Now more than ever, the younger generation has a habit of superseding their parents when it comes to technology – they’re the first to know and master new social media platforms, they’re the most active internet users, and now they’ve got the disposable income to spare on your product.
But approaching them isn’t as straightforward as you might think – otherwise every digital marketing campaign would be a huge and instant success. So what can you do to tackle the tech-savvy teens and market where it matters most to them? Read on to find out!
Know Who is on What Platform
Although to the untrained eye all social media platforms are the same, that actually couldn’t be further from the truth – and that’s a very relevant point when it comes to appealing to younger internet users. Each platform has a unique take on social networking, and different groups flock to different sites. For example, you’re most likely to find the creative types on micro-blogging platform, Tumblr – along with enthusiastic TV and movie fans. People with a lot to say and who are more likely to engage with a brand are on Twitter, whilst fitness and food fans dwell on Instagram. Knowing where your teen demographic likes to hang is essential when planning your social media strategy.
Use the Right Content
Of course once you know who is on a certain platform, it’s time to figure out what content to use. On visual platforms such as Pinterest and Instagram, it’s very unlikely that you’ll find an audience willing to read reams of writing under your images. Instead, embrace filters, minimal words and hashtags to get the best out of the platform. If you have more to say, link it over to a blog instead and leave it up to them to find out more. Over on Tumblr, the users will close rank when they recognise sponsored content that’s too salesy – engaging with the community slowly and taking the time to build up a reputation and trust is key.
Let the Audience Lead
As with any social media audience, however, it’s important to let the teens lead your content march. On social media, it’s bad practice to simply shout promotion after promotion at your audience – many will simply switch off and not engage. With younger generations this is even more important to remember. Appeal to what they like and will enjoy getting involved with – competitions asking for their involvement, humorous images, and especially fan created content will all get the audience talking and primed for promotion.
Remember Mobile Users
Most social media activity now takes place on smartphones and tablets – devices prevalent with teenagers. They know how to use them and they rely on using them to keep in touch with friends and family whilst out and about. This is where many brands fail, forgetting that things aren’t the same on mobile as they are on desktop. Thankfully, there are ways to get around this. Over on Facebook, for example, take advantage of link previews for easy access to content from the newsfeed; on Instagram, be sure to use images that are clear and not too crowded so that they’re suitable for a smaller screen.
Don’t Talk in a Voice You Don’t Have
It wasn’t cool when you were a teenager, and it really isn’t cool now – older generations trying to talk in a youthful tone of voice simply doesn’t work and often ends up sounding disingenuous or worse: tacky. Either engage with a young freelancer, talk to members of your audience to get a good grasp of the ‘lingo’ or simply avoid trying to use the same tone of voice altogether. Your young audience are more likely to have respect for you and your brand if the tone of voice is genuine and not the patronising echo of a younger generation.
Want to make the most of your social media marketing strategy and engage with those elusive teens? Simply get in touch with the Christian Michaels agency and let’s talk all things social!