Only 22% of the 18-24 crowd is on Twitter, few follow companies

According to a recent study by the San Francisco-based Participatory Marketing Network, only 22% of Gen Y consumers use Twitter. Worse still for employers, only 29% of those 18-24 year olds “follow” companies.

Despite the fact that nearly all 18-24 year olds have at least one social networking profile, Twitter is dominated by the 25-34 crowd. The median age of Twitter users is actually 31.

So while Twitter may be gaining steam, Gen Y is, as usual, a tough sell. They’re almost three times as likely to follow a friend and almost twice as likely to follow a celebrity on Twitter than a company. Why? Well, let’s compare the content.

What do you think an 18-24 year old is going to be more interested in? A press release about your company’s latest product, service or acquisition, or what Ashton Kutcher thinks is “rad” today? I’m not poking fun at my generation, but the truth is Gen Y just doesn’t care about your company unless you have something they want or need. Even then, all the business stuff is truly boring to them.

Also, most companies use Twitter as a promotional tool only. Links to press releases, blog updates and job postings are great, but they’re a one-way conversation. Twitter is so amazing because it can become a two-way, 20-way or 500-way conversation. It happens in real time, instantly.

Gen Y follows their friends and celebrities on Twitter because they can have back-and-forth conversations with real people about everything from the club they just checked out to an incredible new product to the job they want to have.

So, don’t be discouraged by Twitter’s low Gen Y numbers. Instead, establish yourself as a brand that 18-24 year olds want to follow and, most importantly, interact with on a daily basis. Gen Y loves things that are dynamic and constantly changing, not the same old stale, static stuff which can be found all over the Internet and IRL (in real life).