The company faced with marketing to a young demographic may find social media optimization a challenge, given that despite the impression of technological savvy among teenagers. If your products and services skew toward teenagers and young adults, you might ask yourself if it's worth it to have that Twitter account or Facebook page if you aren't certain the people who should patronize you find the right material. Social networks are not where the kids are. According to Quantcast, teenagers 13-17 populate the following percentages of over social media usage:
- Digg - 11%
- Facebook - 22%
- MySpace - 16%
- Twitter - 13%
- Yelp - 5%
- YouTube - 15%
On the outset, the numbers appear distressing, and if your marketing and writing has leaned heavily toward these networks you might wonder if the efforts on your part are wasted.
Not exactly. One thing to remember about building content on certain networks is that search engines do pick up on the keywords. Even if a particular Web user doesn't patronize Twitter or Facebook, if he/she is searching for your product, there is still the chance of a click-through to a tweet or status update if the key phrases show in results. Another thing to remember, too, is that as teenagers mature, and if your company changes focus, you can adapt your social media strategy to introduce new trends and continuously market to new audiences.
For now, though, where is that important teen audience? Here is a brief rundown of the more popular hangouts:
Bebo.com (39%) - This social network, according to Quantcast, is the most used in the 13-17 demographic. Similar to MySpace and the like, Bebo allows for integration with YouTube and instant messaging - which is popular with the age group.
WhateverLife.com (49%) - One look at this flashy community site and there's no mistaking for whom it's designed. Registered users can read entertainment news and keep online journals, access design layouts, and connect with other users via message boards.
Whether you feel either site is useful in your marketing to cater to this important audience is for you to discern, just remember in the fast-changing world of SEO and social media, there are no guarantees that these percentages will remain the same in five years. Keep the content fresh for search, and entice your readership.
