Ever heard of Bebo? If you’re like us, it rings a few bells, but was long ago stashed away into the box reserved for social networks that fell before the behemoth that is Facebook. It appears that Bebo is aiming for a comeback. The social network, now owned by AOL, is targeting 18-24 year olds that have grown tired of Facebook.

I doubt Bebo will knock Facebook off its throne. Even if every 18-24 guy and gal abandoned Facebook, transporting their networks to Bebo, you’re only talking about 11.8% of the adult population (U.S. Census, 2008 Community Survey). While this demographic accounts for a greater percentage of internet users, older demographics are adopting at a faster rate, and they’re not likely to flock to networks made up of people half their age, or younger. Facebook’s user base will continue to swell. Bebo’s user base will also swell. So who should you be paying attention to?

Both!

The reality is that people adopt different networks and engage in various online behaviors for different reasons. Bebo’s niche targeting approach should serve as a reminder – when developing your online marketing and social media strategies, you need to do three things:

1. Go where your customers are today.
2. Plan for where your customers will be, or migrate to.
3. Pay attention to where the people who will one day be your customers are now, and where they’re going.

Few of our current clients are focused exclusively on the 18-24 market, but Bebo is on our radar. In fact, I’ll be setting up my Bebo account today. Please don’t tell them how old I am.

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