Reaching Gen Z will require you to change the channel.

Audiences are more connected than ever, right? OK, Boomer.

Although social platforms are still growing, one key demographic—ahem, young people—is slowing its roll in terms of online activity. Or, more accurately, it’s engaging in different ways.

To reach young audiences, marketers must understand how they use social platforms to interact with one another.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Your mom’s on Facebook

No, really. She is. And so is theirs. And that’s why they aren’t. Or, at least not outside of Facebook Messenger. Private messaging and micro-communities, though, are huge.

Research shows that young people prefer to communicate through private message threads instead of open forums. Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are two great examples.

Reaching audiences in this way is a little trickier than your standard targeted ad, but it’s not impossible. Investing in Facebook Messenger ads and figuring out your chatbot strategy (Listen to this guy on Facebook) are good places to spend marketing effort. Also, keep an eye out for new ad units from WhatsApp.

Gettin’ cliquey with it

Private groups—think Facebook Groups, Slack, Discord, or the “Close Friends” feature on Instagram Stories—also are popular hubs for younger social users. Brands can invest the capital into creating their own channels, but tapping relevant influencers is another viable option.

“Tik” this box if you want to reach Gen Z

TikTok is for real. It has surpassed both Twitter and SnapChat in popularity and its growth does not seem to be slowing. According to Social Media Examiner, 66% of TikTok users are less than 30 years old and 41% are between the ages of 16 and 24. You can create a TikTok ad account here but don’t forget that organic content plays very well on TikTok as well. Check out these 19 brands that are killing it on TikTok with their organic content strategy.

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