This series has been quite powerful, combining the latest facts and figures with personal stories. NPR’s community also has responded strongly; you’ll find many insights in the comments.

Listen to and see charts from the series: http://n.pr/IgLPuV

2. MOST SHARED: Three resources that paint a more complete picture of our baby boomer and senior targets:

- Women over 65 use home health at higher rates than men, finds the CDC. ow.ly/aDM7q

- 71% of #babyboomers / #seniors say we need a return to more privacy online (a reminder that our Social Silver Surfer research found there were three distinct types of privacy issues that concern matures). ow.ly/aBVVo

- By the numbers: characteristics of seniors living in CCRCs & residential facilities (Senior Housing News). ow.ly/aEiHZ

3. MOST FUN: Who took the Fig out of Fig Newtons? Find out what baby boomers had to do with the name change of a beloved brand.

Read the article: http://nyti.ms/J6M6Xq

Also of note …

- Six ways to improve your YouTube marketing, especially … Make the videos short! As this blogger writes, “Long Videos – Nobody Watches Them.” http://bit.ly/Lu2S2w

- Aging tech expert Laurie Orlov takes the long view, noting that most (59%) of older adults are still not online. http://bit.ly/IRIH8z

At Creating Results, we appreciated Laurie’s call to do your own research when others lump together large age bands or overlook 50+ers altogether. We’ve done so several times, as readers of this blog know. Please help us shape our next initiative. Share your priorities in this two-question survey: http://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/893869/Spring-Newsletter-Content-Matters-Survey

1. MOST SHARED: As the number of baby boomers now eligible for “senior” discounts swells, this traditional marketing tool is under fire.

Some critics wonder why older generations deserve a price break when younger generations are struggling more. There’s also the question of affordability: Will businesses keep cutting prices for seniors as hordes of baby boomers push into their 60s?

“This is a huge influx of people,” notes Margaret Lynn Duggar, a consultant in Tallahassee, Fla. “It’s one thing if [senior discounts] apply to just 5 percent of the population, and another if you’re talking about 35 percent.”

Could senior-discounting go the way of the blue-plate special or dish night at the movie theater? “I can’t imagine that five years from now any senior discounts will still be available,” says Ken Dychtwald, founder of Age Wave, an Emeryville, Calif., consulting firm specializing in the mature market. “It’s silly to give the most affluent segment of our society [an age-based] discount.”

The Bard says: “How quickly nature falls into revolt When gold becomes her object!”

Read the article: http://bit.ly/Jl1Lh7

2. MOST CLICKED: Six ways PURLs (personalized URLs) can increase the virality of your campaign. We noted that we like PURLs for baby boomers because they impart a VIP feeling – something that jives well with the boomer mindset.

The Bard says: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”

Read the article: http://bit.ly/IrzTIu

3. MOST COMMENTED: This public service announcement quickly the social media world a-twittering. SaferSex4Seniors.org has a serious mission – to promote the use of condoms and safe sex by older adults. (The STD rate among baby boomers and seniors has doubled in the last ten years.) When sharing on our Facebook page, we wrote that it was a fun ad that recognized and celebrated seniors as sexual – finally! Several commented it was a little too much celebration for their comfort …

Here’s the PSA:

Dr. Pepper Schwartz of the AARP said: “It’s a bit racy (some of those positions take some gumption) but oh so welcome.” My CFO said: “What in God’s name were you thinking posting that video?”

The Bard says: “Why then, can one desire too much of a good thing?”

What do you say? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

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

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).

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.

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?

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.

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/9puWu

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!

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!

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.

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.

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.