You know what’s wild? Iwas talking to my 22-year-old niece last week, and she told me something that made my jaw drop. She said she hasn’t used Google to find a local restaurant in over six months. Instead, she scrolls through Tik Tok, watches Instagram Reels, and makes dining decisions based on what looks good in her feed. And honestly? She’s not alone.
If you’re running a local business and still thinking Facebook posts and Google My Business listings are enough to reach Gen Zcustomers, we need to have a serious chat. The game has completely changed, and the rules your business played by even two years ago are basically obsolete now.
Let me break down exactly how Gen Zis discovering local businesses in 2025, and more importantly, what you can do about it right now.
Social Media Isn’t Just Marketing Anymore – It’s the New Yellow Pages
Here’s the thing that’s blowing my mind: social platforms have become Gen Z’s primary discovery tool. We’re talking about a generation that spends hours researching brands and making purchase decisions entirely within social apps. Among Gen Zshoppers, 40% encounter new products on social media, with Instagram Reels and Tik Tok videos leading the charge.
Think about that for a second. Four out of ten young consumers are finding your competitors through their social feeds, not through traditional search. If your local business isn’t showing up where they’re actually looking, you’re basically invisible to an entire generation of customers.
I’ve seen this firsthand working with local businesses here in Colorado Springs. The ones that get this shift are absolutely crushing it, while others are wondering where all their young customers went. At Casey’s SEO, we’re always helping businesses figure out how to get found where their customers actually are, instead of where we think they should be.
The Death of Perfect Marketing (And Why That’s Actually Great News)
Remember when business marketing meant polished photos, perfect lighting, and corporate speak? Yeah, Gen Zisn’t buying that anymore. They want authenticity, and Imean real authenticity – not the fake “authentic” marketing that still feels like marketing.
User-generated content is now super important for how brands connect with this generation. The local businesses that are winning aren’t the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They’re the ones whose customers are creating content for them.
Iwatched a local coffee shop go from struggling to packed daily, and you know what changed? They stopped posting professional photos of their latte art and started reposting customer videos. Customers filming themselves trying new drinks, showing their friends around the space, even complaining about the long lines (which actually made other people want to check it out). That’s the power of letting your community tell your story.
What This Means for Your Business Right Now
Stop trying to control every piece of content about your business. Start encouraging it instead. Create moments and experiences that people naturally want to share. Make your space Instagram-worthy, sure, but more importantly, make it story-worthy.
Experience-First Business Models Are Taking Over
Gen Zdoesn’t just want to buy something – they want an experience they can share. Local businesses are catching onto this and creating what Icall “shareable moments” on purpose.
Pop-up events, interactive installations, behind-the-scenes access, limited-time collaborations – these aren’t just marketing gimmicks anymore. They’re business models. These experiences are a win-win: they create genuine connection with customers while generating organic social content that reaches their entire network.
Iknow a local boutique that started hosting “styling parties” where customers could invite friends, get personalized styling sessions, and create content together. Not only did their sales increase, but their reach exploded because every customer became a content creator for them.
The Inspiration Economy is Real
Here’s something that completely changed how Ithink about local business marketing: 62% of Gen Zshoppers visit brands’ social media pages specifically for purchasing decisions. But here’s the kicker – they’re not going there because they need something specific. They’re going there for inspiration.
This is inspiration-driven shopping, not need-based shopping. People are opening social apps without knowing what they want to buy, and they’re letting the content inspire their next purchase decision.
What does this mean for your local business? Your social content can’t just showcase what you sell – it needs to inspire people to want the lifestyle your products or services represent. Alocal gym doesn’t just post workout equipment photos; they post transformation stories, community achievements, and the feeling of accomplishment. Arestaurant doesn’t just post food photos; they post the experience of sharing a meal with people you care about.
Livestream Commerce is About to Explode
Livestream commerce is expected to grow 300% among Gen Zin 2025, and honestly, most local businesses aren’t even thinking about this yet. That’s a massive opportunity if you’re willing to get ahead of the curve.
Interactive shopping experiences – AR filters, virtual try-ons, live Q&Asessions, real-time demonstrations – these aren’t sci-fi ideas anymore. They’re happening right now, making it super fast to go from browsing to buying – sometimes in just minutes instead of days or weeks.
I’ve watched local businesses use Instagram Live to do everything from virtual store tours to real-time styling consultations. The engagement rates are incredible because it feels personal and immediate in a way that pre-recorded content just can’t match.
Values-Based Discovery is Non-Negotiable
Gen Zdoesn’t discover local businesses randomly. They actively seek out brands that align with their values, and they’ll research your business’s stance on issues they care about before they spend money with you.
This isn’t about jumping on every social cause – that feels fake and they can spot it from miles away. It’s about being genuine about what your business actually stands for and letting that show in how you operate and communicate.
Environmental responsibility, community involvement, fair labor practices, supporting local causes – these aren’t nice-to-haves anymore. They’re table stakes for earning Gen Zloyalty.
The Platform Breakdown: Where Gen Z Actually Hangs Out
Let’s get specific about where you should be focusing your energy, because spreading yourself thin across every platform is a recipe for mediocrity.
Tik Tok: The Discovery Powerhouse
Tik Tok isn’t just for dance videos anymore (honestly, it hasn’t been for years). It’s become the primary discovery platform for local businesses. The algorithm is incredibly good at serving local content to people in your area, and the organic reach is still better than any other platform.
Local businesses that post consistently on Tik Tok – showing behind-the-scenes content, customer reactions, day-in-the-life videos – are seeing incredible growth in foot traffic and brand awareness.
Instagram: The Visual Storyteller
Instagram Reels are dominating discovery, but Stories and regular posts still matter for building ongoing relationships. The key is using all the features – Reels for discovery, Stories for daily connection, and posts for your evergreen content.
Instagram Shopping features are also getting more sophisticated, allowing people to discover and purchase without ever leaving the app.
You Tube Shorts: The Underestimated Player
You Tube Shorts is quietly becoming a major discovery platform, especially for businesses that can create educational or entertaining short-form content. The search functionality makes it super useful for local businesses since people often search for location-specific content on You Tube.
Common Problems (And How to Actually Fix Them)
Problem 1: “We Don’t Have Time for All These Platforms”
Ihear this constantly, and Iget it. Managing multiple social platforms feels overwhelming when you’re trying to run a business.
Solution:
Don’t try to be everywhere. Pick one platform and do it really well before expanding. Create content once and adapt it for different platforms rather than creating unique content for each one. Asingle customer interaction can become a Tik Tok video, an Instagram Reel, and a You Tube Short with minimal additional effort.
Problem 2: “Our Content Doesn’t Get Engagement”
This usually happens because businesses are still creating content for themselves instead of their audience.
Solution:
Stop posting what you think looks good and start posting what your customers actually want to see. Ask them directly. Run polls. Pay attention to which posts get the most engagement and create more content like that. Document real customer experiences instead of staging perfect moments.
Problem 3: “We Can’t Measure ROI on Social Media”
This one drives me crazy because the measurement tools are actually better than ever.
Solution:
Set up proper tracking from the beginning. Use platform analytics, track website traffic from social sources, create unique discount codes for social campaigns, and ask new customers how they found you. The data is there if you’re collecting it systematically.
Actionable Best Practices You Can Implement Today
1. Create a Content Documentation System
Start documenting everything interesting that happens in your business. Customer reactions, behind-the-scenes moments, problem-solving processes, team interactions. This gives you endless content ideas and keeps your social presence authentic.
2. Develop Your Brand Voice
Gen Zcan spot corporate speak from a mile away. Develop a genuine brand voice that reflects your actual personality and values. If you’re naturally funny, be funny. If you’re more serious and educational, lean into that. Authenticity trumps perfection every time.
3. Engage Like a Human, Not a Brand
Respond to comments and messages like you’re having a real conversation. Ask follow-up questions. Show genuine interest in your customers’ lives. This level of personal interaction is what builds the kind of loyalty that Gen Zvalues.
4. Create Shareable Moments Intentionally
Design experiences specifically for sharing. This could be visually interesting spaces, unique products, exceptional service moments, or community events. Think about what would make someone want to tell their friends about your business.
5. Stay Consistent Without Burning Out
Consistency matters more than perfection, but you don’t need to post multiple times daily. Find a posting schedule you can maintain long-term and stick to it. Quality and consistency beat frequency every time.
The Technical Side: Making Sure You’re Found
While social media discovery is huge, you can’t ignore the technical foundation that makes everything work together. Your social media efforts need to connect smoothly with your overall local search presence.
This is where having a solid local SEO strategy becomes super important. When someone discovers your business on Tik Tok and wants to learn more, they need to be able to find you easily on Google, get directions to your location, and see consistent information across all platforms.
Your Google Maps optimization needs to work hand-in-hand with your social media presence. When Gen Zcustomers find you on social media, they’re often looking you up on Google Maps next to see reviews, hours, and directions.
Regulatory Considerations You Can’t Ignore
As social commerce grows, so do the regulatory requirements. The FTC requires clear disclosure of sponsored content and partnerships, even for small local businesses. If you’re paying influencers or giving free products for reviews, those relationships need to be disclosed clearly.
Privacy regulations are also evolving rapidly. Make sure you understand how customer data collection works on each platform and that you’re compliant with local privacy laws, especially if you’re collecting customer information through social media campaigns.
What’s Coming Next
The trends I’m watching for the rest of 2025 include more sophisticated AR integration, voice-activated social commerce, and even smoother integration between social platforms and local business operations.
AI-powered personalization is getting better at serving local business content to the right audiences at the right times. The businesses that start adapting to these changes now will have a significant advantage over those who wait.
Your Next Steps
Here’s what Iwant you to do right now: pick one social platform where you think your Gen Zcustomers are most active. Spend the next week just observing how other local businesses in different industries are using that platform. What kind of content gets the most engagement? How do they interact with their audience?
Then, create a simple content plan. You don’t need anything fancy – just a list of 10-15 content ideas you could create with minimal effort. Start with one post per week and build from there.
Remember, this isn’t about having the biggest marketing budget or the most followers. It’s about showing up authentically where your customers actually are and creating genuine connections with them.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all of this, you’re not alone. The shift to social-first discovery is happening fast, and it’s okay to need help figuring out how it applies to your specific business. That’s exactly why we work with local businesses to build complete local search strategies that work across all platforms – because your customers don’t live in just one place online, and your marketing shouldn’t either.
The businesses that thrive in 2025 will be the ones that understand this fundamental shift and adapt accordingly. Gen Zisn’t just the future of your customer base – they’re a significant portion of your current potential customers. The question isn’t whether you should adapt to how they discover local businesses. The question is how quickly you can get started.
Want to dive deeper into how this applies to your specific business? Check out our track record with local businesses, or better yet, give us a call at 719-639-8238. Let’s figure out how to get your business discovered by the customers who are ready to spend money with local businesses that get it.
