Remember that look you got when you asked your teenager why she didn’t accept your friend request? It seems that she would rather move on than to share her friends and social life with you.
While Facebook has over 1.2 billion users worldwide, it’s losing favor with teenagers (age 13-17)—by three million in the past three years. That’s a loss of 25.3 percent. Now, Instagram, Snapchat, FourSquare and many other sharing platforms are gaining users from the teen demographic as they abandon Facebook. Why?
Teens see Facebook as their parents’ platform. While they’re friends with their family, they want to do their sharing with friends in places that don’t include their parents. Instagram is owned by Facebook – a smart move. But the social media world is as fickle as the teens it courts. Marketing on social media requires an awareness of what is new, passé, and what demographic each one serves.
As Facebook loses teens, it has gained in the 55 and over demographic, an 80 percent increase. Savvy marketing will take this into account and can concentrate social media efforts into the one that best represents who they’re trying to reach.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that companies have geared up their marketing efforts on Facebook. I remember one person remarking that since she bought shoes from a certain retailer, she’s been courted on Facebook since.
That teens have found new places to socialize is not a bad thing. Now their parents can enjoy socializing, shopping and sharing without their kids around.