When Twitter debuted in 2008, only 1 in 10 teens were using the microblogging site. Fast forward to 2012, and that number is up to 16% according to Pew Research — double 2011 usage statistics. This is something that brands need to take notice of and watch closely. Teens are fickle, and while it’s unlikely that Facebook’s 900 million users will suddenly abandon the site, there was a time when MySpace saw its younger users migrating to Facebook. In other words, when it comes to the teen audience, no brand is safe.
As Dave Williams explains on Ad Age, there are specific reasons why teens are starting to choose Twitter to interact with friends (and more) online. Teens view Facebook as a site for sharing content, photos, videos, and memories. On the other hand, Twitter is where teens have conversations in real-time. It’s like text messaging with a wider audience. Furthermore, teens like that they can use Twitter anonymously and create separate accounts to communicate with different audiences. Unlike Facebook where teens can’t hide from their parents and family, Twitter gives them the freedom that teens crave.
Dave writes, “Teens aren’t giving up on Facebook, but they’re treating it the same way the gainfully employed treat LinkedIn. They feel it’s important to maintain a page, but they check the social network sporadically. Twitter is where they go to check in throughout the day. ” This shift in behavior is something that brands need to take very seriously and consider in their future social media marketing efforts.
Bottom-line, it’s not surprising that teens are embracing Twitter, but are brands giving this migration the attention it deserves? My guess is that most brands are not — yet. And where teens are concerned, “yet” is already too late. Brands need to be aware of how teens use different social media tools like Facebook and Twitter, so they can effectively communicate with this audience wherever those teens are spending time.
Image: Julia Freeman-Woolpert
Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
