In October last year, I asked a few youngsters why they use Facebook. It is a website, a social network, that has changed the way millions of people communicate around the world. Another service that does has done a similar job is our very own local MXit, a mobile instant messaging service.
There are two things that Facebook and MXit have in common, they are:
- Enchanced Communication
Facebook allows users to keep up-to-date with what their friends are up to, send private messages, write on each others walls, share photos and videos. MXit on the other hand is slightly more instantaneous, users can chat to multiple friends at the same time and share certain content. They have both improved upon the way people can communicate with each other. - Large Youth Audience
In the last 30 days, Facebook has roughly 553 620 active South African users between the ages of 13 and 30. This is roughly 10% of South Africa’s internet population, all active on one site. MXit now has 7 million users, the majority being South African and predominantly between the ages of 13 – 24. It’s a global trend, the youth are into social networks, but only those that add value to their lives.
Engaging the youth where they feel comfortable can be a difficult task, but there are brands out there getting it right on both Facebook (see Apple and Skittles) and MXit (see Peugeot).
Sure ad spend on social networks is set to increase, but if not executed correctly all that money will go to waste. The challenge is taking the first step in understanding todays youth and how they want to interact with the brands they like and dislike.
