Wendy read an article the other day that had some interesting facts about teens and texting.  Which got me to thinking ….

April, otherwise known as my daughter, is currently 18 years old and a senior in high school.  Although April begged me for a cell phone from the time she was about 10, I made her wait until she was 14 years old and in the 8th grade before giving her a cell phone.  Well, that lasted about the length of her 8th grade school year.  By the end of the year, she was abusing the texting and breaking my carefully thought out rules so bad, I took the phone away, forever.  Admittedly there were also grade issues that I truly believe were affected by too much texting and not enough studying.

April remained phoneless until this school year in November when her dear Aunt Wendy decided April was old enough to handle the responsibility of a cell phone.  Aunt Wendy provided April with a phone, usage rules, and a small bill each month – as April is also expected to learn the responsibility of paying her own way in life.

So, back to my thoughts … Is April typical of her generation regarding how much teens text these days … or is she an over-achiever?  Simply put, April remains an over-achiever.  I am sad to report my dear April averages close to 300 texts per day.

The study claims that teens are texting more and more these days.  Teens ages 14 – 17 text an average of 100 times per day – with older teen girls texting the most.  Even though teens have a wide variety of communication methods available to them, texting is the primary choice.  Texting supersedes email, instant messaging, video chat and voice calls.

As I continue my thoughts … I consider the fact that was confirmed at a Google conference I attended last week.  Email currently remains the NUMBER ONE, most effecting online marketing technique available to businesses.  (Good to know our second book 6 Steps to Convert Visitors to Buyers - which tells you how to do develop an effective email marketing strategy for your company – is still extremely relevant.)  What this means for small businesses is,

• As the mobile industry continues to grow more consumers connect with your business through their cell phones
• As the teens grow older they will carry their texting habits forward
• Businesses must think about the future … you will need to incorporate into your marketing plans a mobile strategy – that may involve texting – to continue to reach your audience in the future.

It probably is still a few years away from having to jump into this today … but how consumers use technology to communicate in their day to day lives is a consideration that shouldn’t be overlooked by businesses.  Who knew my frustration with April’s texting would offer inspiration that impacts how bWyse plans to evolve its marketing strategies in the future?

Wendy and I would love to hear your experiences.  Do you have teens that text too much?  Is your company considering mobile devices in your future marketing plans?  Please leave us a comment – or share your thoughts on our Facebook Page!