Uh-Oh, Gen Z Is Shifting Away From Google. What Now?

It feels like Google is always in first place when it comes to search. However, unlike the generations that have come before, Gen Z just changed that. A recent report from SOCi just confirmed that when searching for local businesses to visit in-person, Gen Z users prefer both Instagram and TikTok to Google. In fact, the ranking was: Instagram, TikTok, and then Google, placing the platform in third place.

What does that mean?

For the future of business marketing, it may mean a serious shift. If this trend continues, you may want to consider a heavier reliance on social media marketing, especially when trying to reach younger audiences. If your key demographic is Gen Z and younger (27 and under), you may want to seriously invest in marketing on both Instagram and TikTok in order to reach your viewers. Meanwhile, brands meant for Millennials and older will likely need to continue spreading their attention between their website, Google, and social media platforms.

One thing that all businesses should do is pay extra attention to their keyword usage while posting on social media. What we mean by this is pay attention to what words you’re using in your captions! You should always include words related to your industry, location, and your business as a whole. Why? Because these are the words people will be typing into a social media search to try to find your business!

However, marketing is always evolving.

There may come a time where ALL businesses will want to invest more into different platforms, and this is a great warning to keep an eye on that! Social media marketing is all about updates, trends, and staying on top of what’s next. That’s one of the reasons we highly recommend working with professionals who know what they’re talking about! Our marketing team is always researching and sharing information about what’s new and upcoming in the world of marketing, paying especially close attention to social media, which always seems to be changing.

If you’re looking for what’s next for your business as the world of marketing shifts and continues to change, then our team is here to help! We can keep you in the loop, updating you on which platforms are best, but also which topics are trending, which strategies are working, and more! Let’s get in touch to get started.