#2: Brand Trust
Millennials are much more trusting of companies. According to 2020 Salesforce research, 50% of Millennials say they trust brands and businesses compared to 42% of Gen Z.
That being said, they still want the company’s values to be upfront and transparent and expect a level of perfection when it comes to social media content.
Case in point: Millennials expect brands to be perfect in every way, from their polished ads to aesthetically pleasing feeds.
While there has been a slight shift towards less curated Instagram grids (inspired by trendy Gen Zers), this group is still drawn to an aesthetically pleasing social media presence.
So even if you don’t take picture-perfect photos, there should be some consistency for your brand’s visuals across platforms.
TIP: Check out ‘s free Visual Planner feature to plan and preview your Instagram aesthetic before you hit publish.
Gen Z users are less trusting of companies and would rather see realistic over idealistic.
They prefer ads that show real people discussing products rather than celebrities and entertainers endorsing a brand or business.
And because Gen Z is the most diverse demographic to date, this generation strongly values diversity and inclusion – wanting to see them reflected in the brands and companies they support.
Marketing takeaway: A great way to connect with both Gen Z and Millennial audiences is to use the power of influencer marketing to grow your business.
Influencer marketing removes the barriers of traditional advertising because customers are introduced to your brand from a trusted source (the influencer) on a platform like Instagram or YouTube.
When an influencer recommends a product or service on their channel, it comes across as a trusted recommendation from a friend, making them more likely to become a customer (and advocate) for your brand.
Just getting started in the world of influencer marketing? Learn everything you need to know about strategizing your first campaign in our free Instagram Influencer Marketing Strategy Guide!
Another way to build trust with both generations is by using user-generated content (better known as UGC).
Sharing photos and videos of real-life customers organically using (and loving) your products create genuine testimonials that Gen Zs (and even Millennials) will be drawn to.
These genuine and honest recommendations also have an added bonus: they save you time on content creation!
Take a look at how Dieux uses UGC with their Instagram Story Highlight: “Dieux Angels”.
In this space, members of their community are featured actually using their skincare products.
So if you’re looking to grow your business, user-generated content can seriously help skyrocket your sales and build true brand loyalty.
In case you missed it: has a whole suite of tools designed to make finding UGC and adding it to your Media Library as easy as possible!
