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Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/30/12

Monday, April 30th, 2012

What articles or resources connected with mature marketing professionals this past week? Read on for a run-down of the “hottest” links, based on the engagement of Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Plus followers.

1. MOST CLICKED: NPR’s “Family Matters: The Money Squeeze,” which examines the joys and challenges of caring for aging parents. Stats/new research plus interviews sharing the first-hand experiences of those in multigenerational households and other caregivers are making this a very powerful series. NPR defines the scope of the challenge:

“… providing long-term care is, in fact, common. Nearly 10 million adult children are caring for aging parents, according to the MetLife Mature Market Institute. Other adult children are contributing to the cost of a parent’s assisted-living care, which MetLife says averages about $3,500 a month.

‘The percentage of adult children providing personal care and/or financial assistance to a parent has more than tripled over the past 15 years,’ the research group found.”

Listen to the reports: http://n.pr/IgLPuV

2. MOST SHARED: What’s the real story? Are older workers retiring later or speeding off the exit ramps now? Kerry Hannon looks at labor stats and implications for baby boomer brain drain in Forbes.

Read the story: http://onforb.es/JMooiv

3. Under new US Census measurements of poverty, 1 in 6 American elders lives under the poverty line. Elderblogger Ronni Bennett shares her perspective on the numbers, and her readers share their own personal stories in the comments section. http://bit.ly/IPg26A

4. To our clients, we stress the need for a steady stream of relevant, motivating content. But if you hear “content” and think only “words” you might find yourself losing your audience. This post in Mashable talks about the shift to visual storytelling on the web, a world in which great design and photography are critical. http://on.mash.to/InHagH

We offer a note of caution about the writer’s love of special effects, however. When it comes to 50+ Internet users, they care less about gee whiz gadgetry and can be very frustrated by elements that scroll, skip, fade, and move around without warning. Baby boomers and seniors still see the web as more tool than entertainment. So if you add a special effect, it better add to the user’s understanding of your product/service.

Resource Reminder: Creating Results’ national study into what photography succeeds or fails with baby boomers and beyond can be a helpful guide as you move to more visual storytelling content. Download the free eBook at www.CreatingResults.com/PhotoFinish.

Tags: caregiving, Forbes, Kerry Hannon
Posted in 50+, 60+, Housing, Mature Consumers, Retirement, Silent Generation | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/9/12

Monday, April 9th, 2012

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend, celebrating Passover, Easter or the spring sunshine with family and friends! Now that I’ve overdosed on Peeps, it is, appropriately, time for the tweets of the week – last week’s top resources and insights for those marketing to baby boomers and beyond.

1. MOST CLICKED: You never know what will catch the attention of Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ followers! We were sharing about the True North Documentary Film Series, an exciting event that one of our CCRC clients – North Hill – is presenting this week in the Boston area, and one of the films mentioned racked up the clicks. “My Name is Julius” will be shown tomorrow in Needham at 10a. It’s a short film about a 100 year old man who despite a profound hearing loss is completely engaged in his community and staying young while getting older.

6 films will be shown in all at the True North Festival. Details and RSVP at http://truenorthevolution.org/documentary. Hope to see some Boston-area friends there!

2. MOST SHARED: Chief Economist Dave Crowe discusses this month’s Improving Market Index in a video from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). 101 metropolitan areas are said to be improving. 101 metros means about 25% of all metros in the US are “showing consistent improvement for over six months in three items: in house prices, in building permits, in prices,” said Crowe. This is 7 straight months of improvement for this index which makes Crowe and the NAHB feel encouraged. See the whole video at http://bit.ly/HX1DVn

3. This interactive chart (via Jamie Carracher) shows what percentage of people have used social media to get health info, by age: ow.ly/a5xJM

4. What marketing channel can engender baby boomer loyalty? Email expert Beth Rand tells us “It’s Elementary, My Dear Marketer:” http://ow.ly/a4Xxh

5. 50 (mostly) free tools for social media management, research, curation and more: ow.ly/a4xCJ

Pair that link with this one – 50 ideas for social media content ow.ly/a1nQq – and you’ve got 100 reasons to recommend this blog to a colleague, client or friend.

Tags: Jamie Carracher, National Association of Home Builders
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Housing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/2/12

Monday, April 2nd, 2012

Welcome, April! And welcome, readers, to our round-up of the most popular tweets/links of the past week.

1. MOST CLICKED: “Instant America” is holding people’s attention. This infographic with stats on how long people are willing to wait for a website to load (among other things) was the most clicked link this week. See the infographic: http://ow.ly/9Ke41

2. MOST SHARED: A study of Canadian Zoomer (baby boomer) caregivers determined that “in a context where governments are expecting more and more from family caregivers, baby-boomer caregivers are telling researchers that they have a new concept of care.” Small sample but very interesting insights. Read the summary on Oxford University Press’s blog: http://ow.ly/9UDi0

Also receiving clicks, retweets and shares this week:

3. Institutional investors are highly interested in seniors housing, ahead of hotels and office projects. As shown on the chart below (via Senior Housing News), the attractiveness of seniors housing has been consistent for four years. Read more: http://ow.ly/9UTc4

4. Do people over 50 exist? Does entertainment have an age limit? http://ow.ly/9VGrB

5. Which of three generations – the Baby Boom, Gen X and Gen Y/Millennials – spent the most while in their 20s? Interesting data via AdAge, which summarizes

“If the timing of one’s birth is an event of major consequence, then clearly Millennials drew the short straw. For those ages 25 to 34 in 2010 their real median household income was not materially higher than that of Boomers in 1990 and a full 11% below than Generation X in 2000, according to Census Bureau annual surveys.”

See the charts/read more: http://ow.ly/9UEu0

Last week we welcomed more than 20 new followers of Creating Results on Twitter. It’s always exciting to meet – even virtually – people who share our passion for marketing to 50+ers.

Our clients also welcomed some gorgeous new design work by our creative team, in anticipation of Facebook’s switch to the new Timeline design. Looking for inspiration? Click on any link below:

* 55+ active adult community: http://www.facebook.com/TraditionsOfAmerica
* Continuing care retirement community: http://www.facebook.com/northhill.org
* New hybrid 55+ retirement community: http://www.facebook.com/FairingWay
* Travel destination: http://www.facebook.com/pwcmanassas
* 50+ marketing experts: http://www.facebook.com/CreatingResultsMarketing

These new designs carry out offline creative and are very dynamic. I love how Creative Director Mike Stakem added eye-catching calls to action for email sign-up and paid special attention to how the brand Facebook icons could stand out in a news feed.

What do you think of the new designs, or the links in this week’s round-up?

Tags: caregivers, Facebook cover photos, Oxford University Press, seniors housing
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Gen X, Housing, Internet, Mature Consumers, Millennials/Gen Y | No 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.

Tags: Facebook, National Multi Housing Council, PR Daily, TolunaQuick
Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Housing, Real Estate Marketing, Retirement, Social Networking | 1 Comment »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 2/13/12

Monday, February 13th, 2012

Happy Monday! Following are the links and resources that were most shared, clicked on and commented on via Twitter and LinkedIn last week.

1. MOST CLICKED: Good internal communications are critical for the success of your external marketing http://ow.ly/8RcI0

“Make sure the left hand knows what the right hand is doing,” writes UK blogger Kevin Baughen. Kevin specializes (that’s specialises for our British readers) in helping non-profits with their communications. His post points out that without good internal comms and team work, your brand can’t achieve its marketing goals.

2. A handful of links tied for the “MOST SHARED” title last week.

- If your image of retirees is old people in Florida, think again. The state is now fighting to lure baby boomers. ow.ly/8WEHM

- New post: Is 50+ Housing Declining or Thriving? Stats on household income growth among baby boomers and seniors offer context; excerpts from Todd Haff’s panel presentation at the International Builders’ Show. ow.ly/8Y7dE

- Big thinker (& older innovator) Joseph Coughlin of the MIT Age Lab addressed the idea of age & innovation. I confess a quote Coughlin included from venture capitalist Vinod Khosla set my teeth on edge: “People under 35 are the people who make change happen…People over 45 basically die in terms of new ideas.” Read the full post at ow.ly/8Vlgu

3. Also of interest:

- Laurie Orlov (@AgingTech) explains what Google’s new privacy policies mean for seniors – and for you. ow.ly/8V9xk

- Marketing to the 50+ Home Buyer: Social Media and Much More. Excerpts from Beth Rand’s presentation at the International Builders’ Show. http://t.co/stZPHWPn

- Pinning the future of communications on visuals. http://t.co/FJBvb7aB

As the author, Sarah Skerik, writes: “[C]ommunicators have to redouble their efforts when it comes to visuals. Visuals carry extra weight on Facebook and Google+, they’re rendered on Twitter (drawing more attention to the tweet) and are what makes services like Flipboard and Pinterest so compelling and useful.

Was there a link or resource you felt was of importance to mature marketers but it was overlooked in this round-up? Please share it in the comments, below.

Tags: baby boomers, international builders show, Joseph Coughlin, Kevin Baughen, pinterest, Sarah Skerik
Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Housing, Internet, Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking | No Comments »

Social Media Marketing and the 50+ Home Buyer

Friday, February 10th, 2012

The question crops up regularly on LinkedIn Groups: “What is the best way to reach baby boomer and senior home buyers? Is social media the new priority?” Creating Results’ own Beth Rand will help address that question today at the International Builders’ Show, during her presentation “Marketing to the 50+ Buyer: Social Media and Much More.”

As experienced real estate marketers know, social media may be today’s buzzword in marketing but it takes more than a Facebook page or a blog to reach your 50+ prospects. Since many of us are not enjoying Orlando’s sunshine this week (yes, I’m jealous), we wanted to share some key points from Beth’s presentation.

Statistics: Use of the Internet, Social Media by Baby Boomers and Seniors

* The #1 Internet activity for members of the Greatest Generation, the Silent Generation or the Baby Boom is email.

* The use of social networks by adults of all ages is on the rise. The Pew Internet & American Life Project reports 51% of baby boomers aged 50 to 64 and 33% of seniors over the age of 65 are now using social networking sites.

* In our study, we found that 70% of those over 40 years old were using social networks at least a little. The youngest cohort (Gen X and Gen Jones boomers aged 40-54) were the most likely to be involved; the majority of those over 65 had never tried an online social network or had not stuck with it.

Why Do 50+ Home Buyers Use Social Networking (or why not)?

* Connections rooted in the offline world are the #1 reason why older homebuyers try online social networking, we found in our study of Social, Silver Surfers.

* Reasons often align with lifestage. 40-54 year olds are most motivated by work/career. The Silent Generation and 75+ers by invitations from family members.

* Real estate marketers putting all their eggs in the social media marketing basket should be wary. Our survey found only 15 % of all 40+ers actively engaged in social networks would say “Yes, I want to engage with a brand on these platforms.”

* Older users willing to engage saw three benefits to friending brands: discounts, a convenient channel for information and a feeling of insider access. Those who said no or maybe not cited a preference for communications by other channels (phone, corporate website) or face-to-face, a feeling of being overwhelmed by marketing, and a feeling that brands were intruding on their personal space.

How do Baby Boomers Engage on Social Media?

* Social sharing tools ranging from email-a-friend “widgets” to YouTube to message boards are common ways that baby boomers engage.

* The older the respondent, the more likely they were to consider email itself a social tool.

* Retirees cited email as a social tool at 8x the rate of those who were employed full- or part-time; 3x as many singles saw it as social than did couples.

How Can Builders and Developers of 50+ Housing Apply This to their Marketing?

Beth offers 5 ways to for real estate marketers to kick social media engagement into high gear with baby boomers and beyond:

5. Provide clear and simple privacy policies.

4. Make it personal. Show your appreciation.

3. Incorporate tools that make it easy to share experiences.

2. Talk with your friends/fans/followers, not at them.

1. Expand your horizons! Social media is far more than Facebook or Twitter.

Are you a marketer using using social media to sell 50+ housing? Share your insights on what works/what doesn’t below.

Tags: international builders show
Posted in 50+, Boomers, Branding, Housing, Internet, Marketing, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking | 1 Comment »

Is 50+ Housing Declining or Thriving?

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

That provocative headline is the topic of a panel Todd Harff will host today at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando. Todd will be joined by three panelists who are nationally respected developers/marketers of a dozen communities catering to 50+ homebuyers.

What the panelists have in common is persistence, creativity and success. What distinguishes them is the variety of approaches they use to reach 50+ homebuyers – from senior rentals to multifamily to age-qualified communities and $900,000 single family homes. As Todd puts it, “Success in 50+ housing doesn’t come in one size anymore. ”

No one disputes that the population is aging.

No one disputes that there is opportunity in addressing the housing needs of people in their fifties and beyond. However, there is much debate over what the housing and communities for the active adult should look like and live like.

Let’s face it, our world has changed. We know that the large scale master planned retirement communities are too capital intensive to get started today. We know that many age-qualified communities are struggling. What isn’t clear is where the opportunity is to make money with the 50+ homebuyer.

Economic Realities Differ by Age Group

Money is a critical issue with today’s 50+ buyer, as Todd demonstrates in the following three graphs. These show how developers must consider the different circumstances of different age bands within 50+ housing.

75+ homeowners saw their income go up in the late 90s and then pretty much go flat in the last five years. Those who are 65 to 74 are continuing to do well. They had a little dip in the last recession of 2001, but in 2010 they were hardly hit.

Contrast that with the next chart which shows 45-54 year olds. Their incomes have taken a much harder hit. This group had been the “move-up buyer.” Now, they’re not moving up. This in turn is making it harder for active adults to sell their homes. “It’s not just the rich that are getting richer, it’s the older getting richer”, observed Todd

As the following chart shows, older Baby Boomers are actually better off economically than most other age groups. If you were fortunate enough to be in your 20s in the year 2000, your household income was nearly $46K a year. Ten years later, the household income of mid 20-year-olds is struggling to get to$40K. But for the people who are 65+, every year is getting better and better. Their best year was last year!

Asking the Tough Questions about the Future of 50+ Housing

Todd will be putting some challenging questions to his panel today, including:

* Are age qualified communities viable anymore or are they too restrictive?
* Is it possible today to have a successful homebuilding business that focuses on high-end homebuyers? What features and amenities do today’s buyers want?
* How is the age-in-place movement helping and hurting 50+ housing?
* What advice would you give to a builder looking to succeed in this market?
* What did you do differently last year that was successful?

Tune into this blog next week to read some of the answers provided. Or, share your own answers and thoughts, below!

Tags: international builders show
Posted in Boomers, Generation Jones (trailing edge Boomers), Housing, Real Estate Marketing, Silent Generation, Uncategorized | 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 – 1/9/2012

Monday, January 9th, 2012

Every Monday, we bring you those tweets from the past week that received the most clicks/re-tweets or generated the most discussion.

1. MOST CLICKED: Red, White and Gray – the high costs and high rewards of longer lives (The Atlantic) http://bit.ly/ymnGqu

2. MOST SHARED: Advocates say more gay-friendly senior housing is needed – many older gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender adults fear discrimination and disrespect await them after a move to a senior community (CBS News) http://bit.ly/AaSNtt

3. Understanding the needs and concerns of baby boomers as they pass through five stages on the road to retirement (Albuquerque Business Journal) http://bit.ly/y08b1O

4. How choosing the right photography can make your marketing more effective with baby boomers and seniors (ICAA Journal on Active Aging) http://bit.ly/zrgdoV

And a tweet that should have received more attention – “6 Ways to Approach Branding and Social Media for Your Business in 2012.” The author of the post, Amanda Miller Littlejohn (@amandamogul), was inspired by one of our favorite books - Content Rules. She notes that too many businesses will dive into 2012 marketing without first taking time to think strategically.

“One of the things I’ve noticed when working with solopreneurs, small business clients and even non-profit organizations is the overwhelmingly ad hoc approach to creating content for the web. I get it: small business owners are short on time and short on staff. We wear so many hats that it’s easy to forget the importance of planning. But planning is the best way that you stay on message and continually reinforce your brand.”

Read Amanda’s 6 tips here: http://www.blackenterprise.com/2012/01/04/6-ways-to-approach-branding-and-social-media-for-your-business-in-2012/

Don’t let the discussion end! Share your thoughts on 2012 planning or any of these links in the comments below.

Posted in Boomers, Housing, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Retirement | 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 »

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Archive for the ‘Housing’ Category

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/30/12

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 4/2/12

Is 50+ Housing Declining or Thriving?

Economic Realities Differ by Age Group

Asking the Tough Questions about the Future of 50+ Housing

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

Mature Marketing Tweets of the Week – 1/9/2012

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