A lot has been written about conducting market research studies and Gen Z, but what about recruiting this cohort to participate in studies? Most companies are well aware of the importance of capturing insights from Gen Z (roughly those born after 1995). Organizations that overlook this generation do so at their peril, but this isn’t an easy group of people to get to commit to participate in traditional types of market research studies, such as focus groups or in-depth interviews.
A number of clients have approached us over the years after spinning their wheels trying to find Gen Z participants for various market research studies. Our team of recruiters have a lot of experience recruiting Gen Z, and other hard-to-reach participants, and we’ll let you in on a few of our secrets.
The Scattershot Approach
It should come as no surprise that Gen Z live their lives online. Often referred to as “digital natives,” this generation is no stranger to online platforms. What’s more, this generation doesn’t blink at the speed of technological change and is unfazed when one dominant online platform is quickly replaced by another. If you happen to be considered a GenX or Boomer, you’re more likely to be frustrated whenever a new technology or ‘update’ replaces what was once familiar.
When it comes to recruiting Gen Z, you need to take the scattershot approach across online platforms. This generationis rarely found on just one or two social media sites, but are active on many. Recruiters need to be familiar with TikTok, Linkedin, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Reddit, and other social media sites if they want to engage with Gen Z.
Our team is successful recruiting Gen Z participants because they’re familiar with how this generation engages with each other across the many platforms. It’s not enough to sign on to an online platform and apply ‘old-school’ recruiting techniques. You need to ‘learn the language’ and build trust.
The Omni-Channel Approach to Communication
Once you’ve connected with Gen Z participants you need to maintain an omni-channel approach to staying engaged with them throughout the study. Scheduling, communication, and incentive payments will likely take place across multiple channels. You may need to upload the participation agreement over Google Drive, text about last minute changes, update online calendars, and make payments via PayPal or Venmo. Recruiting firms that aren’t current or comfortable with these various online platforms will have a much harder time when it comes to Gen Z participants.
Keep Communication Short and Simple
Gen Z is arguably the most proficient cohort at online multitasking. It seems theycan simultaneously respond to texts, check out the latest TikTok video, take a selfie, and follow a Reddit thread. Keep this in mind when communicating with this generation. Forget about lengthy agreement contracts or long-winded details on the particulars of participating in a market study. Think ‘short and precise’ when crafting any message for this generation. Put the most important and pertinent information in easy-to-read formats and consider breaking up communication blasts in chunks so that the message doesn’t get lost.
Whether you’re looking to recruit Gen Z for a political survey or consumer market study, our team has a lot of experience connecting with this generation.
If you’re looking to Fill a Study with Gen Z participants, contact us today!
