PART 4: FIVE WAYS LINKEDIN CAN HELP YOU REACH 40+ PROFESSIONALS

Where can you be virtually guaranteed to find affluent, educated and mature consumers online? Try LinkedIn. For companies targeting younger matures (the tip of Gen X, Gen Jones/trailing edge Baby Boomers and those in between), the fourth most popular social networking site  offers several marketing opportunities.

LinkedIn describes their average user as a male, 41 years old, with an annual household income of roughly $109,000.

As blogger Steve Schultz put it, “This is clearly the result of the nature of the website and its purpose.”

If your purpose is to influence 40+ matures, including Gen X and trailing edge Baby Boomers, here are five ways LinkedIn could help:

• Web site traffic and brand exposure. Searchers of all ages can find you on LinkedIn, then move to a corporate site.

• Trust. It’s a critical factor in a mature consumer’s decision to purchase.  You can build trust by providing easy access to background information on company executives.  Seniors will spot a phony a mile away; a public profile on LinkedIn can help show you’re the real deal.

• Advertising. (And no, we don’t make commissions.) Those using LinkedIn to make connections in their professional lives are also consumers.  They are open to services that make their personal lives easier.  And most companies don’t block access to LinkedIn during the day as they might Facebook or other social networking sites.  The service offers advertising options for budgets “large” or “small.”

• Referrals. In 2007, eMarketer reported that “nearly all (89%) of Baby Boomers who were asked for advice gave it to their friends, or fellow boomers. And nearly all boomers (93%) say that they consider their friends (also boomers) to be trusted sources of information.” 45% of Boomer recommendations were made online, and LinkedIn features many tools to encourage this type of word-of-mouth.

• Matchmaking. With LinkedIn, you can even find nationally-recognized generational marketing agencies to help you reach your goals with Baby Boomers and beyond.

Share your thoughts: will LinkedIn play a part in your mature marketing efforts? 

- Part 3, Facebook offers marketing opportunities with Baby Boomers and Seniors

- Next week, Boomer-targeted niche sites – “online ghettoes” or a marketing opportunity?

PART 3: FACEBOOK PRESENTS OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOOMER, SENIOR MARKETING

First, the headlines touted how Baby Boomers (especially women) were flocking to Facebook. Then, statistics showed many older social networkers flocked right off again in the spring. Despite that dip, as of July 2009 usage among users over 55 reached all time highs. And 90% of those over 65 years old who are active in social networks prefer Facebook.

So, is Facebook worth the investment of time and marketing budget for companies trying to motivate the mature consumer?

In April/May, Inside Facebook offered four theories why Facebook usage dropped among 55+ Baby Boomers and beyond.  Reason #1: Boomers – who often join Facebook after an invitation from their children – aren’t sure of the value of this social network just yet.

This is the challenge for brands serving active adults: how to use Facebook and other social media in a way that is relevant to mature internet users.

Marketers can gain insight from what works with older generations offline.

• Don’t waste their time – Remember that 40+ Gen Xers spend most of their days at work. Boomers are time-pressed, balancing work, leisure and often caring for older parents. Silent Generation members want to be sure that something is relevant before they make space in their busy lives.

• Share content that adds value. Per Burst Media, news, product information and health are what Boomers and Seniors are seeking online.

• Make it a two-way conversation. Facebook makes it easy for dialog, if companies are sincere. Whether in person or online, older consumers want a relationship, not blatant sales pitches.

What do you think? Please share examples of companies that have driven sales with seniors or Baby Boomers through Facebook.

- Part 2, Twitter and the Mature Market

- Later in this series, “silver surfers” and LinkedIn and Boomer-targeted social networking sites

PART 2: BABY BOOMERS, SENIORS AND TWITTER

The media appears to have fallen in love with Twitter (heck, even my 97-year-old Nana has heard of Twitter by now). Who’s on Twitter? The New York Times reports that younger Boomers are fueling Twitter’s growth, while Sysomos data suggests 81% of all Twitter users are 29 or younger.  How important is Twitter for marketing to Baby Boomers and seniors?

Paul Briand of the Examiner notes “Baby Boomers 55 to 64 are Twitter users on a slightly lower level, but at a greater frequency than users aged 18 to 24. That’s because Twitter has become less of a social network and more of a marketing/social network.” We see that as in keeping with this cohort’s lifestage; it’s a time in their lives when they are focused on both social and vocational development.

The New York Times points out mature consumers and technology adoption are not actually strange bedfellows.

As the Web grows up, so do its users, and for many analysts, Twitter’s success represents a new model for Internet success. The notion that children are essential to a new technology’s success has proved to be largely a myth.

Adults have driven the growth of many perennially popular Web services. YouTube attracted young adults and then senior citizens before teenagers piled on. Blogger’s early user base was adults and LinkedIn has built a successful social network with professionals as its target.

At Creating Results, the jury’s still out on Twitter’s effectiveness as a business engine for effectively motivating seniors and Boomers to buy.

A positive Twitter case study and somewhat murky stats

On the pro side we have JetBlue Airlines.

* Per Quantcast, JetBlue’s online user audience is predominantly mature – their web visitors are older than the internet average – and fairly wealthy – 63% of www.jetblue.com users report a household income of $60K or greater.

* Jet Blue has gained 1 million followers on Twitter – one in five of these visitors are reported to have visited their corporate website in the same month.

* Compete.com recently blogged that Twitter visitors were 10% more likely to complete a booking with JetBlue than those that did not visit that social network. If accurate, that’s a positive link between tweets and revenue.

On the con side we have these numbers:

* The median number of “tweets” (as messages broadcast by Twitter are called) is ONE tweet per user in a lifetime.

* Recent Nielsen data showed 60% of Twitter users don’t come back the next month. These mature users sign up, don’t see the value or relevance to their lives, then say “I’m outta here.”

* June 2009 data from LinkedIn and Harris Interactive showed that only 31% of all internet users were familiar with Twitter. 80% of our favorite folks – those 55 or better – said they were not familiar enough with the service to form an opinion.

Are mature internet users truly driving the growth of Twitter? And can Twitter drive the growth of sales to Boomers and beyond?

Share your thoughts here, or let us know via Twitter (@CreatingResults).

- Part I, an overview of Social Networking and Marketing to Baby Boomers/Seniors

- Later this week, insights on mature consumers and Facebook, LinkedIn and Boomer-targeted niche sites