Influencers are crucial for an effective youth digital engagement strategy. For brands, simply having a social media presence is not enough to safely reach young audiences. Instead, companies need to leverage the power of influencers to build genuine connections with kids and Young Teens.
Social media influencers can increase brand exposure and engagement, whether they are paid or earned. Read on below for specific insights on how influencers can impact your youth engagement strategy.
Note: The data referenced in this blog comes from a 2021 SuperAwesome survey of over 1,500 children aged 6-15 across the U.S. and the U.K. For more detail on our findings, please reach out.
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Social media serves many functions for youth audiences. It acts as a means of education, entertainment, and a tool for staying in touch with friends. Additionally, young people use social media to identify trends and share them with their online community. This makes social the perfect medium to discover new things and reinforce positive feelings for existing brand relationships. With influencers, you can generate wider reach and more excitement around your brand among young audiences.
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YouTube and TikTok are the most popular social platforms among under-16s in terms of usage. More than half of Twitch and PopJam users also spend over one hour total on each of these platforms every day. Additionally, the percentage of under-16s who go on Snapchat multiple times a day increases with age. This means that social content delivers wider reach and engagement than other media and should be a key component of your digital engagement strategy with Young Teens.
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Though brands should have their own social media presence, it’s unlikely to produce engagement on the same level as influencers. Brands need social media influencers to generate trust and foster real connections with youth audiences.
Authenticity is a buzzword for a reason: young people are confident that they can distinguish between brands their favorite influencers genuinely believe in, and those they don’t. The relationship between audience and influencer means that both kids and Young Teens are more likely to trust a brand promoted by a social media star they follow, rather than a brand’s own social media accounts.
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Leveraging the power of influencers is essential for maintaining relevance among youth audiences. When influencers promote a brand, kids, Young Teens, and parents not only listen, but act. Partnerships with influencers should be integral to your brand’s digital youth engagement strategy, as they build trust and desirability among young audiences, as well as overall brand awareness.
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Influencer content drives immediate action. More than half of influencer-led product purchases are made on the same day that the user saw the creator’s content. Breaking that down further, 20% of respondents purchased products immediately after seeing it through an influencer, 18% completed the purchase within a few hours, and 15% of those surveyed made their purchase later that day.
Where can brands find kid-safe influencers?
Utilizing the power of influencers is a crucial element of an effective youth digital engagement strategy, but how can you find creators that align with your brand’s values? SuperAwesome Creators can help you find the right influencer partnerships for your brand to create safe content for your target audiences.
