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Does Entertainment Have an Age Limit?

Wednesday, March 28th, 2012

New survey data on the influence of online social networks on entertainment-related decisions was released this month. The upshot is that Twitter and Facebook are indeed impacting consumers when it comes to movies, TV shows and video games. But we focused on something else: the survey, by The Hollywood Reporter (THR) and Penn Schoen Berland, only included 750 people between the ages of 13 and 49.

I imagine some younger person at THR putting together the sample and figuring, why bother including old people in the survey? People over the age of 50 don’t watch TV, buy movie tickets or play video games – right?

Wrong.

FACT: The average age of a prime-time TV viewer is 51. Even shows strongly identified with America’s youth depend on a graying group for their strong ratings. American Idol’s average viewer is 43.8; baby boomers account for 21% of Glee’s regular fans.

Read more: Television’s Senior Moment (Wall Street Journal); Why Has the Network TV Audience Gotten So Old? (Vulture); TV and Advertising to Baby Boomers and Beyond (this blog)

FACT: In 2011, one in four movie tickets in the US and Canada was sold to a person over 50. As the Motion Picture Association of America puts it, “A slight increase in the oldest age group (60+) indicates that more of these people went to the movies (28.8 million) and bought more tickets (170.2 million) than in 2010, representing a 13% market share of both.”

Read more: 2011 Theatrical Market Statistics (Motion Picture Association of America); Is Hollywood Finally Growing Up? (Washington Times); Hurray for Hollywood’s Mature Marketing Insights (this blog)

FACT: In 2011, nearly 1 in every 3 Americans over the age of 50 played a video game. Per the Entertainment Software Association, that’s “an increase from nine percent in 1999. This figure is sure to rise in coming years with nursing homes and senior centers across the nation now incorporating video games into their activities.”

Average age of a game player? 37. Average age of a game buyer? 41.

Read more: Industry Facts (Entertainment Software Association)

FACT: 32% of Baby Boomers say they visit a social networking site each day, per the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

Read more: Generations Online and other resarch (Pew); Social, Silver Surfers ebook (Creating Results)

 

With these facts in mind, I’d love to hear The Hollywood Reporter explain: since 50+ adults are big consumers of entertainment AND are active on social networks, why weren’t they a part of your survey?

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Social Networking | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 3/26/12

Monday, March 26th, 2012

What held the attention of mature marketing pros on Twitter, LinkedIn and our blog this week? Read on for the top links and resources of the week that was.

1. MOST COMMENTED, DISCUSSED AND SHARED: Is 50 the new 30? That’s what thought-leader and typically thoughful writer Seth Godin stated on his blog last week. I took exception to his reckoning that Baby Boomers are acting like 30 year olds. In my opinion,

“Baby Boomers are clearly not acting like 30 year olds. They’re acting like the best 50 year olds they can be. They’re acting like a new kind of 50 year old.

You might even say they’re not acting at all – they’re just living lives with purpose and vibrancy.”

Turned out I wasn’t alone in my frustration with Seth’s take on 50+ers. Please check out our post and the lively discussion it sparked at http://bit.ly/H5YGA8.

2. MOST CLICKED: Did you know that 1 in 4 people will abandon a web page that takes more than 4 seconds to load? This eye-opening infographic shows how patience may be a lost virtue in “Instant America”: http://ow.ly/9Ke41

Jeremiah Owyang shared a New York Times article on a similar topic, how Google engineers have discovered that people will visit a web site less than a competitive site if they perceive it to be slower by miliseconds.

While the data isn’t broken out by age group, we imagine it would apply to the time-starved baby boomers and un-retired seniors out there. (Yes, even those of us who remember waiting patiently for the dial up modem now get antsy.)

Do you know how fast the pages on your web site are loading? You could try this tool from Pingdom: http://tools.pingdom.com/fpt/. Google also has a site speed report built in to its Analytics: http://analytics.blogspot.com/2011/05/measure-page-load-time-with-site-speed.html.

3. Five ways to “use content to get the attention of those all-important prospects — the men and women who are in the market to buy what you have to sell.” In this post, Sonia Simone of CopyBlogger shares tips including guest posting, how-to videos, Q&A series, professional networking and finding online traffic in the off line world. But it was her caveat that convinced us to share the post with our followers: “None of this works if your content sucks.”

Read the whole post here: http://ow.ly/9LyDS

And I may have gotten cranky with Seth, but I really am a softie:  

For her 100th birthday, a man gives his beloved the wedding she always wanted! Grab a tissue, watch this amazing video and you’ll start your Monday truly inspired.

Tip o’ the hat to @50Plus for bringing this lovely video to our attention.

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Internet, Marketing | No Comments »

Fifty is the New Thirty? Not so fast, Seth.

Thursday, March 22nd, 2012

I enjoy Seth Godin’s blog. The writing is typically concise and insightful. But for me this week his pithy style led him down the wrong path, in telling readers that “Fifty is the new thirty.”

Here’s what Seth wrote on his blog this past Saturday:

“Baby boomers continue to redefine our culture, because there’s just so many of us, we’re used to being the center of attention.”

I couldn’t agree more. Baby boomers have had an impact on every aspect of US culture – from the workplace to mass marketing to “helicopter” parenting to self-help to lifelong learning to …

Seth continues and I continue to agree with him:

“Add into that the fact that we’re living much longer and careers are becoming more flexible …”

But then he states:

“… and it’s pretty clear that in just about every cultural respect, fifty year olds are living, acting and looking more like thirty year olds every day.”

Sorry, but this is where we part ways.

Baby Boomers are not “acting more like 30 year olds.”

* 30 year olds do not raise grandchildren. Nearly 1 million American kids have their basic needs met exclusively by a grandparent, no parent present. A total of 4.9 million live in households headed by grandparents. As the AARP put it, “Clearly, grandparents are increasingly providing the stability and security of home for their families.”

* 30 year olds aren’t balancing careers, their families and caring for their own aging parents.

* 30 year olds aren’t paying off their kids’ college tuitions while pursuing continuing higher education themselves.

* 30 year olds do not pay for their grown children’s cell phone bills, as do 59% of Baby Boomer women. Or pay for their child’s insurance, rent, cars, computers and more. (Get the full picture of what Boomer moms pay for at VibrantNation.com.)

* And 30 year olds don’t have that ability to be understanding that life satisfaction comes from within. That kind of introspection requires another 20 years or so …

Baby Boomers are clearly not acting like 30 year olds. They’re acting like the best 50 year olds they can be. They’re acting like a new kind of 50 year old.

You might even say they’re not acting at all – they’re just living lives with purpose and vibrancy.

Seth’s blog closes by noting that “most traditional advertisers are stuck in the mindset that thirty is the end of your chance to find a new customer or build a new brand.” It’s a frustration our team frequently voices.

But if your brand wants to tap into the Baby Boomer market, you’ll have to look beyond slogans like “50 is the new 30″ and see them for who they truly are: exciting, challenged, challenging, thoughtful, skeptical and lucrative consumers who absolutely are acting their age.

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Posted in 50+, Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers | 7 Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 3/19/2012

Monday, March 19th, 2012

Last week we celebrated Pi Day, the ides of March (et tu, baby boomer marketer?) and St. Paddy’s Day (sorry Kermit, but once a year it IS easy being green). We also shared a wide variety of resources to help you get better results while marketing to the 50+ consumer. Here are the links that received the most clicks, retweets, discussion or attention last week.

1. MOST SHARED: Consumers feel that 1 or 2 Facebook messages a day from a brand or organization are too many. A TolunaQuick survey found that respondents “felt overwhelmed by brand messages on social media,” reported PR Daily.  ”Other findings from the study that brands will want to consider:

  • 40 percent of respondents felt that brand promotions are too complex to enter;
  • 20 percent felt incentives are not worth the effort;
  • 75 percent said that one or two Facebook messages per day is too much to receive from a brand;
  • Nearly 40 percent don’t want to share brand interactions with friends
  • 20 percent proactively post messages to brand pages.”

The findings didn’t surprise our team one bit. As I tweeted, when Creating Results conducted its Social, Silver Surfers research, we heard this message from baby boomers and seniors using social networks. Only 15% said yes, yes they wanted to engage with a brand via social platforms. The majority told us loud and clear that they felt overmarketed to already and that social media was a personal, not commercial space. (Download the eBook at www.CreatingResults.com/SocialSilverSurfers.)

2. MOST CLICKED: Did you know 52% of #babyboomer women rely on ad insertions, print/online coupons? Good opp for QR code ow.ly/9wR7C

Also notable and useful … Two for those marketing real estate / 50+ housing / retirement communities:

3. Cross-country relocation is just not the norm for baby boomers. Reuters reports that Americans are retiring closer to home than they did in the past.

“The increasing popularity of the short-distance move may be a result of the many advantages the strategy offers. Retirees who stay an hour or two from where they worked and raised their children can cut their costs while staying near their friends, cultural events, major airports and medical facilities. Moving outside the metro area means they don’t have to compete on housing prices with people who need to be closer to the city for their jobs.”

We’d add that 50+ers can also stay close to their jobs to work full- or part-time while easing into “retirement.” Read the full article at  ow.ly/9z0oE

4. Looking for data on the impact of seniors on the housing market? Check out this deck from the National Multi Housing Council, “Resetting the Demand for Multi Family Housing: Demographic and Economic Drivers to 2020.” The report includes data on the change in US households by age group, the rise in multigenerational households and renters who double up, and more.

Download the full PDF report at  ow.ly/9BdGu

And one for everybody:

5. A terrific piece in the Wall Street Journal on how we all can – and should – be creative. ow.ly/9CLjz

 

I hope you’ll be creative in sharing your comments and thoughts, below.

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Housing, Real Estate Marketing, Retirement, Social Networking | 1 Comment »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 3/12/12

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Hello, Monday! (How did you get here so fast?) Time for the baby boomer and seniors marketing links that received the most attention from friends and followers on Twitter, Google+ and other social platforms last week.

1. MOST CLICKED: The most effective SEO strategy of all time – This must-read post by Barry Feldman in Social Media Today sums it up as follows:

“Read 10 stories on SEO and you get, well, 10 different stories. No one agrees on anything. Or should I say everyone agrees on nothing?

I lied.

Everyone seems to agree on one eensie-weensie word of wisdom. The word is relevance. While 1,001 SEO schmoes may have 1,001 different fail-safe, white hat, field-proven tactics, everyone agrees the one thing all search engines are after is relevance. So come what may, scholars and simpletons can once and for all agree: the most effective SEO strategy of all time is to produce relevant content.”

We encourage you to read the full post for insight and some truly helpful pointers: http://ow.ly/9puWuConga Line - macgasm.net

2. MOST SHARED/COMMENTED UPON: Inspired by International Women’s Day, five facts about 50+ women, with related tips for marketing to these very important baby boomers and seniors http://ow.ly/9wXsp

And a few more resources that earned clicks/shares:

3. The divorce rate for 50+ baby boomers and seniors has doubled in the past two decades. The Wall Street Journal looks at why: http://ow.ly/9rrmY

4. An excerpt from Brent Green’s new book on how to market to baby boomers, perhaps the most examined generation ever: http://ow.ly/9rrwr

5. Beth Rand’s excellent post on this blog, “The Facebook Times are Changing – What the new Facebook Timeline means for for brands.”

Whether you like it or not, Facebook will change brand pages over to the new look/functionality on March 30. Beth offers an overview of key new features, a checklist for readying your page for the transition and examples from brands already taking advantage of the new features (such as Lennar Homes, below): http://ow.ly/9umYQ

 

Please take advantage of the comments tool below to share your thoughts on this feature. And thank you for sharing our passion for marketing to baby boomers and beyond!

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Internet, Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

Five Fast Facts (and Related Marketing Tips) about Baby Boomer and Senior Women

Thursday, March 8th, 2012

International Women’s Day is today, and we thought we’d celebrate by sharing five facts related to 50+ women – baby boomers and seniors.

1) Women continue to outnumber men at older ages. The chart below illustrates this truism – currently, about 15% of American women are over 65, vs 11% of men.

Chart - US Population by Age and Gender - 1970 to 2009(This chart also illustrates how people under 18 are a smaller percentage of the US population, regardless of gender. This is part of the longevity revolution, in which an average of 30 years has been added to our life expectancy.)

Marketing Take-away: There are differences in how men and women process information. If your senior service or retirement community caters to an older prospect, consider the reality that that prospect is more likely a women. Tailor sales techniques (or even the height of a display!) accordingly.

2) Women are delaying marriage and fewer of them are married than in the past. The US Census estimates that 15% of women have never been married.  Among seniors over 65 years old, 44% of women are married vs. 74% of men.

Marketing Take-away: Review the photography on your website, Facebook page or advertising campaign. Consider adding more shots of vibrant single women or groups.

You can learn more about what marketing imagery is most effective with Gen X, baby boomer and Silent Generation women in our free eBook, Photo Finish.

3) Baby boomers as a group are big spenders on travel, and women represent a great opportunity. Vibrant Nation found that 42% of Boomer women will spend more than $2,500 per person on every vacation.  More and more often these women are traveling alone or with a group of friends.

Marketing Take-away: Show women solo and in groups; emphasize flexibility and choice for rooming. Spotlight safety (but not in a scary way). And don’t force a single-person surcharge!

4) More women than men participate in adult education, and women are more likely to pursue work-related courses or personal interest courses. We see this as linked to the longevity bonus noted above. Women are realizing that they’ve received the gift of another 25+ years and think “how do I make the most of it?” As the Baby Boom generation has always had a drive to improve themselves and learn, for many women it’s back to class.Lifelong learning event for baby boomers, seniors at Traditions of America

Marketing Take-away: “Class” now is not limited to a community college or another institute of higher education. Several of our 50+ housing clients have seen great success from integrating lifelong learning into their campuses.

5) Mature women are experiencing a time of great transition, of tumult. They’re still likely taking care of children (adult or younger) and grandchildren and figuring out how to care for themselves.

This time can be accompanied by fear. As Jane Fonda put it, “I got scared. I thought I’m going to become a crotchety old lady. … When you’re inside oldness as opposed to looking at it from the outside, fear subsides. You realize you’re still yourself, maybe even more so.” She notes we actually need to re-set our “thermostat” – re-wiring our neural pathways by seeking out new experiences and reflecting on those new experiences.

Marketing Take-away: Be sure you’re listening to – and reflecting – the desires and even fears of your baby boomer and senior women targets. For new insights, read Michelle Seitzer’s excellent post on the subject on SeniorsForLiving.com: “My Mother and the Necessary Reinvention of the Modern Woman.”  And watch Jane Fonda’s excellent “Life’s Third Act” address at TEDxWomen, below.

Happy International Women’s Day to us all!

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Marketing, Mature Consumers | 4 Comments »

The Facebook Times Are A Changing

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

What the New Facebook Timeline Means for Brands (Hint, it’s all good)

During their first annual conference for marketers, Facebook announced the upcoming launch of the new Facebook Timeline for businesses and organizations.  While individual users with personal pages within this social networking giant have been growing comfortable with the new look and feel for sometime, this is a whole new world for brands.

So what does this mean for your existing page?  In a nutshell- more flexibility and features that help create a richer experience for prospects visiting your Facebook page. Currently  you can preview what your page will look like with the new Timeline format with the official transition slated to take place for all pages on March 30 so now is the time to begin thinking about how to effectively navigate the change.

Below I’ve included an overview of the new features as well as an action plan for how you can best convert to the new appearance. According to the  Facebook Marketing Solutions page the new Timeline features include:

1. Cover Photo: highlight an image that is compelling to those who will see your page–a new home model, a photo of a recent event, etc.

2. Pins: position timely news and information to the top of your page for up to 7 days to help motivate followers to action.

3. Private Messaging: quickly view and respond to activity on your page in a personal way- especially important to Boomers and beyond.

4. Timeline: new followers can easily get to know you better by accessing posts and images from previous months or years (without having to scroll down for a lifetime).

Preparing to Launch Your Timeline

Use this checklist of things to complete before you transition your Facebook page to help ensure you are getting the most out of the new look.

  • Identify key dates in your corporate history:  I especially like Lennar’s approach on their timeline- they track dates and images back to their inception in 1950.  The use of imagery and captions are a great way to drive awareness of your history with followers.
  • Create a cover photo that highlights your best assets: There are some new restrictions to the types of images you can incorporate (nothing with pricing, incentives, etc) but the size of the image provides the perfect canvas for highlighting your greatest asset or component of your unique selling proposition. Coca-Cola’s ® timeline is a great example of how you can excite and speak directly to your target market with your cover photo
  •  Create a “Pin Plan”: This is such a great way to encourage people to visit other tabs of your page- photo galleries, email sign up forms, exclusive news, etc.  Unsolicited testimonials are great to highlight when targeting boomers and seniors as these are viewed as authentic, trustworthy sources.   You can pin things for up to a week so make sure your most timely information is highlighted here.
  • Spread the word: encourage your existing prospects to check out your new look and share the news with friends to help generate more followers.  Highlight the switch in blog posts, emails and tweets and include a image and link on your website to help convert traffic to followers.

Resources:  Learn from others through these great resources about how to leverage the new Timeline

Mashable Guide

Lost Remote

Facebook Marketing

Have questions or interested in boosting your social networking presence through Facebook?  Click here to see how Creating Results can help drive results and motivate your target consumers.

 

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Posted in 40+, 50+, Advertising, Boomers, Branding, Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 3/5/12

Monday, March 5th, 2012

What resources for marketing to baby boomers and beyond caught the attention of our Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook followers last week? Read on for top links.

1. MOST SHARED/MOST CLICKED: From the San Francisco Chronicle, how the retirement attitudes of baby boomers differ from those of Gen X. In short, older baby boomers have the most saved but they also are withdrawing more from their retirement savings plans and adding less. Gen Xers are most willing to take risks with their investments, not surprising since retirement is further off for this cohort. Get all the stats at http://bit.ly/zqIbju.

Also gaining clicks and shares this week:

2. What kinds of emails are shared most often? A new survey from Emailvision shows emails with discounts are shared more than any others. Humorous marketing emails rank 2nd in terms of viral shares.

The survey also found that the #1 goal of email marketers was to extend the brand reach. #2 was to build loyalty – retaining customers, building support. As eMarketer notes,

“email marketers are hoping that passed-along emails and other content shared through social channels will help build awareness or reputation, and, conveniently, the messages most likely to accomplish these goals are the ones with deals and promotions that should also help marketers increase sales and gain new customers.”

Read the full article on eMarketer at http://bit.ly/AqAKgN

As we’ve said frequently, email marketing is a very effective tool for reaching baby boomers and seniors. What goals have you set for your email program? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

3. 88% of Internet users will research products online in 2012. Check out this infographic with Internet usage projections http://bit.ly/Anoi1V

4. An iPad class at continuing care retirement community North Hill is giving seniors new ways to connect with friends, family and the world. http://bit.ly/xBJBx2

5. Todd Harff blogs about blogs. (It’s not as meta as it appears.) This week, Todd shared stats on blog use by baby boomers and seniors and tips for starting/maintaining a blog directed at this audience. While the post was in response to an S.O.S. from a real estate marketer, the tips apply to any organization hoping to use a blog as part of its 50+ marketing program.  http://knowledge.creatingresults.com/2012/03/01/blogging-and-the-baby-boomer-home-buyer/

As always, please let us know your thoughts on this blog below. Have a great week!

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Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Gen X, Internet, Retirement, Social Networking | No Comments »

Blogging and the Baby Boomer Home Buyer

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

I recently received an S.O.S. from a former active adult community client thinking of starting a blog as part of their online marketing to 50+ (baby boomer and senior) home buyers. “I’ve been charged by the big boss to start blogging as a way to connect with older buyers. But I’m not sure of where – or even if – I should start? Do Baby Boomers even read blogs? Help!”

Here’s what our team advised, as we lowered the lifeboat to this overwhelmed real estate marketer:

Baby Boomers Value Blogs

As Brian Solis put it in his 2011 State of the Blogosphere,

“Over the years, blogs have formed the foundation of social media, democratizing the ability to publish thoughtful commentary, build a noteworthy community and equalize influence along the way. Blogs are underrated and largely underestimated.”

The Pew Internet and American Life  has found that 27 % of younger boomers (also known as Generation Jones, aged 46-55) and 25% of older boomers (ages 56-65) read blogs.

Get the e-book - Social Silver Surfers

Usage of Social Media

Creating Results’ national survey of mature Internet – Social, Silver Surfers- users found a higher adoption rate.  Overall,  blogs were the # 4 most cited social sharing tool used by mature consumers over the age of 40. In fact, 34% of 40-54 year olds and 36% of 55-64 year olds told us Blogs were one of the social tools they used the most. A third of the younger boomers and a quarter of the older boomers reported using comments on blogs and other web content. 

 

How Will You Measure the Success of Your Blog?

The first thing we would want to know is how she (and the big boss) will judge the success of this blog?  Blogs can yield any number of benefits, including driving traffic to a website, encouraging visitors to spend more time on site, engaging them in dialogue, sparking conversions, generating a viral lift through email/Facebook/social shares, gathering consumer insights, and/or generating a lift in natural search engine results.

In general, a 50+ community can use their blog as another marketing tool, a customer relations tool or a research tool.  It’s important to pick one primary goal.  Based on the goal, the content will vary.

No Blog Is An Island … It’s Part Of Your Content Marketing Strategy

A blog should be seen as a critical platform in an integrated content marketing strategy – it does not stand alone. I strongly recommend reading Content Rules by Ann Handley and CC Chapman.  This essential book talks about the importance of a strong content strategy and gives great advice on finding an appropriate voice for your blog.

With that homework done, start by making a list of what topics are most relevant and engaging for your readers. Think more like a publisher and less like a marketer.  Write about topics that come up in discussion with prospects and customers.  What’s on their mind?

When it comes to 50+ homebuyers, consider how you can provide useful and helpful information about:

  • Real estate market – national, local
  • Preparing a home for sale
  • Reverse Mortgages
  • Downsizing
  • Grandchildren
  • Affordable vacations
  • Continuing education
  • Health and Wellness
  • Financial Tips
  • Breaking news stories with 50+ angles
  • The holidays

Starting a Blog vs. Maintaining a Blog

Once you’ve set sail with your blog, here are five ways to keep the effort moving smoothly towards your goals.

  1. Develop an editorial calendar and set a pace that you can maintain.  Don’t post five things one week and then go dark.
  2. Think outside the (text) box. Photos and videos are becoming more important to content marketing and social sharing every day. They also provide an insiders view of life at your community, and baby boomers in particular value authenticity and a feeling of VIP status.
  3. Ask questions and respond to comments. A blog should not be a one-way megaphone for sales!
  4. Promote the blog through social media, RSS and emailing appropriate links to prospects. And remember, the #1 social sharing tool of Social, Silver Surfers is email. So make it easy for older users to email your content! None of this elder-unfriendly guess the squiggly letters and give us the Social Security number of your first-born …
  5. Remember to optimize the content and copy for search engines. A survey by Lee Odden found that”87.4% of respondents “successfully increased measurable SEO objectives as a direct result of blogging.”

 

What other tips or advice would you have thrown in the blog lifeboat? Share your comments below.

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Posted in 50+, Boomers, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Real Estate Marketing | 3 Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 2/27/12

Monday, February 27th, 2012

Another Monday, another round-up of the mature marketing resources shared by Creating Results that received the most clicks, retweets or attention last week.

1. MOST CLICKED: Seth Godin’s “Simple Thougths about Fair Use” struck a chord with many of our Twitter and LinkedIn followers. Godin explains the difference between copyright and Fair Use, which permits commentary and comparisons. As Godin writes,

“Most web users should know a few simple guidelines, principles so simple that you can generally assume them to be rules. (Worth noting that whether you are in the right or not, a lawyer on retainer can still hassle you–not fair but true):

  • You don’t need to ask someone’s permission to include a link to their site.
  • You don’t need to ask permission to include a screen shot of a website in a directory, comment on that site or parody it.
  • You can quote hundreds of words from a book (for an article or book or on your website) without worrying about it and you certainly don’t need a signed release from the original author or publisher. Poems and songs are special exceptions. Then you can worry.

There’s a difference between being polite and observing the law. If you quote something (an idea, a notion, a recipe), the right thing to do is give credit.”

At Creating Results, our rule of thumb is “always cite and be polite.” Please read all of Mr. Godin’s post at http://bit.ly/z0yROy.

2. MOST SHARED: A tie between Beth Rand’s post on QR Codes and Baby Boomers and this Rochester Post Bulletin article on the experience of Baby Boomers on Facebook. Did you know there are more boomers on Facebook than 13-17 year olds?

Other links/resources of note:

3. Your team is likely working hard to earn mentions in media – whether online outlets or social media.  What can help you measure the success of your program? KD Paine offers a checklist with 25 questions to be answered as you choose a monitoring vendor. http://bit.ly/zKbDBz. Tip of the Hat to Shonali Burke (@Shonali) for sharing the link with us.

4. We’ve written frequently that marketers focused on 50+ consumers shouldn’t overlook television as a very effective channel for reaching baby boomers and seniors. Last week, eMarketer shared new stats on video watching by age and gender, noting “The number of hours in the day may not be growing, but the amount of time US consumers spend with media is—thanks to multitasking.”

The older you are, the more time you spend watching video on TV.  I found it interesting that 50+ men now watch as much video online as do males aged 2-17. You’ll find eMarketer’s post here: http://bit.ly/zPLXe4.

Was there a link or resource we missed that you found of value? Please share it or any other comments below.

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Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Internet, Social Networking | No Comments »

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