Monday Morning: Why must you be so speedy? On the bright side, Monday’s reappearance means it’s time for our weekly round-up of resources and links to improve your marketing to older adults.
1. MOST SHARED, MOST CLICKED, MOST RESONANT: “Content” isn’t just things we think about as “marketing,” writes Ann Handley in this terrific post from late 2013.
We’ve talked a good bit about content marketing on this blog (see Related links below). In real life, the Creating Results team is quite sick of hearing me recommend Content Rules, the book Handley co-authored with C.C. Chapman. I do so because Handley does such a great job articulating that good content marketing puts the audience first. Organizations that get this message skip the selly-sell. They are instead inspired by their audience’s needs to create useful and enjoyable materials.
Ann Handley at July 2013 Marketo event in Boston.
Her post was certainly seen as useful and inspiring by the many, many who shared it last week. Handley writes:
“Content blooms everywhere. Even in unexpected places …
Here’s the thing: “Content” isn’t just things we think of as “marketing.”
Rather, your content is every word and every pixel your company produces: So, yes, it’s your blog. But it’s also your product pages, your FAQ page, microsites, About Us page, your whole website (!), and (in Virgin’s case) your Federal Aviation Administration-required safety videos.”
How is your team viewing content? As a sly way to capture leads OR a smart way to connect with consumers and began a relationship?
Read Handley’s post: http://bit.ly/1i3x1nn
RELATED: Conversations not Campaigns, Empathy not Email Blasts (actionable tips for content marketing from a summer Marketo event, where the photo at right was taken)
Blogging and the Baby Boomer Home Buyer (why your content marketing strategy should include, yes, a blog)
2. Also of note:
* 70-year-old cyclists break records and stereotypes about aging: http://on.wsj.com/1f6jPvd
* The “Most Interesting Man in the World” became so AFTER retirement: http://b.globe.com/1aCjQKx (How he spends his off-screen time is even more interesting.)
* Tablets drive 11% of online sales, double the rate of smartphones: http://bit.ly/1eaewNr
RELATED: Smartphone & Tablet use by Age and Gender
Okay, readers, now it’s up to you. How will Handley’s advice impact your content in the coming months? Share your thoughts in the comments section.