Eight Ways to Break Into the Teen Market

But that doesn't mean setting up a profile page rife with corporate information and speak. "Don't over-sell them," says Simon Podd, head of U.K. sales for Bebo.com, a social networking site popular among teens. "Definitely don't treat the profile page as an ad. They have to feel like they're having a conversation with that brand while in their bedroom or on their mobile phone. By befriending a brand's profile page, they're giving you permission to contact them so don't abuse it."

That means giving them some added value for spending time with you. That could be offering the occasional freebie. It could mean giving them the inside track on something that their peers would like to know. It could be allowing them to share with their friends and family.

Be ready to listen: If you're willing to get on the social media bus, be ready to listen and respond to comments from your customers. Given how teens live online as much as offline, they're going to give you an earful. So address comments and update regularly. "At the end of the day, you're speaking to the end user," says Podd. "If they come back and it's not been updated, they will never come back."

Make it fun: Teens, more than any other audience, like to participate. So be creative when pitching your product or service. Bebo.com helped U.K. drugstore brand Boots create a photo contest, in which users uploaded photos of themselves in full make-up. The winner would become the face of Boots campaign.