Go Gray - Social Media Strategy & Seniors
Go Gray - Social media strategy & seniors
Social media isn’t just for texting teens and MySpacing millennials—it’s fast becoming a way of life for the senior set as well.
According to an eMarketer report, baby boomers have been logging on to social networking sites in droves—nearly half of boomers actively maintain a social network profile. Nearly 24% of 45-54 year-olds use Facebook, while 12% of 55-64 year-olds log on regularly. What’s more, Inside Facebook reports that one of the fastest growing user demographics on the social network is women over 55.
Just because many seniors are late adopters doesn’t mean you can exclude them from social media initiatives. If your customer is a Baby Boomer or older then it’s time to incorporate shades of gray into your brand’s social media strategy.
Find the action
While Facebook is becoming a popular place for older users to connect, don’t feel you’re limited to the social network giant when trying to engage wired seniors. There are a number of senior-specific social networks like eons and Growingbolder. The New York Times wrote about MyWay Village, a network that connects seniors with other seniors, younger generations, and health care resources. Depending on your brand, you might also find success with specialized social networks, such as gardening site Folia or health care site PatientsLikeMe.
Find where the seniors are talking by implementing a comprehensive social media monitoring campaign that taps into conversation no matter where it’s happening—on Facebook or off.
Patience, Grasshopper
Erin Read Ruddick, writing for socialmediatoday, notes that older generations are often more cautious about making decisions, so don’t expect a senior-targeted campaign to turn into an overnight sensation. She writes that seniors want to make sure what they’re interested in is not a “fad or a bad value.” So as you plan a gray social media strategy, it’s important to make like Grasshopper and be patient.
Go Gray
If seniors are your audience then it’s time to incorporate social media listening and online customer engagement tools to transform them into brand fans. To learn how to refine your social media strategy for the senior set or any other target market, contact Social Strategy1. Who knows? You might just find out your brand looks great in gray.