9 Tips for Marketing to Kids and Teens Successfully

 

What’s one tip for marketing your product or service specifically to kids or teens?

The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. In partnership with Citi, YEC recently launched StartupCollective, a free virtual mentorship program that helps millions of entrepreneurs start and grow businesses.

A. Advertise on Music Platforms

There are two things you know about most teens: they love music, and they don’t have much money. One way to reach teens is by advertising on music platforms with free versions (YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, etc.). Teens are more likely to be using these free versions, and most of these platforms have advanced advertising analytics to ensure that you’re reaching your audience.
- Brett Farmiloe, Internet Marketing Company

B. Get Them Involved

Cut through the commercials, and take your product on the road. Hit high-density venues where you will find kids and teens, such as malls, fairs, schools, etc., and bring your product to them to try firsthand. If mom and/or dad are there to witness their children having fun with your brand, then they will be more likely to purchase it for them over and over again.
- Vinny Antonio, Victory Marketing Agency

C. Be Trustworthy

Even with teenagers, you’ll be dealing with parents who have the power to block your access to their children. You have to make sure you’re worthy of the trust parents need to place in you before they’ll let their children use your product or service.
- Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting

D. Keep It Short

In today’s age of 140 characters and Instagram pictures, kids and teens have extremely short attention spans. Long sentences, lengthy explanations and blocks of copy will not communicate your message in a way that’s easily processed. Pictures, graphic examples and short sentences that pop have helped ZinePak effectively market to younger audiences quickly and efficiently.
- Kim Kaupe, ZinePak

E. Hook Their Curiosity

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a lot of noise out there. And the things that gain the attention of teens are what makes them laugh, cry, jeer or truly think. In building content for one of the top 50 most-trafficked websites on the Internet, we built teen content in near real time with a unique voice and engaging visuals. Relevant content that resonates at an emotional level is king.
- Matt Hunckler, Verge

F. Target the New Social Networks

New social networks, such Instagram and Snapchat, rise fast these days. Pay attention to what social networks kids are using, and you’ll be able to leverage those channels to reach them. If it’s a great product or idea, word will spread fast.
- Russ Oja, Seattle Windows and Construction, LLC

G. Be Relatable and Relevant

Marketing to kids inherently involves appealing to their inner world; their imagination. We once developed a tea product for children, licensing a known cartoon to brand it. For teens, social currency is a must. You must stay attuned to current social media trends such as Instagram and Snapchat. Being conscientious matters; do not forget parents spend on and supervise their children.
- Arthur Ebeling, Koi Creative, Inc.

H. Reply Quickly

When marketing to kids and teens, social media is where most of your target consumers are hanging out. Social media moves fast, so when you’re marketing to kids and teens, remember that the attention span on most of these platforms is rapid fire. You must engage fast, be responsive to questions and feedback and communicate in real time. Being accessible will gain you mindshare with this audience.
- Doreen Bloch, Poshly Inc.

I. Post Sharable Videos Online

Kids and teenagers still respond to video best, but not many companies can afford a prime TV spot. The best alternative is to create exciting online videos and market them through social media channels. Once kids see their peers sharing the next cool thing, you can bet their parents will hear about it.
- Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals

Culled from Huff Post