engaging baby boomers & seniors through social media
TRANSCRIPT
Engaging Baby Boomers and
Seniors through Social Media
Gina Pagliaro, Immersion Active
Jen Martin, AARP
Molly Connors, Care2
@Care2Team #C2Webinar
about
Citizens use Care2 for:
Starting or signing petitions
Volunteering
Donating $
Spreading news
Commenting on blogs
Starting group (organizing)
Joining nonprofits
Nonprofits use Care2 for:
Recruiting Donors & Supporters
Traffic/Branding/Awareness
Advocacy
Building Facebook fan base
Who Are the Boomers?
What’s Unique about the
Boomer World View?
“Special” generation
Large number became
teenagers and adults in the
1960s
Dissected, analyzed and
pitched to by modern
marketers
Boomer Economic Impact
Control over 80% of personal
financial assets
50% of all consumer
spending
80% of all leisure travel
Desire to pass wealth to
charity vs. children
Is Social Media Having A
Senior Moment?
The only Internet marketing agency in the
U.S. focused exclusively on the baby
boomer and senior markets.
Gina Pagliaro, Account Strategist
What’s Age Got to Do With It?
Everything -- Boomers and seniors share the
same core needs that all people do but that‟s
where the similarity ends. As we age, how we
go about satisfying those needs change.
1. Behavioral Approach & Seasons of Life
2. Meaningful Online Engagement
3. Boomer Engagement Tactics
4. Sharing Case Studies
Relationship
Motivate behavior that seeks social, organizational and spiritual connections
Adaptation
Motivate behavior that promotes progress in knowledge and skill development
Energy
Motivate behavior that promotes health, well-being
and functionality
IdentityMotivate self-preservation
behavior (physiological, psychological
and social)
PurposeMotivate behavior that
validates and gives meaning to life
A Behavioral Approach
Seasons of Life
SpringInitial
Personal
Development
0 - 22 +
Play
(Learning)
Fantasy mode:
Dei ex machina –
everything will
generally work out
in my favor
SummerSocial/
Vocational
Development
18+ - 40+
Work
(Becoming Somebody)
Romantic mode:
Heroic – the
world is my oyster;
I can make anything
work my way
FallInner Self/
Spiritual
Development
38+ - 60+
Life Balance
(Search for Meaning)
Reality mode:
Disappointment – not
as good as I thought;
who am I? What‟s my
life purpose?
WinterBecoming
One with
All
58+ ?
Reconciliation
(Making Sense of Life)
Ironic mode:
Acceptance – there‟s
some good in every
bad, some bad in every
good – c’est la vie!
Meaningful Online Engagement
Deliver a cohesive experience that inspires
people to share information with others.
• For Boomers, these online exchanges can be as important to the
conversation as a neighborly exchange over the fence. Develop touch
points for loyalty.
• People – the engine that drives the information exchange
• Places – locations where information is being exchanged
• Things – all entities that help promote the flow of information\
• Advice from family and friends is the most common way they research
a new product and they believe that word-of-mouth recommendations
from family and friends is the most trustworthy source of information.
Boomer Engagement Tactics
Basic• Authenticity
• Be relevant
Boomer Specific• Lead with the right and punch with the left
• Conditional positioning
• Tell a story – leverage video
• Appeal to senses
• Use nostalgia appropriately
• Urgency, not fear
• Keep it simple
Case Story: National Committee to
Preserve Social Security & Medicare
Need: Drive Memberships
and Quality Leads
• Generated 5,518 New Leads in
11 Weeks
• Increased Average Online
Membership Value from $17 to
$22
• Achieved up to 83% Lift Among
Tested Psychological Triggers
Case Story: National Committee to
Preserve Social Security & Medicare
Case Story: Home Instead
AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization, with a membership of more
than 37 million, that helps people 50+ have
independence, choice and control in ways
that are beneficial to them and society as a
whole.
Jen Martin, Manager of Social
Communications
Boomers: They’re Plugged In!
http://bit.ly/boomerplug
• 84% of internet users 50 and over use
social networking sites. (source: Pew)
• “There's a sort of „trickle up‟ effect from
younger members using the networks
and nudging their parents and
grandparents to join. Similarly, when we
ask adults about their biggest motivations
for using social networking sites, we find
that for adults ages 50 and older, staying
in touch with family is the number one
reason they use social media.”
-Mary Madden, senior research specialist at the Pew
Research Center’s Internet and American Life Project
• More resources at:
http://www.scoop.it/t/boomers-online
And Online!
Why Recruit and Cultivate Boomers?
• Because they aren‟t going anywhere - every 8.4
seconds, another Baby Boomer turns 50.
• By the year 2030, 20 percent of the U.S.
population will be over the age of 65.
• Because they drive the economy - recent studies
show that Baby Boomers now boast the highest
growth rate of entrepreneurship in America.
• According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, the Boomer and older generations
now represent a $2.6 trillion annual market! (cite: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/business/commentary/baby-boomers-will-drive-economy)
Recruiting and Cultivating Boomers
Success Story:
• AARP‟s and AARP Foundation‟s biggest
online fundraising effort. Ever. Over $1.255
million to help older victims of the earthquake
in Haiti.
• Overnight with no marketing support, viral
Facebook & Twitter from employees brought in
$175,000.
• Reaching over 100,000 people per 50 tweets.
• To date, we have raised over $721,000 online
compared to $34,000 from snail mail.
• Over 12,000 people have donated including
more than 4,400 NEW donors.
• Coverage in New York Times, CNN, USA
Today, Huffington Post and more.
Tips and Tricks:
Commit to the Conversation
• Use your page to tell your story in a
unique, personal voice.
• Find a good mix of your messages and sharing of
others.
• Post consistently, but not hyperactively.
• Friend/fan people on both sides of the aisle/issue.
• Identify, cheerlead, surprise, reach out to
community leaders IRL.
• Use photos and video to tell your story.
Talk Back / Media
Talk Back / Member Service
Talk Back / Community
Converting Fans into Donors
• Use incentives.
• Don‟t just ask for money.
• Ask conversationally, provide
facts, question if they know someone in
need or who could benefit from your non-
profit.
• Encourage them!
• Thank them, thank them, thank them!
Incentives and Encouragement
• Drive to End Hunger received $10k in donations
in 2011 and $6k in donations in 2012 using the
@Razoo platform.
• All donations came from at track
promotion, social media and email. No ad buy
involved.
Incentives and Encouragement
• Ask questions.
• Give stats.
• Be real.
• Be kind.
Thank your donors!
Deepen Supporter Engagement
through Social Media
• Brand your social presence
Develop a Social Strategy
• AARP‟s social strategy: Deliver
clear, concise, consumer-friendly, &
motivational messages to engage a multi-
generational community of current & future
members in advancing the goals of AARP.
Social Communications Do’s
1. Have a unique voice.
2. Be generous. Share.
3. Ask for opinions.
4. Listen, respond & follow back.
5. “Friend”/follow people on both sides of the aisle/issue.
6. Answer direct messages.
7. Cheerlead.
8. Surprise people.
9. Use photos and video to tell your story.
10. Ask for help if you need it.
Social Communications Don’ts
1. Forget that everything is public.
2. Forget that there‟s no such thing as delete.
3. Pick a name that‟s too long.
4. Be cheesy.
5. Argue.
6. Demand money (you can ask gently).
7. Auto post.
8. Be partisan.
9. Market endorsed products or services.
10. Worry about responding to *everybody*.
AARP’s Social Vision
• We aren‟t just broadcasting to our members, we‟re
listening and engaging with them daily.
• Staff, volunteers, 3rd party advocates all act as brand
ambassadors, spokespersons.
• Delivering local, personalized content to members on
whatever device they choose to use.
• We let our members know about the hot new technology
and why it matters to them AND make them aware of
scams, privacy issues, etc.
• Members don‟t seek deals & discounts, they are
delivered to them directly.
• Members don‟t need to carry hard copy of their AARP
card. It‟s an app on their phone.
AARP-Affiliated Social Media
Communications Guidelines
• Be Transparent: Always identify your account as AARP-affiliated or clearly identify your
communications as coming from an AARP representative.
• Be Responsible: Do nothing to damage AARP‟s standing as a nonpartisan, nonprofit
organization or otherwise jeopardize AARP‟s reputation.
• Be Non-Partisan: You may not advocate on behalf of a political candidate or political party
on any AARP-affiliated accounts.
• Be Trained: All AARP employees or consultants communicating on behalf of AARP must
complete Social Media 101 training through AARP‟s Communications College.
• Be Responsive: Social media is a two-way communications platform. Ensure that you are
engaged in a dialogue, not a monologue.
• Be Respectful of Third Party Rights: • No unlicensed third party material
• No images showing artwork or brand names and logos
• Images should be licensed from Creative Commons.
• If you use your own images, please consult OGC
• No disparaging statements about an individual, group or organization
• Maintain Confidentiality: You should not disclose any private, confidential or proprietary
information
AARP Social Today
• Integrated Communications
• Manage AARP presence on social platforms:
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr, Pinterest & most
recently, Instagram
• Integrating social across IC platforms:
Media, TV, Radio, AARP.org, etc.
• State Ops
• 94% of field offices have social platforms in place to deliver
localized content and calls to action
• Membership
• Member communications assigned and providing service
• People Strategy
• IC & OLP delivering regular training staff and volunteers in social
best practices and strategy
• Designated staff to recruiting strategy
thank you! questions? contact us!
Gina Pagliaro
@immersionactive
Jen Martin
@iheartrocknroll
Molly Connors
@care2team