On April 9, 2015, Pew Research Center released a new study analyzing the digital lives of teenagers and how they use technology to create, and end their relationships. If you're a business owner who is trying to reach this younger demographic, it's important that you understand their technological lifestyle. We've put together some highlights below, and if you'd like to view the 47-page report, just visit this link.
24% of teens go online “almost constantly,” facilitated by the widespread availability of smartphones
As a business owner, you'll be able to best reach your audience by spending time where they are. Based on these stats, you should be putting most of your resources into Facebook, followed by Instagram and Snapchat. In fact, half of all American teens use Instagram. We also recommend taking a look at your competitors on social media. Where do they have a successful presence? This should weigh into your decision on where to be active on social.
71% of teens use more than one social network site
Your audience is active on more than one social media site, and so, then, should your business. Social media scheduling tools like Buffer and Hootsuite can help you be efficient in posting to multiple sites at one time, and even scheduling ahead of time. Create an efficient strategy so that you can gain as many online touches as possible.
88% of American teens ages 13 to 17 have access to a mobile phone
Also, 91% of teens use the internet on a mobile device. We've all heard the buzz about mobile-friendly websites. If you haven't already invested in optimizing your site for mobile, it's time. It actually might be past time since you are most likely losing quality leads every time someone reaches your website from their phone. The benefits are undeniable; increased website traffic, better brand engagement, increased conversion, reduced bounce rate and more. And based on this report, if your target market is teenagers, it's time to capture their attention the mobile way.
92% of teens report going online daily — with 24% using the internet “almost constantly”
The convenience of mobile phones has resulted in "almost constant" internet usage across the teen demographic. So what does this mean for business owners and marketers? You know how to reach them! Marketers are actively responding and 70% of marketers plan to increase their social advertising budget this year. Leveraging paid promotional tools on social media allows you to target specific users within your target market, increase your social following, drive website traffic, and ultimately drive new leads and customers.
One-in-five teens — 22% — use online pinboards
Online pinboards are sites like Pinterest where users can “pin” online content to create highly visual displays of images and information for inspiration, purchase or construction. This type of social platform may be beneficial to your brand and help to drive brand visibility, product knowledge, consumer insights, new leads and customers.
Facebook is used most often by the bulk of teens, but access varies, based on family income
Family income comes into play throughout Pew's 2015 report. While Facebook use remains in the lead across the board, teens from higher income families are more apt to use Instagram and Snapchat. So what does this mean for you as a business owner or marketer? Well, it depends on who you're trying to target. If you're selling a high-end product that's targeted toward wealthy teens, you'd want to skew your resources toward Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat. If you're selling a product that's affordable for families of all income levels, you'll want to focus on Facebook and Instagram.
In the end, it's important to commit the time to do social media in the right way. Managing a successful social media presence is not a full time job, but it also shouldn't be dumped on someone who already does full time work. Once you're up and running on social media, expect your social media manager to commit 5-10 hours per week. This should include weekly updates to the corporate team and monthly (or more frequent) metrics reports which analyze the efforts and present a clear plan for improving over time.
If you're brand new to social media, review these 6 first steps for business owners.