The Upside of Facebook Flight
©iStock.com/MikeCherim
Recently released statistics show that, since 2011, almost 4 million teens aged 13-17 have left Facebook while the overall number of users has grown by almost 30 million.
One may take this teen flight as a sign that, like, Facebook is so last year. But if you’re a business, particularly one that sells B2B, this is actually a good thing – at least for the time being.
Here’s why:
1. Unless you’re a major brand, the 13-17 demographic holds little-to-no value for your business. Most are too young to work, and if they do hold jobs, they’re not in a position to make any purchasing decisions.
2. The group that gained the largest number of users over the past 3 years is the 35-54 year olds. This demographic is money. They’re experienced enough to be in at least middle management, or financially secure enough to be business owners. If you sell B2B, this is the group with which you most likely work and with which you make deals.
What does this mean for your Facebook marketing?
Remember that the way you appeal to teenagers is different than the way you appeal to older demographics. Younger audiences tend to respond better to lifestyle advertising (selling a way of life, rather than a product). Whereas, older audiences still respond to product advertising (think discounts and highlighting features). So whether you’re doing content marketing or paid advertising, you can more confidently write to your target audience rather than a general audience.
And now for the heavy: while it’s all sunshine and rainbows today, only time will tell whether the loss of young users will be Facebook’s ultimate downfall or only a blip in this social media supergiant’s constantly evolving business model.
So what are your thoughts on teen flight: death knell or opportunity knocking?
Whether you’re doing content marketing or paid advertising, your audience is changing – on Facebook. Jill of All Trades Aimee Brock shares what’s different with this social media giant and why you should care. Do you think teen flight is an opportunity in this digital space? Leave a comment below or email Aimee!
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