Whether you’re recovering from Halloweekend festivities or getting a late start to your day after a crazy World Series Game Five between the Astros and Dodgers, take some time to catch up on the most engaging marketing content in this week’s Monday roundup.
In this week’s most shared, The Telegraph examines the increasing trend of adults ages 50 and above becoming babysitters. Additionally, in the most clicked, we look at a typo gone viral at Wichita State University and the steps that marketers can take to prevent this type of issue.
Most Shared: 50+ Babysitters on the Rise in the UK
Teenagers looking to earn babysitting money may find themselves competing with a growing number of seniors. With younger adults waiting longer to have children, a significant portion of middle-class Baby Boomers have chosen babysitting as a way to spend time with young children as they wait for their own grandchildren to arrive.
According to a recent article from The Telegraph, although half of the of the grandparent population in the UK is under the age of 65, only 26 percent of middle-class women become grandmothers by the age of 60. For the 68 percent of child caregivers over the age of 50 who do not have grandchildren, babysitting has also proven to be an effective way to boost their income.
As Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK explained, “Doing ad-hoc jobs like babysitting can be a great way to earn a bit of extra case for some older workers, giving them the flexibility they need to balance work and their personal commitments.” In fact, 42% of Boomer babysitters continue to hold down full-time jobs as lawyers, doctors and teachers.
At Creating Results, we believe it is important for professionals in the senior living industry to provide opportunities for intergenerational interactions for residents at continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs). Your residents may not have grandchildren of their own, or may not be able to see their grandchildren as often as they would like. Having a program where school-age children visit the community regularly and engage in activities with residents as they are able is just one of the ways in which you can promote an environment where people of all ages can interact with and learn from one another.
For senior living community developers, put additional thought into the location where you will build your next community. The industry is moving away from the community on the hill or behind gates perception of senior living; why not build your community right inside a larger neighborhood.
Our client, Fairing Way, is located in the multigenerational neighborhood of Union Point. This offers residents the chance to interact with people of all ages in their everyday lives, and enjoy all that Union Point has to offer.
Click here to read more about the growing trend of Baby Boomer babysitters.
Most Clicked: Wichita State Water Tower Typo Goes Viral
While this week’s most clicked item isn’t specific to the senior living industry, there are takeaways that are important for marketers in any industry.
Mashable’s Mia Johnson published an article about what might be the world’s most expensive typo. A spelling error of Wichita State University’s name on their water tower went viral as social media users had a great time mocking the flub. The tower originally read “Wichita Staty Universite.” The error has since been fixed, but only after Twitter users, Wichita State included (as seen in the tweet below), had a chance to have fun with it.
Yep, just a little! We are tracking down 10 gallons of Wite-Out! Happy Friday!
— Wichita State (@WichitaState) August 4, 2017
While, the error was fixed in a timely manner, for the Creating Results team, it highlighted the importance of having a thorough proofing process for marketing projects. Your entire team needs to take responsibility for ensuring that all elements of a project — copy, logos, phone numbers, etc. — appear as intended in marketing materials.
Before copy goes into the creative process, we recommend having a fresh set of eyes review it in order to catch any mistakes or inaccuracies before they ever get placed into the design. And even then, it is still important to have someone removed from the project proof it once it has been designed by creative and before it gets sent to the client for approval.
While you can anticipate changes from the client, if your agency has put together a well-oiled proofing machine, those changes should largely be focused on maybe altering the way a sentence or two is worded — not correcting extensive spelling and grammar errors.
Even after receiving client approval, it’s important to give the marketing piece one last proof. Check for spelling one last time; make sure the logo is the most up-to-date version; call the tracking numbers to make sure they re-direct to the appropriate number. Taking these extra steps will go a long way in making sure that you don’t have any “Wichita Staty Universite” incidents on your hands.
Click here to see Twitter’s reactions to Wichita State University’s big typo.