It’s hard to believe that the summer months have flown by so quickly. Even harder to believe that another week has come and gone. Here are the top mature marketing news and stories that had people talking last week. Have news to share that isn’t listed here? Please add to the comment section below.
1. MOST CLICKED: The National Council on Aging’s (NCOA) United States of Agning Survey , examining what matters to seniors (their outlook on life, how they are preparing for potential health issues, financial security and technology) received a lot of buzz this past week. An article and infographic by Seniors for Living shared top level insights from 4,000 boomers and seniors polled for the survey. The survey had some interesting insights from this target market that are helpful to know when creating relevancy in your marketing initiatives for boomers and beyond.
Key survey insights:
~More than half of the respondents indicate they have not set any goals for managing their health needs within the last 12 months.
~The majority of seniors are somewhat concerned about their financial security.
~Many participants believed their community was not prepared to met the needs of the growing senior population.
Read our recent blog on these results for actionable marketing insights.
2. MOST SHARED: Social Media and its impact on the healthcare industry was the focus of a recent article from Spiral 16 that was shared by several people over the last week. The article highlights findings regarding hospitals presence on social media and how consumers are engaging with them through these avenues. According to the article, only 1,500 hospitals have a presence within social media, wit
h the majority on Facebook followed by Foursquare and Twitter, noting that 47% of patients are likely to discuss their health on social media with doctors.
Research shows that a growing category of health seekers are becoming more confident in not just looking for health-related information but in sharing information about their condition as well. People are likely to go online to find specific advice and avoid actually visiting a hospital until a condition becomes serious.
The implication for marketers? With more and more boomers and seniors utilizing social media it’s important to leverage an integrated marketing approach to reach your target market.
3. Worth Sharing Again: If you don’t subscribe to Ronni Bennett’s Time Goes By blog I highly recommend you do. Her insights on boomers and seniors and navigating life’s many surprises and challenges are very entertaining and provide a window into the mindset of many boomers and beyond. In her recent post entitled Old Age Better Than I Ever Expected Ronni shares thoughts on the trend of the media to focus on health concerns when it comes to seniors (dementia, being sick and the like) and the reality for herself and many that continue to be active and experience a high level of wellness. Click here to read the whole post.