Social Media Marketing to Children
Children are a big market for many industries including food, clothing and toys, however marketing to kids is difficult because of the rigorous laws in place regarding children under 18. While parents ultimately are the ones who pay the bills for children’s wants and needs, they are swayed by their children’s opinions. So how can you market to kids in a way they will respond while ensuring that you are not stepping over legal and moral boundaries?
Appealing to Kids and Their Parents
Kids are media savvy, and smarter than you think. In order to appeal to them, you have to be tuned into what they consider “have to have” items. At the same time, items that you’re marketing should appeal to parents as dwell. So let’s break down what kids want and compare it to what parents want.
What Do Kids Want?
Kids want to have the coolest toys and games, look great and discover new ideas to share with their friends. Kids like:
- Toys that engage their senses
- Toys and games to act out their favorite story or movie
- “Cool” items that their friends have or they see online
- Items that will make other kids like them
Parents want their kids to be healthy, successful and safe. Happiness is secondary to safety. Parents want:
- Kids who are able to play by themselves and with others
- Toys and games that are durable and fun to play with
- Affordable toys, games and clothing because kids grow out of them quickly
- Assurances that products and services will benefit their children without compromising their safety
- Kids to stay healthy and happy
Social Media Engagement for Kids under 18
Kids are growing up with mobile devices and home computers these days. That means that kids are online a lot. While parents can control which sites their children go on, often kids network together to find out about the latest news. Children access the internet from a very young age, and spend time on social media to share information. If you want to use social media marketing to reach kids, you first need to understand where they hang out online.
Some social media sites won’t allow kids to use their platform. To join them, a person has to say that they are 18 or older. You can market to parents using demographic filters on social platforms, but if they don’t allow kids, there is no data collected about them. Look for social media platforms that allow children, are easy to use and don’t take much time. Kids are bound to use platforms with heavy image and video usage. In fact, videos are one of the best types of content to use for engaging kids. Just remember that kids think differently than adults. What is humorous to a child isn’t necessarily to an adult.