The need for insurance continues, even in a pandemic. How can you build trust with Millennial and Gen Z clients?
Building trust in your insurance agency is core to keeping your current clients and gaining referrals for the future. During a challenging time for your business and your clients, communication is key. During the COVID-19 crisis, how can you continue to build trust with your Gen Z and Millennial clients?
The Marketing Difference: Millennials and Gen Z
Every generation grows up around different marketing techniques and has distinct marketing preferences. Regarding what they love and hate about marketing, Millennials and Gen Z are sometimes lumped together, but they have both similarities and differences.
Gen Z
This generation is the up-and-coming client for your insurance business. They’re in high school or university or have just graduated. When you’re interacting with Gen Z clients, realize that:
- They need to experience the purpose of your business. Why do you exist, and who do you help?
- They value entrepreneurship and innovation. According to Oberlo, “72 percent of teens in the United States say they want to start their own business one day.”
- They want to interact with your business in meaningful human ways. For instance, this could mean connecting through a community activity or online game.
- They are interested in personal communication. If you’re standoffish or formal as an organization, this can be a turnoff for Gen Z.
Millennials
Millennials were once your most youthful clients, but now they are starting to reach middle age. They’re professionals, parents, and homeowners.
- They love organizational transparency. They enjoy seeing what your business is really like.
- Like Gen Z, they’re more interested in text-based or social media communication than phone or email.
- They’re interested in self-improvement and curious about actions that they can take to make their lives better.
- They’re also quite interested in personalization, and compared to Gen Z, they are more motivated by programs such as loyalty programs.
Both Millennials and Gen Z dislike traditional outbound marketing that tells them why your company is best. They want to see your company act, know your values, and experience personal service on the media channels that work for them.
Service industry employees were some of the first impacted by COVID-19
Millennials and Gen Z During COVID-19
COVID-19 instability and job losses are impacting a huge portion of the population, and no one is immune. However, the current economic instability has hit service sector workers particularly hard. According to the Huffington Post, “this time, the slowdown began in the service sector. With everyone stuck at home, Americans are not paying for other people to do things for them.” The Millennials have long been known as the gig economy workers, and many Millennials, particularly women, are unemployed right now. At the same time, Gen Z is just emerging into the workforce, and their service-sector jobs are more likely to be wiped out by the current economic reality. As you market to Gen Z and Millennials right now, understand that they may be experiencing these particular economic circumstances.
Marketing To Gen Z and Millennials During COVID-19
How, then, should you market to these generations during the COVID-19 crisis?
- Go to where they are. Communicate via multiple channels, including social media.
- Be calm, clear, and personable. Reach out as one human to another to see how your Millennial and Gen Z clients are doing and to give them communication and insurance options.
- Show innovation. How are you supporting your clients, your staff, and the community at large right now?
- Be transparent, and let them know how you are there to help them and the community as a whole.
- Be honest, yet reassuring. If you’re experiencing staffing challenges or communication difficulties, set expectations, and be clear about how you plan to make changes in the future.
At the American Agents Alliance, we know that you need resources to run your insurance agency. From educational opportunities to discounted E&O insurance, we’re here to provide those resources to your agency. Contact us today for more information.
