Many people still do not know what Twitter will do for online marketing in the future. Whether it will be a powerful online marketing tool, or become a passing fad, has yet to be realized.

There seems to be a divide between ad-folk and the average consumer over the future of Twitter. Advertising insiders are more likely to think that Twitter can amount to something big, while 70% of consumers surveyed said that they didn't even know enough about Twitter to predict how effective it can be. So that begs the question: How useful can an online medium be if 70% of consumers don't even know what it is?

Twitter is still very young, and there is the ever-present generational divide of the internet that must also be accounted for. Twitter is used and recognized most by younger audiences and 1 in 5 advertising professionals think it will stay that way. Even among industry professionals, those under 50 had the most faith that Twitter would grow quickly within the next 5 years.

If your tweets can be interesting and useful to others, I believe that Twitter has a future in the online world. If you are considering using Twitter as part of your marketing, remember that its usage is highest among younger age groups, so craft your tweets accordingly but make sure you don't talk down to this audience.

I twitter. Do you? Click on the link below to see my twitter page.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising, Inc.
junebisel@bbggadv.com
845-695-1880
Visit us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/BBGGadv
BBGGadv.com

Labels: advertising to teenagers, internet, internet marketing, marketing advice, marketing social network marketing web 2.0, relevant advertising, social media, twitter

There is a wave of social media marketing coming from colleges and universities seeking to market to teens. College marketing through social networking and other online media platforms is a great fit to the developing social marketing landscape. Teens spend a reported 31 hours per week online. They are active users of online media, downloading podcasts, reading blogs, and Twittering, Facebooking and Googling.

Colleges are already using social networking to communicate with and recruit high school seniors. Still, the question remains of how colleges will engage this hyperactive teenage market. Teenagers are hip to marketers' usual games. They expect to get letters in the mail. They expect emails. They expect banner ads. College bound teenagers will be receptive to colleges and universities who use the digital space in conjunction with traditional recruitment platforms to connect with them.

This means that using radio, TV, and direct mail are not obsolete, but integrating them with a smart digital engagement will bring the best ROI for recruiting colleges and universities. An online presence that really grabs teenagers attention and engages them will make your institution stand out from competing colleges.

June Bisel
BBG&G Advertising and Public Relations
Visit me on Twitter
845-291-7399
Insight@bbggadv.com

Labels: advertising to teenagers, college recruiting, internet marketing, social media