The chart (below) shows the visit share by age for the big four social networks: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Plus. And the age breakdown of the (US?) online population.

As eMarketer has noted, “The average age of Internet users is rising in tandem with that of the general population.” It appears so far Facebook is the online social network that most closely mirrors the age diversity of our offline world. Twitter continues to appeal to GenX and GenY. And LinkedIn continues to be an excellent if underappreciated network for reaching 55+ adults – 57% of users are baby boomers or beyond!

I was surprised to see Google+ have a larger audience over the age of 55 than Twitter, but on second thought its design and functionality is so similar to Facebook, it might feel more comfortable to older users.

Stat #8 wasn’t a surprise to us. As Dougherty writes, “Facebook” is the most searched term in the US and Facebook-related terms account for 14% of the top search clicks.” We shared that insight with a team of social media marketing ambassadors from a leading continuing care retirement community just two days ago. It was terrific to see their excitement for how the network could promote deeper relationships with their senior prospects and adult children.

If your organization needs help turning social media stats into social media strategies, please check out these related posts (or give us a call – we’d love to help).

RELATED POSTS:

• The Face(book) in the Mirror is Getting Older
• Can Twitter Drive Sales with Older Generations?
• Mature, Affluent, Educated and LinkedIn
• Gaining Boomer and Senior Marketing Insights from Social Media

MOST CLICKED:

1. Does Google accurately guess age and gender:  Fun article that explores Google’s privacy announcements by testing if this internet search giant can accurately guess your age.  An informal survey within the article of the author’s colleagues found some interesting results in the age category, however the ISP was more able to effectively identify interests was fairly accurate.   Here are few of the age misses the article shares:

• Women aged 24, 25, and 28 were estimated to be men aged 25-34.

• Men aged 30, 41, and 29, plus a 39-year-old woman, were all found to be boomer or seniors aged 65 or older

Try it for yourself

2.  Great Ad Age article that explores the recent disclosures from Paula Deen regarding her health and the impact to her credibility as a brand.  As marketers this piece presents a reminder of how personal a brand is to boomers and seniors and the inability to distinguish (in this case) the person from the brand.

WORTH REPEATING:

A beautiful story in the Huffington Post of caring for senior parents with Alzheimer’s and the grief experienced by all it touches.  Experience a glimpse into the story of one woman as she helps her senior mom deal with a beloved father suffering from this disease.

OVERHEARD (and too funny not to share):

Woman:  “I noticed you limping, is anything wrong?” Gentleman: ” It’s a degenerative issue with my joints that is just too hard to pronounce.  The initials are O.L.D.”

1. MOST CLICKED: Poor photo choice – unprofessional, young – for a press release about marketing to professional baby boomer women. http://bit.ly/w43h1Z

Do you agree with our critique of their image? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Do you worry that your own photography may not be doing the job with baby boomers and seniors? To learn how you can spend less money and see more results with the right photography, download our free eBook – “Photo Finish: Images that Motivate Mature Consumers” – today.

Photo Source: Sirius Bark by Temple3

2. What influences changes in aging brains? 24% of mental #aging due to genes (Wall Street Journal) http://on.wsj.com/y2hPvP

3. MOST SHARED: Apparently consumers use QR codes for the same reason kids touch hot stoves: to see what will happen http://ow.ly/8wSgY

Related Post: A Q&A about QR Codes and Baby Boomers http://bit.ly/yF3yqF

And here’s one link that should have captured more clicks:

Five Ways Content Marketing Connects Brands & Customers (@1to1media) http://ow.ly/8uHBA As Anna Papachristos writes for 1to1Media:

“Joe Chernov, vice president of content marketing at Eloqua, defines content marketing as ‘the art of creating, distributing, and measuring share-worthy content that grows and engages an organization’s audience, while deepening affinity for the brand.’ But as this ‘share-worthy content’ expands in terms of form and delivery, content marketers need to blend old and new tactics to keep their content effective and engaging.”

Some of Papachristos’ five ways may be new to you; others, helpful reminders.

1. Encourage Sharing – with short-form content that engages targets in conversation
2. Solve Problems – with content that is informative, not self-promotional
3. Re-Use and Re-Purpose – to extend the reach of each piece
4. Observe and Report – “Content marketing isn’t about simply dumping a glut of articles or videos online; it’s about strategically presenting customers with particularly
   applicable information at crucial points in the buying cycle.”
5. Serve It Up Social – leverage social networks to extend the reach of your content … and your brand

If you found this content relevant, we hope you’ll use the tools provided to share it with your networks. Thanks!

1. MOST CLICKED/MOST SHARED: What is Pinterest? A guide to this hot new social network via @cspenn. http://bit.ly/ziSQNO

And why should organizations marketing to baby boomers or seniors care about Pinterest? As Mashable’s Rob Lammle puts it “Not only has the company received $27 million in venture funds, but the site’s popularity has exploded from 1.2 million users in August to over 4 million today.” And early statistics from Hitwise appear to show that it’s popular with Southern baby boomers with a passion for Hobbies/Crafts. If that’s your niche, Pinterest might be a terrific opportunity to find your targets.

2. Demographer Neil Howe – famous for his 1991 book, Generations, co-authored with William Strauss – told the National Journal that 20-something Gen Y/Millenials will win the battle over society’s resources. http://bit.ly/Archwq

(If you’ve got an opinion on Howe’s opinions, we hope you’ll share it in our comments below.)

3. New statistics from Nielsen show 1 in 3 US households owns 4 or more TVs. Where do they put them???  http://bit.ly/wc5rln

Related post from our blog: 41.6 Percent of Americans Are On Facebook … … and 98% of Americans have at least one television set. http://bit.ly/yKB8BP

4. Recruiting baby boomers to join a senior center in Buffalo, NY is proving challenging. http://bit.ly/AzprFJ

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.

TOP TWEETS THIS WEEK

1. Statistics on Social Media Use by Baby Boomers, Seniors and Gen X – all three age groups share a love for email and a growing use of social networks http://bit.ly/qjkPwX

2. Red, White, and Gray: The High Cost, and High Rewards, of Longer Lives – an article from The Atlantic which considers whether “a grayer society is a richer society” http://ow.ly/88Qfa

And a tweet that should have gotten more attention: Ways to use Social Media to build a loyal customer base http://bit.ly/t4rf69. I appreciated how the blogger included thoughts from Pervara Kapadia on how you can use social media to create feelings of privilege and belonging (very motivating with baby boomers). Kapadia summarized as:

• This could be done by giving them great discounts and sales information.
• You could let them have the first peek at new products being offered.
• Let them be the first to know what is taking place behind the scenes.
• If there is a new announcement that you will be coming out with, let your Community know first.

• Encourage customers to speak and to share.
• Let them know that they are a part of your Family.
• Let them share their experience with your product.
• Appreciate a good comment. Make it a point to address a negative remark.”

Are you using social media to create feelings of belonging or privilege in your baby boomer and senior audiences? Share your thoughts and examples in the comments below.

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.

 (For a version which is larger/printable/easy to share, click on the image.)

As always, we feel feedback from our readers is a great gift. Please share your thoughts on this infographic in the comments section. And, HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Creating Results!

TOP TWEETS THIS WEEK

1. Holiday homecomings may last a long, long time for Baby Boomer women. Mostly driven by the recession, they’re now housing their adult children and don’t anticipate packing them up any time soon. http://bit.ly/u2VETl

2. Free social media tools your brand should be using to research baby boomers  and seniors bit.ly/vJnNeG

3. Retirement: Busy, but a different kind of busy. http://exm.nr/tTFTv5

4. As people put off moving into any type of senior housing, senior living providers are finding those entering are “significantly older—and in need of more care—than they were several years ago” reports Senior Housing News.  http://bit.ly/slWBXe

5. Featured by SocialMediaToday.com: Gaining Boomer and Senior Marketing Insights from Social Media by @CreatingResults ow.ly/1g6UNC

And a tweet that should have gotten more attention because these are words we can all live by … From Laura Fitton (aka @Pistachio, thought leader and the author of Twitter for Dummies): “Just in case you forget, sometimes http://ow.ly/i/n0AH“

What doesn’t seem to vary is the struggle to act on or measure what your brand gains from social media. As eMarketer notes:

From the early days of the internet, the prospect of detailed metrics fueled the promise that online advertising could yield unprecedented insights about customer preferences and behavior. That promise has only partially materialized. True, online channels provide feedback that offline media cannot, but marketers are still grappling with how to make this input work toward the bottom line.

From my presentation to the International Council on Active Aging (ICAA) last week, here are tools and tips that can help marketers spot and make sense of customer preferences and behavior.

We’ve focused on resources that are built-in or free, and are accessible to organizations like our clients – continuing care retirement communities, estate planners and 50+ housing developers with a lot of heart but little budgets.

Free Social Media Tools You Should Be Using

1. FACEBOOK:

* Facebook Insights: built-in and free, this tool helps you analyze your brand’s page metrics.

- Find out which messages hit (and which miss) their mature marks through “people talking about” and noting which posts attract the most engagement.

- Demographics and locations reported by Facebook also offer (free) insights. We discovered one client’s site was attracting more adult children than prospects themselves. And for another, we found that Friends were quirkier than we thought – one report showed a healthy portion of fans used Facebook with the language set to Pirate. Now our posts contain more humor and get more engagement than before.

* Facebook search: type your brand name into the search bar and then, on the results page, click on Public Posts. As Search Engine Journal put it, “what you’re left with is real time results for wall posts from all (public) profiles or pages on Facebook!”

2. TWITTER:

* TwitterCounter: track follower growth – yours or a competitor’s – for free on a weekly or monthly basis. Upgrade and you can see who is retweeting or sharing your tweets.

* Hootsuite, TweetDeck, Argyle Social, TweetAdder and Co-Tweet are tools for managing your Twitter account. All offer varying degrees of monitoring as well. Our personal favorite is HootSuite. You can track clicks and shares, and set up searches for key phrases (your brand name, your brand plus words such as LIKE, LOVE or HATE). Reports can even be exported and shared, a time-saving feature for smaller organizations.

* Twilert: Baby boomer blogger Linda Bernstein swears by this service, which delivers a regular email update with tweets containing keywords related to your brand, product or service.

3. LINKEDIN:

* Company page Analytics: see at a glance the interest your brand is generating and what kind of traffic, segmented by industry or other selects.

* Group Statistics: visualize your group members by seniority, function, location and industry.

4. SOCIAL MEDIA MONITORING:

* There are a number of paid social media monitoring services out there, including Trackur, Radian6, sysomos, Nielsen BuzzMetrics and Alterian. You might first want to read a few comparisons (like this one from FreshMinds) to see what the strengths of each system is.

* A FREE and easy tool is Social Mention: Per MarketingSherpa’s Adam Sutton,

“… more than 80% of marketers say measuring brand sentiment is important, yet fewer than half actually track it. You can start gauging sentiment today by spending two minutes playing with Social Mention.

This fantastically simple and free tool provides a stunning amount of data, including a sentiment analysis of your online mentions. You can even click “positive” and “negative” to see a list of results used to generate your score. How cool is that?”

Very cool indeed.

What tool do you feel is cool for marketers focused on baby boomers and seniors? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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