apps — like CapCut — to make it simpler for people to supply fast, ready-to-post content material. I feel some form of integration like that may be superior.”

Somebody at Fb, most likely:

Picture Supply

Fb + Gen Z = 🫶🏽?

As Thompson shared, “Fb has to grasp that Gen Z‘s priorities are quickly altering. We’re inquisitive about getting uncensored entry to the knowledge we have to drawback resolve and dwell life enjoyably.”

It is an uphill battle, and never a assured win, however I feel Fb can take steps to convey Gen Z again — so long as they take notes from the competitors and refine the platform to fulfill their social wants.

Wish to hear our ideas a few particular matter? Drop your concept in this kind, and we may function it in an upcoming put up.