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Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/16/2012

Monday, April 16th, 2012

Happy Monday! Last week was a hotbed of social activity—here are the top tweets, shared links and general insights that garnered the most attention for marketing to boomers and seniors. Enjoy!

MOST CLICKED: Top Five Regrets of Dying What would your greatest do-oever be as you faced your last day of life? This touching article from the guardian included insights from a palliative nurse regarding her patient’s biggest regrets as they faced their final days. Number 1 on the list: following their dreams. Click here to read the full story.

MOST RESOURCE-FULL POST: Ragan.com’s 50 (mostly) free social media tools for brands. Great article that includes a variety of tips and tools for managing your social media initiatives. Our top pick from the list? Love the recommendation of SocialMention.com for real time listening to what people are saying about your brand.

GOOD-TO-KNOW POST OF THE WEEK: 1 in 4 people will abandon a website that takes more than 4 seconds to load. This great infographic includes a variety of great insights about how people utilize the internet. Other interesting facts included:

In the US: 25% of mobile web users only browse using their phones
According to 1 survey people wouldn’t wait in link for ANYTHING for more than 15 minutes.

Want to learn more Boomer and Senior attitudes towards everything social media? Download a complimentary copy our Social Silver Surfer eBook.

WORTH REPEATING: Loyalty is the key ingredient to a successful email program. Explore 5 elements to creating (and leveraging) email in this blog post: It’s Loyalty My Dear Boomer, Email Loyalty

Tags: baby boomers, seniors, social media, Social Networking, social networks
Posted in 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Email marketing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Social Networking, Uncategorized | No Comments »

It’s Loyalty, My Dear Boomer…Email Loyalty

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Email marketing consistently seems to be a hot topic around the water cooler at our agency. We talk frequently about leveraging email to reach boomers and seniors, especially for the best way to use it for our continuing care retirement community and 50+ housing clients. We know it works because we’ve done extensive research on the topic and see great results with many of our clients.

While retail brands have the benefit of built-in special offers and deals they can use to engage, those brands that are selling something different, such as lifestyle and home, tend to face a few challenges in making their email programs as effective. As an email expert people will ask me “but why does it work” or “what’s so special about email?” To answer these inquiries I simply channel a response of super sleuth Mr. Sherlock Holmes: “It’s Loyalty, My Dear Marketer.”

What are some key elements that enter into the mix to create loyalty for boomers and beyond?

#1: We found through our Social Silver Surfers research that email is the #1 online activity among 50+ prospects. The fact that they are using email makes it a viable channel (as long as marketers use it for good and not evil). Additionally, older boomers tend to view email as a social sharing tool.

#2: A recent article from eMarketer reveals 47% of Internet users respond favorably to email – ranking this avenue as the most favorable online channel.

#3: The mature consumer relies heavily on referrals from friends when making decisions. While they may act faster when the referral is for a product, the referral process is just as important for relaying positive referrals for CCRCs and active adult communities.

#4: Relevancy is the key currency when it comes to building a loyal email subscriber database. In a world where we are constantly bombarded by messaging, those that specifically address our interests are going to win out.

If you capture preferences of subscribers based on the type of news they want to receive for your community you have a powerful tool for creating relevancy, and thus loyalty. This can be achieved by sending emails about new home models to subscribers BEFORE releasing online (relevant and exclusive) or extending an invitation to upcoming events to your database BEFORE you invite the general public (exclusive). Here you’ll see an example of some simple categories for subscribers to choose from. Any of these can be turned into a segmented message to drive relevancy.

#5: Just this morning eMarketer reported on the reasons people subscribe to email programs. It confirmed what we heard when interviewing mature consumers for our Social Silver Surfer research: the primary motivator is discounts and special offers (our research of boomers and seniors found 21% of respondents saw this as the top benefit).

Reasons why people subscribe to emails - eMarketer

According to the eMarketer piece, 26% of people subscribe to gain access to exclusive content (see point #4- I told you so).

Check out the full article via eMarketer.

You can transform your news into a special offer. This, combined with relevancy is the perfect mix for a loyal mature consumer who will subscribe to your email program (and stay).

What do you do to engage your silver surfers through email? Share your thoughts in the comments section, below.

Tags: baby boomers, email marketing, Marketing, seniors
Posted in 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Email marketing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Real Estate Marketing | 1 Comment »

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.

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

Mature Marketing Links of the Week 2.20.12

Monday, February 20th, 2012

Happy President’s Day Monday. The following are the mature marketing links and resources of note for the past week. Enjoy!

1. MOST CLICKED: Love was in the air with Three Not-So-Silly Statistics for Valentine’s Day, examining fun facts about 55+ consumers from the National Health Statistics Reports.

Marriage does a heart good: Findings included that Boomers and Beyond who were married had less difficulty with social and physical activities than those who were formerly married- reminding us that connections are important and should be encouraged within active adult housing and CCRCs to keep ALL motivated and moving. Click here to read more insights and implications.

2. Florida faces fight to lure retiring boomers: this insightful piece from the Sun Sentinel received a high number of clicks for the week, and with good reason. http://ow.ly/8WEHM

The wants and needs of boomers on the cusp of retiring is changing and in order to continue to draw retirees a recent report shows that Florida may have some re-thinking to do. 96% of respondents surveyed within a Consumer Federation of the Southeast survey placed the highest emphasis on top notch health care (above climate and taxes). The article examines the strengths of Florida and other areas when it comes to attracting this Boomer market and things they will have to think about when marketing to this target if they want to capitalize on the potential revenue of even a small percentage of the Boomer population looking to relocate.

3. What Google’s Privacy Policies and what they mean for Seniors: The ever changing and expanding world of Google and recent privacy policies put in place were examined in an article on Aging In Place Technology Watch.

Creating Results is honored to be a nominee for SeniorHomes.com’s Best of the Web 2012. Please vote for our blog as top senior living industry resource. Click here to vote for Mature Marketing Matters and thank you in advance for letting us share news and insights for marketing to the 55+ market.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Retirement, Silent Generation, Social Networking | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week – 2/6/2012

Monday, February 6th, 2012

I live in New England so I’m feeling glum. Time to cheer up with the links that were most shared, clicked on or discussed on Twitter last week!

1. MOST CLICKED: A post on email marketing and baby boomers and a case study that reveals the attitudes towards/challenges of aging in place tied for the most clicks.

To Email Boomers or Not To Email – Is That The Question? encourages marketers to realize – and embrace – the idea that older targets are receiving messages via email AND social media AND smart phones AND … As email expert Beth Rand (@BRAND727) writes,

“Email is not only a great medium for communicating relevant and timely information to Boomers and Seniors, its ability to present dynamic and engaging information tying to other online avenues makes it a no-brainer. So, if you’re questioning ‘to email or not to email Boomers,’ the answer should be a resounding YES.“

The Maryland AARP (@AARPMaryland) led us to a case study by The Coordinating Center (Baltimore) on the desires for and challenges of aging in place. It’s a terrific read for those in senior living. Interviewees used “stairmasters” as a symbol for the positives of aging in place and “stair lifts” as a symbol for the obstacles. I was struck by how many of the interviews were really more about social wellness than physical wellness, as one strengthens the other.

“I have a membership at the Athletic Club and I go three days a week. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I lift weights at Howard High. We are over 60 and it’s like a family thing. In fact we lost one member a couple of days ago. The coach asked everyone to gather in one little spot and she kind of walked away and she came back and she was full of tears.”

You’ll find the full report at http://www.coordinatingcenter.org/downloads/OFI/OFI_Case_Study_Report.PDF

2. MOST SHARED: Fewer Beds for Men Entering Nursing Homes http://nyti.ms/wzwbbB

Also receiving attention this week:

3. A terrific post on 5 things all email marketers need to know http://t.co/HRDt3djq

4. A campaign from financial services company FiPath tells GenXers they can’t count on Social Security, pushes retirement planning and offers to put $1 to pay off Social Security debt for every new member that signs up. Read about the campaign here – http://t.co/szrgl9KW – and please share your thoughts on this tactic below!

5. New stats show that advertising effectiveness and immediate recall of ads increase with age http://ow.ly/8Ofej

If you’re new to Twitter, please follow @CreatingResults for links to mature marketing resources throughout the week.

Posted in Advertising, Boomers, Email marketing, Gen X, Housing, Marketing | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week- 12/19/2011

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Tweets from @CreatingResults over the course of the last week that were most shared, discussed and clicked. Happy Tweeting!

By far the most shared post was Gaining Boomer and Senior Marketing Insights from Social Media. Find out what messages/strategies are hitting (or missing) the mark. Todd Harff recaps a number of resources that can be extremely helpful in determining and leveraging boomer and senior social preferences and behaviors, including LinkedIn’s which allows you to see what is generating the most interest segmented by industry or group.

Other Top Tweets:

1. Santa’s Senior Secrets- An infographic chock full of not only holiday cheer but stats on seniors the world over.

2. Baby Boomer social media revolution: More and more boomers flock to sites such as Facebook and Twitter. How will you reach them?

3. Seven reasons direct mail and print remain effective marketing tools.

4. Interesting article via @AllThingsAging examining the rise of Ethnogeriatrics within diverse communities.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Housing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Retirement, Silent Generation, Social Networking | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week – 12/5/2011

Monday, December 5th, 2011

Before we explore the world of tweets from the previous week we first wanted to express our sympathy in the passing of David B. Wolfe. As a leading expert in marketing to mature consumers, David’s insights changed the way we marketers think about our approach to boomer and beyond marketing (his book Ageless Marketing is a required read at our agency for this reason). Brent Green wrote a very touching tribute that can be found on his blog that sums it all up.

Tweet-Worthiest Tweets from the Previous Week

1. An infographic all about tea drove significant interest last week. Did you know that tea is served with salt and butter in some countries? Learn all about the wide world of tea with this fun trivia.

2. An insightful New York Times piece from last week provides a further glimpse into the graying workforce and retirement options (or lack of) for boomers and the impact on millennials: http://ow.ly/7HrsX

3. Resolve to stand out in the inbox in 2012, explore stats on email use by age and create your own recipe for email success: http://ow.ly/7HrJd

4. Creating new Thanksgiving traditions- a sweet piece from The 70-Something Blog about being thankful for family, health, shelter and peanut butter cups.

Interested In Your Thoughts:

A Q&A about QR codes and Baby Boomers: Do you utilize QR codes for marketing to baby boomers and beyond? What successes have you seen? We’d love to hear your thoughts.

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

A Q&A about QR codes and Baby Boomers

Thursday, December 1st, 2011

Have you considered incorporating a QR (Quick Response) code within marketing pieces? The geek in me loves this as another avenue for marketing to baby boomers and seniors because of how easily we can measure responses and pull prospects further through the purchase funnel. But reports of senior usage (or lack of) leave me with two questions: 1) is it a viable application for baby boomers and beyond, and 2) what is the recipe for success for using QR codes to reach them?

During a recent coming together of the marketing minds of Creating Results we discussed the phenomenon of QR codes and their implications in marketing to the mature consumer. We debated the benefits and challenges and explored several opportunities that could be leveraged for this cohort.

Just the facts, ma’am!

According to a recent article on MarketingCharts.com , 72% of consumers could pick a QR code out of a line up and 55% of those aged 55 and better were familiar with the technology (surprisingly a higher percentage than those 45-54). The bad news….30% of the same survey respondents across all age breakdowns didn’t know exactly what it was. Further, comScore reported that those 55-64 and 65+ only make up 7% of overall QR code users.

Media Post’s Online Media Daily also examined usage within advertising avenues noting that use of QR codes in print rose as much as 228% over the last year.

The QR Recipe for Mature Marketing Success

Mature consumers may not be familiar with this code today, but that shouldn’t stop us from leveraging it. Here are a few ideas for how marketers can maximize their efforts and aid in fostering an awareness of QR codes among baby boomers and seniors.

1. Spell out HOW: So many times I see QR codes being utilized in advertising with no messaging that alludes to what to do with them. If your target audience is 55+ consider incorporating directions. It could be as simple as “Scan with your smartphone QR reader.”

2. Create opportunities: If your organization already offers classes and tech experiences to seniors, why not excite those seniors who already have an established smartphone comfort level? This is a great avenue for CCRCs. Retirement community North Hill, a client of Creating Results, is introducing QR code scanners to members of its iPad club (a group of 70+ early adopters).

3. Know where opportunities exist: One of the cardinal rules of marketing is knowing your target market. If you know how Boomers typically access information you can determine marketing avenues that would most benefit and be most effective for QR codes.

According to Vertis, 52% of Boomer women rely on ad insertions and print/online coupons and incentives. Have an upcoming insert scheduled? Why not incorporate a QR code as a way to gauge how your target will respond. And as with every avenue you will want to test, test and test until you ensure the perfect storm of elements to motivate to action.

4. Spell out WHY: Boomers and seniors are concerned about their digital privacy and how their information will be used. We heard that over and over again during our Social Silver Surfers research. And they’re incredibly time-strapped – working, caring for elderly parents and adult children and grandchildren. By spelling out the benefits at the other end of the QR code – the what’s in it for me? – you’ll earn their trust and earn a scan.

5. Make it worth while: As with any new technology there is a comfort curve for seniors, which is a slightly more extensive than their millennial counterparts. Make sure that your QR code usage complements your marketing efforts and doesn’t just lead to a landing page replica of your ad. No one appreciates that and seniors especially will find this inauthentic and unworthy of their time. (And you don’t want to get them there only to lose them).

Following this recipe will ensure that your QR codes get the love they deserve and become effective elements of your marketing plan.

Posted in 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week-11/21/2011

Monday, November 21st, 2011

Top Tweets from @CreatingResults that were most shared, clicked and action oriented from the past week:

1. MOST CLICKED: “What if we cherished our elderly as we worshiped youth?” Hi-impact video from Rogerson Communities. Thought provoking look at the value of services and care of #Seniors. Click here to see the full video.

2. MOST SHARED: 27% of Virginia #babyboomers & 19% of VA #seniors say they’re not financially ready for retirement ow.ly/7wGmV. Informative survey into the insights and perceptions of #boomers. Other interesting results include 68% #seniors feel prepared for impact of aging and 42% say their communities are ready to meet the needs of that process. See the full report here: www.olderdominion.org.

Actionable tweets of the week:

1. Blah, blah, blog, #blog: Takeaways from BlogWorld conf from which all can benefit ow.ly/7sDEm

2. Study: radio has positive impact on all stages of purchase funnel ow.ly/7tWPn Chart w/ % lifts ow.ly/7tWSF

3. Understanding paid vs organic search, & why to think LEFT for better results (@tedives) ow.ly/7sEBv

4.Something to think about: Leading retailers commit to paid search, email & SEO in 2012 ow.ly/7sLRG What are your priorities?

5. Shameless plug of the week (and shared case study): Case study on another CCRC website that increased leads from 5/mo to 25/mo after re-design ow.ly/7sAWh

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Top Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week

Monday, November 7th, 2011

Tweet, tweet! Twitter now has more than 100 million active monthly users and Creating Results is one of them. Tweeting under the handle @CreatingResults we’ve tweeted more than 7500 times with links to new research, best practices, tips, insights and articles about marketing to baby boomers and seniors.

We’re honored that nearly 1000 people choose to follow and share our tweets. But, despite the rapid growth of Twitter, we know a lot of people interested in marketing to the mature consumer aren’t yet using this social/micro-blogging platform. Pew Internet & American Life has estimated that 13% of online adults use Twitter while 92% use email.

So, we’re introducing a new blog feature. Every Monday, we’ll bring you those tweets that were most shared/clicked/actionable/discussed during the past week. All with greater detail and delivered straight to your inbox.

Top Tweets This Week:

1. MOST CLICKED: Elderblogger Ronni Bennett (www.TimeGoesBy.net) tells the editors of the New York Times to stop using the word “elderly” and perpetuating ageism. http://bit.ly/sPr98L

2. MOST SHARED: Associated Press & LifeGoesStrong Poll: Baby Boomers prioritize living near adult children or family (73%) over living in a community with people “of your own age” (27%) in retirement. http://prn.to/tlHMtT

3. We love this idea from the LeadingAge 2011 Conference: Elie Wiesel promotes partnerships between children and elders in nursing homes. http://bit.ly/rKZcVl

4. We have @ChuckNyren to thank for this chuckle: 40 things that make old people happy … according to the stock photography so many organizations draw from. http://bit.ly/sRNKNa

(When you’re ready to invest in authentic photography that will move the sales needle, be sure to download our eBook with national “Photo Finish” research.)

5. Using Facebook for social engagement? You need to know that Facebook is showing your brand messages to more people, but fewer times. AdAge: http://bit.ly/s9tgbC

6. A new AARP surveys finds baby boomers and seniors are worried about today and tomorrow – specifically their own financial well being. http://bit.ly/uQ1d80

7. Do you want to reach Gen X and baby boomers? Consider radio advertising between 6a and 9a. Research from Magid Associates gets broken down at http://bit.ly/tTqGB8

Tell us what you think of this new feature! Use the comment section below or … Tweet @CreatingResults. We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Tags: AARP, ageism, Chuck Nyren, Facebook, New York Times, twitter
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Advertising, Boomers, Gen X, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

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Archive for the ‘Advertising’ Category

It’s Loyalty, My Dear Boomer…Email Loyalty

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week – 2/6/2012

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week – 12/5/2011

A Q&A about QR codes and Baby Boomers

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week-11/21/2011

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