Around the US, many elementary and secondary education kids are going back to school this week. Seemed an appropriate theme for this week’s round-up of links and resources for mature marketing “kids”!
1. MOST CLICKED: Todd Harff and I are thrilled to be teaching a course for Lasell College: Developing a Mature Consumer Strategy. Designed for professionals in elder services, the class will cover the fundamentals of strategic marketing so that emerging leaders can understand and support organizational marketing efforts.
The course is offered through the new E.L.D.E.R. certificate program at Lasell. E.L.D.E.R. features eldercare and 50+ market experts from retirement communities, day health, adult learning and more teaching alongside Lasell’s excellent faculty. The result is a variety of unique management learning experiences, and Creating Results is proud to be a part of this initiative.
Find out more: http://bit.ly/1ntoElT
2. Several people clicked through to read what LifeHealthPro, an online resource for life and health insurance providers, suggested in its educational post called “5 Ways to Sell to Seniors.” Their tips include:
– Differentiate yourself online – agreed! (Insights for doing so: http://amzn.to/HSH0yD)
– Be patient, not pushy – agreed!
– Be an educator – agreed! (Our thoughts on baby boomers & lifelong learning: http://bit.ly/1soJxla)
I like to participate in classes, so I cheekily suggested a 6th way to sell to seniors: skip those tired, stock photos. (The article had a few, sadly.)
Read the item in LifeHealthPro: http://bit.ly/1p5m312
3. MOST SHARED: It never fails. At the end of a week, the tweets that are most frequently retweeted or favorited (another way of sharing with your followers) are those in which we thank people! We express our gratitude to someone for becoming a follower, or for sharing one of our posts, or for sharing great content … and they will RT or favorite that item.
What lesson can you learn from the behavior of this class?
Never underestimate the power of a “thank you.” Especially with Silent Generation seniors, who were raised in an era where manners mattered. Do your sales and marketing team members thank folks for their time? For their referrals? For attending an event? For considering your brand (even if they didn’t purchase)?
In The Cluetrain Manifesto, thesis #2 is that “Markets consist of human beings, not demographic sectors.” A “thank you” is a great way to connect with the humans your brand wants to motivate.
How frequently does your brand say “thank you,” on- and offline?
With that, I want to THANK YOU for subscribing to this blog! Happy Monday!