Marketing to teenagers is challenging nowadays mainly because their language develops almost as quickly as they send out a tweet! Since Generation Z (Gen Z) is the first generation to have grown up entirely online, their dedication to and contributions to the ever-evolving internet language are palpable.

We’re here to share how you can use slang to help sell to a Gen Z audience as a digital marketing company in San Francisco. Use the words “YOLO” or “swag” sparingly in your copy; the kids will pick up on how far behind the times you are!

Below is a compiled list of some of the most common slang words popularized by Gen Z users, along with examples of what they mean and how you can integrate them into your digital marketing strategy.

That’s the T (or tea)!

This slang term for “reality” is also spelled “tea.” It’s widely used when someone needs to get a message across, which may be in the form of unspoken facts or simple gossip.

You may integrate “the T” into your content marketing plan by using this term to get the attention of your target audience. For example, in your Facebook captions, you might write, “Here’s the T: our lip gloss is the best among the rest.”

Oof

This is a term that is typically used to express a person’s reaction to a harsh comment.

Companies on Twitter can quote tweet (retweet with a caption) a user’s tweet and caption it with a simple “oof.” This will illustrate to your audience that your business is not only young, but also up to date.

Snatched

They “snatch” when they tend to be quite trendy or nearly perfect.

LGBTQIA+ culture popularized the term, which later became mainstream. Snatched’s sister, “on fleek,” became famous in 2014, referring to brow makeup at first but later referring to a person’s entire appearance. “Perfect” and “on point” are two other synonyms.

Companies that market to 18-year-olds in the fashion, beauty, skincare, or a similar industry may use this term to tell their target market that their looks are snatch.

GOAT

When anyone refers to someone with a lot of clout as a GOAT, he or she is not referring to the farm animal. The abbreviation GOAT stands for Greatest Of All Time.

Businesses may use user-generated content to create a user-generated content campaign by asking their target group to post images demonstrating why they are worthy of the title of #GOAT.

It may take some getting used to and a lot of keeping up with Generation Z’s vocabulary. However, marketing to this demographic, like every other age group, has its own quirks. What counts is that you have a digital marketing plan that is foolproof. Using the words correctly will make or break your plan if you’re addressing this audience.