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Email Subject Lines: What’s the Magic Number?

Tuesday, May 14th, 2013

Email Marketing Strategies for Active Adults and Seniors

A recent report from Experian found that email volume rose 5.4% in the last year. What does this mean for marketers? For one- it just got harder to stand out in the inbox. We constantly are working with our clients who are messaging to active adult and senior living communities to help determine what moves the needle for their respective email subscribers. Is it the headline on an email, time of day or subject line? A few times this has begged the question…just what is the magic number for email subject lines to help you get noticed (in a good way)?

According to research released in December from Adestra, subject lines that were either less than 30 characters or longer than 90 were most effective, meaning that length does make a difference.

While the statistics from Adestra are intriguing, smart marketers realize that it’s not the world’s list that dictates the email best practices, but your own. Creating Results has reviewed the messaging we’ve created for and with senior living clients to come up with some industry-specific insights as to just what is the magic number of characters within a subject line.

We found:
•   The average subject line for all messages sent was 43 characters
•   The longest subject line had 72 characters and had an open rate of 37% and a click through rate of 4%
•   The shortest subject line had just 16 characters and an open rate of 34% and a click through rate of 17%

So what does this mean for active adult and senior living marketers? Subject lines aren’t the only ingredient required for creating an email that gets noticed. In the case of our Senior Living emails, open rates were more based on how something is said, not how many characters it takes to say it.

Email is the n North Hill Website Announce Email umber one activity of older adults online. It’s a great marketing tool. In order to have the perfect storm for great email open rates you need the following:
1.   Strong subject line thdoesn’t stop at the subject line but continues throughout using dynamic content based on individual interactions.
3.   Clear calls to action for next steps- what do you want the recipient to do? Don’t leave them wondering, be sure to call it out.
4.   Links to convert to website visitation for further awareness. North Hill, a CCRC in Boston, leveraged their email list to introduce a new website. Vibrant images of the new site along with links for learning more lead to a click through rate of 30%
5.   Test, test, test- every list (and every subscriber ) is different. The best way to determine what moves the needle is to go outside of the norm and test new things.

How do you approach the creation of your email subject lines? Share your thoughts here.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Healthcare - CCRCs, Housing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 5/13

Monday, May 13th, 2013

Happy belated Mother’s Day. Today we not only celebrate the most eye catching mature marketing posts about boomers and seniors, but we celebrate Moms the world round.

Most Shared:

A Wall Street Journal article chronicling how Baby Boomers are stepping up as care givers for their parents received a number of clicks this week. The article shares stories of multiple generations coming together under one roof as aging parents require more assistance and care. When examining fears or concerns about life transitions, the author notes that making sure mom and dad have the help they need (and how to balance that with their boomer children’s own financial worries) is typically high.

Last year my mom was faced with the same challenges and moved in with my brother and family. While it’s an adjustment for all, the benefits have seemed to outweigh the negatives. A similar sentiment was echoed within the article:

Even as these responsibilities loom large, the emotional payoffs can be extraordinary. We bond with our parents in ways we never had before. We feel appreciated, rewarded, loved, grateful and proud.

According to the article, having a sound financial plan will ensure your parents can continue to thrive and enjoy life during this new phase is key, and has helped many ease into this new life transition with ease. Read the full article here.

Most Clicked:

The business of growing old is beautifully detailed in Joe Schlesinger’s article The full-time job of growing old. This well-known journalist shares insights into the challenges that he’s learned to manage or overcome as he’s aged…from a never-ending list of doctors and medications to requiring Google when his memory fails him.

Once upon a time I used to do things like jumping out of a helicopter in Vietnam as it hovered over a landing pad under enemy fire…I can no longer do these things, but, thanks to the internet, I can get around to distant places and events by letting my fingers do the walking. And I do.

Schlesinger inspires with his words of wisdom as he reminds us of the best way to remember your own history- keep exploring. Read the full article here.

Have articles of note we should share? Please note in the comment section below.

Posted in Boomers, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Retirement, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week 4/29/13

Monday, April 29th, 2013

Here we go…these are the top mature marketing links, posts and insights from the previous week. Enjoy (and be sure to share your top mature marketing insights within the comments).

1. MOST CLICKED: A Princeton University study on ageism examined perceptions of older people across generations. According to the study, three key stereotypes were identified:

Succession: The idea that older people should move aside from high-paying jobs and prominent social roles for younger people

Identity: The idea that older people shouldn’t attempt to act younger than they are

Consumption: The idea that older people shouldn’t consume scare resources such as health care

2. MOST SHARED: An infographic that imagined the world as 100 people. The chart examined everything from age (8 out of 100 adults are 65+), information (22 out of 100 have access to a computer) and housing.

***Worth Reading:

Todd Harff’s two part series- What Do Baby Boomer Buyers Want in a Home and Baby Boomer Housing Trends capturing expert insights about the housing of Baby Boomers from the Urban Land Institute Conference, including trends in economics, creating personalized experiences and more.

Posted in Boomers, Housing, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 2/18/13

Monday, February 18th, 2013

A weekly round-up of the week’s top resources for marketing to baby boomers and seniors, as judged by clicks, shares and comments on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google+.

73 year old Fitness Instructor John David

Photo Credit: Shiho Fukada for NPR

MOST CLICKED/MOST SHARED: Working past retirement age is not really a boomer phenomenon, notes NPR News in an inspiring piece about a 73-year-old fitness instructor, John David. As reporter Ina Jaffe commented,

“Retirement isn’t what it used to be, or even when it used to be.

Since the late 1970s, the percentage of Americans over 65 who are still working has doubled. Sometimes these people are working because they need the money. But increasingly, people are staying in the workforce into their later years because they’re living longer and staying healthy longer.”

Read the post: http://n.pr/WGzzgI

Also of note:

: News and video are among the top online activites for older adults

* Infographic — the past, present & power of YouTube: http://bit.ly/W5HD8N

RELATED: Online video marketing and matures: http://bit.ly/Pmqk0C

* The Content Revolution: Why All Marketers Must Become Journalists (Forbes): http://onforb.es/Y2v53A

* Keep it short, real, personal: tips for improving email marketing (Travel Market Report): http://bit.ly/WRUHSW

* Optimism and confidence on the rise for the 55+ active adult housing market (Senior Housing News): http://bit.ly/11QBkhg

Did we miss a link that you felt offered great value in marketing to seniors and baby boomers? Please share it in the comments, below.

Posted in 50+, Mature Consumers, Retirement, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 12/17/12

Monday, December 17th, 2012

Most Mondays, my routine is pretty simple. I check the stats from Creating Results’ various social media accounts and dive into this recap. I might play a little with the intro in an attempt to be witty. I count down the resources and articles deemed important by our readers, followers, fans and friends.

Today, anything routine seems just so strange. A numbered list of links doesn’t seem important at all.

Several years ago Creating Results had the pleasure of branding and launching The Woods at Newtown, a 55+ housing development later purchased by Toll Bros. This gave us the opportunity to get to know, if only fleetingly, the lovely, welcoming community of Newtown, Conn.

In addition, like many in New England I have a personal connection to the town. One of my dear friends lives in Newtown. On Friday, her 8-year-old son was pulled out of the line of fire and into safety as bullets whizzed by.

Next week, this blogger will return to routine with that round-up list of links. I hope you’ll forgive me if today’s list reflects what is on all our minds:

1. MOST IMPORTANT: Profiles, photos of the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting http://abcn.ws/XyWPeF

As an agency that specializes in baby boomers and seniors, we often remind marketing execs that older adults are not “them” — they are “US,” their challenges and aspirations are ours. Today, our hearts grieve for Newtown. Their loss is ours.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 11/5/12

Monday, November 5th, 2012

Sheila and Dominic Traina hug in front of their Staten Island home, demolished during Superstorm Sandy. Photo by Seth Wenig, AP.

We start this week with our thoughts on the many hit hard by Superstorm Sandy, especially the elderly.

Older adults face additional challenges after natural disasters. Reduced mobility makes it hard for elders to reach help; they need power for oxygen machines, electric wheelchairs and other tech that allow them to age in place. Imagine being a 92 year old on a ventilator in a high rise building in New York with no elevator service?

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer greets people as elderly NY residents wait for over 4 hours for meals to be delivered. Photo by Bryan Smith; New York Daily News.

Elderblogger Ronni Bennett addressed the issue and shared some troubling stories in her post last Friday, “Elders and Hurricane Sandy.”

Do a quick search for “elderly storm sandy” and you’ll find many other reports of elders struggling without power, heat, food and medication.

It’s harder, too, for seniors to escape big storms in the first place. Some refuse to leave their homes; many cannot find the transportation or assistance. Did you know that approximately 71% of all deaths in Louisiana due to Katrina were older than 60? 50% were over 75.

So please, if you live in or near a storm affected area and have the ability, please reach out to an elder in your community.

We’ll return next week with our usual round-up of resources that received the most clicks and shares. Until then, our thoughts and prayers are with Sandy’s senior survivors.

Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 8/27/12

Monday, August 27th, 2012

“Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.” ― William Shakespeare, Shakespeare’s Sonnets

The last Monday in August. The last Monday of Summer. To ease the pain, we’ve collected the week’s top tips/resources for marketing to baby boomers and seniors.

1. MOST CLICKED: The great comedian Phyllis Diller died last week at 95. This video of Diller “auditioning” for the Spice Girls had people clicking and laughing. Why did she want to be a Spice Girl? “Because I hear spice is used as a preservative. At least that’s what the Egyptians used when they mummified me.” RIP, funny lady.

See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGD7TNnDeSQ

2. MOST SHARED: What is making 60+ and 70+ Americans so optimistic? Resilience, financial security, writes Paula Span in the New York Times’ terrific blog, “The New Old Age.” Span writes she read the recent United States of Aging report and wondered what was making the respondents over 70 so “insistently optimistic.”

When I called a couple of my favorite gerontologists to help me puzzle this out, they weren’t really surprised; social scientists have known for years that older people, freed from the midlife stresses of work and child rearing, become happier. They call it the U-shaped curve: life satisfaction is greatest in people’s youth and then again in old age.

“You’re seeing resilience,” said David J. Ekerdt, a University of Kansas gerontologist. “You’re seeing the way we adjust our frames of reference to continue to assert, ‘I’m the kind of person who’ll be O.K.’” …

It’s also true that those over 70 are more likely than the boomers behind them to have retired with pensions, intact marriages and paid-off mortgages. Less financially battered by the recession, they may indeed be more secure financially, thus less worried.

Span also notes there might have been confusion with the way questions were worded on the survey tool. Read her full post: http://nyti.ms/PINvoe

3. MOST FAVORITED: (Did you know that people can “favorite” a tweet? It’s the Twitter version of a “like.”) Our active adult communities client Traditions of America was featured in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette piece — “For Retirees, Pittsburgh Has A Lot to Love.”

Read the article: ow.ly/da9OV

Also of note:

* Australian baby boomers are haunted by debt, finds RaboDirect. “Baby boomers are feeling the pinch and are the most pessimistic of all the generations about the economic outlook of the nation,” said spokeswoman Renee Amor. One-third will have a mortgage when they retire. Half report having less money to live on each week.

Herald-Sun article: http://bit.ly/SI508N

Link to full report from RaboDirect Australia: http://bit.ly/RnUi7q

* The annual Beloit Mindset list is out! This intriguing list looks at what this year’s incoming freshman think or have experienced.

For example, the class of 2016 has never known Romper Room, printed encyclopedias or a man as the head of the US State Department. They also have been wired throughout their lives. As Beloit College puts it:

“This year’s entering college class of 2016 was born into cyberspace and they have therefore measured their output in the fundamental particles of life: bits, bytes, and bauds … In these students’ lifetimes, with MP3 players and iPods, they seldom listen to the car radio. A quarter of the entering students already have suffered some hearing loss.”

Get the Mindset List: http://bit.ly/NRgjfs

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the differences between our favorite 50+ consumers and today’s freshmen. Does the list make you feel youth, too, has too short a date?

Tags: Beloit Mindset List, RaboDirect
Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Millennials/Gen Y, Retirement, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 8/13/12

Monday, August 13th, 2012

Happy Monday! Erin is on vacation this week so it is my pleasure to bring to you the top 50+marketing links of the week. Be sure to share your thoughts in our comment section.

MOST SHARED: It’s good to be king…our infographic showcasing what baby boomers and seniors do online received a number of shares last week. Email remains the #1 online activity. As marketers continue to become more aware of the spending power of boomers and seniors its is more important than ever to be sure your brand has a presence where your 50+ prospects spend the majority of their time. Want to learn more? Click here to download your copy.

MOST CLICKED: The latest research by Nielsen and BoomAgers via Marketing Charts reports that boomers control 70% of disposable income in the US. This report focused on a segment they dubbed “Techno Boomers” who are avid purchasers of new technology (it even reports they are 40% more likely to use iPhones and business-related social networking sites). As to how much they spend online….a reported $7 billion a year. Click here to read the full story.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

1. Fitness programs for seniors among “Top 20 Fitness Trends for 2012″: Article within Montgomery Advertiser introduces some very active seniors and highlights results from a study of 2,600 fitness professionals. Many noted the creation of “age-appropriate fitness programs” as a major trend in the industry as more and more seniors seek out more fitness options.

2. Senior housing is of great interest among Institutional Real Estate investors per an article in Senior Housing News. More than a fifth of respondents (23%) noted investments in senior housing while another 13% plan to invest in the future.

Posted in 40+, 50+, 60+, Boomers, Email marketing, Housing, Internet, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Real Estate Marketing, Social Networking, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Mature Marketing Links of the Week – 7/2/2012

Monday, July 2nd, 2012

Hello, Monday. How’d ya sneak up on us so fast?

Here’s our weekly round-up of top resources for marketing to 50+ consumers – links, articles and reports that earned the most clicks, shares or discussion last week. Did we miss anything? Please share your “must-reads” in the comments section.

1. MOST CLICKED: 5 Ways social media has ruined marketing, a tongue-in-cheek look at how this new form of interacting and communicating has changed marketing. By Robert Fleming of the eMarketing Association, who begins:

“First of all I am old. How old, let’s just say I remember a time when Beatles music was not played in elevators. Therefore I remember fondly the “old days”. So I get a bit nostalgic thinking back on time when there was really just newspapers, TV, radio and direct mail as key advertising elements (ok billboards too).”

Read the post: http://bit.ly/LKcx0n

2. MOST SHARED: In 2011, 1 in 6 Americans were involved in unpaid eldercare, per the new American Time Use Survey released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Or, as US News put it, the “Age Wave Creates Nation of Elder Caregivers.” Key details: percentage of baby boomers and seniors who are elder caregivers

–Of the 39.8 million eldercare providers in the civilian noninstitutional population, the majority (56 percent) were women.
–Individuals ages 45 to 54 and 55 to 64 were the most likely to provide eldercare (23 and 22 percent, respectively), followed by those age 65 and over (16 percent).

Link to BLS summary: http://1.usa.gov/N4dsZG

3. MOST COMMENTED: As word spread that Orbitz was steering Mac users to pricier hotels than to PC users, the AARP asked on Twitter “Does it bother you?” My response was “not really.” My reasoning is that Orbitz was a business and was supposed to be making money. They used the data available to them to gain insight into their customers, then tested whether a specific segment would pay higher prices. And they were successful. I even offered a non-travel example, how makers of wine discovered that a fancier name could fetch $2 more a bottle.

We received several comments on this, ranging from “fair point” to “it was a betrayal of trust and a deceptive practice.” What do you think of what Orbitz was doing and the fall-out?

Posted in 50+, 60+, Boomers, Healthcare - CCRCs, Marketing, Mature Consumers, Uncategorized | No Comments »