Marketers Move to Facebook as Teens Move Away

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In marketing as in life, it is all about timing. That's why, at the very least, retailers and brands should be concerned that they are moving to Facebook at a time when large numbers of teenagers are abandoning it.

According to a study from OTX and Roiworld, roughly 20 percent of teenage Facebook users decreased or stopped using the service altogether as of April of this year.

Facebook is not alone in losing the interest of fickle teenagers. MySpace (22 percent abandonment rate), YouTube (15 percent) and Twitter (15 percent) are having issues hanging on to their young members.

According to eMarketer, Facebook is facing a boredom issue among kids. Social games are seen as a key method of keeping teenagers entertained. Eighty-one percent of young members use social games and spend an average of seven hours a week playing them.

Separately, a survey of 476 marketers conducted last month by SeeWhy found 67 percent plan to use Facebook to drive traffic to an e-commerce website, while 26 percent are looking to sell directly from the social media site. Forty-four percent plan to develop microsites on Facebook to draw attention to specific promotions and product rollouts.

Discussion Questions: Should the number of teens moving away from Facebook and other social media sites be a cause of concern for marketers in both the near and longer-term? What are the most effective means for keeping consumers of all ages engaged with a marketer's Facebook page?

• Why Many Teens Are Moving on from Facebook - eMarketer
• Social Commerce: Most Marketers View Facebook as a Source of Traffic - SeeWhy