Although social media is a powerful marketing platform, marketers often lack a solid strategy when targeting young consumers. The largest age group targeted by many social marketing campaigns is the 12-17 year age bracket. This is because this group is more highly represented online than any other; a study by Forrester Research reveals that an astounding 75% of 12-17 year olds have a Facebook account. Many of these people also have accounts on other social networking platforms. 40% have a presence on MySpace as well as Facebook.
Surprisingly enough, many social marketing campaigns fail miserably to achieve their conversion goals. This can be extremely frustrating to a marketer who sees their competition rising through viral word-of-mouth on the same sites. What factors are accounting for the success of some and the failures of others?
The research by Forrester indicates that the number one reason why social marketers fail is a misunderstanding of why 12-17 year olds are online. Young consumers have different motivations for being online than many older consumers.
Young consumers go online largely to keep in contact with their own immediate social circles. Consider that much of their online time is spent at home and in class during the times at which they are separated from their friends. They will see those same friends later in the day or the next day, but they still want to keep in touch with them while they’re in different classes or at home for the day. The very idea of being disconnected is alien to them.
What that doesn’t mean is that they’re online to meet people. They also love to share what they already like with their friends on social networks – but that doesn’t mean they go online to discover new things to share.
Only 6% of young consumers say that they want to be friends with company brands online. They consider it an affront if you try and market to them. Just imagine if you walked up to them in school in the hallway and just started talking. How would they feel? They would probably feel their space had been invaded and that you were behaving inappropriately. Virtual space can be treated just like physical space; for this generation it is no less personal. This is where most online marketers go wrong with their campaigns.
What young consumers do want is to be able to trust you. If you are simply present on a social network and available to answer questions, you will build trust gradually. Having incentive programs in place can help you out as well. Always respect the space and privacy of young consumers.
If you do feel the need to infiltrate their social circles, consider talking about or becoming involved with a popular topic that isn’t what you’re trying to sell. Music and gaming are very popular topics among this age group. Get involved with music discussions, collaborate with musicians and offer games and you will have a better chance at involving 12-17 year olds with your brand. This can work especially well for smaller businesses run by one or several people. Get to know potential buyers on a human level first. Sell to young consumers, not at them.
Social networking is a valuable tool in your social media marketing toolkit. You just need to hold the motivations of young consumers in the forefront of your mind when you plan your campaign. It is not enough to know that young consumers are on social networking sites, you must understand their reasons and their expectations in being there in order to market to them effectively. Below are some charts that summarize the results of the study and should aid you in increasing your awareness.
Spencer Belkofer is founder of Lumin, an Alabama based Internet marketing firm. He makes sure to know the in and outs of the SEO and social media marketing industry through consistent research and blogging.