Happy Monday after Halloween! Hope you have recovered from the ghosts and goblins that came Trick-or-Treating this weekend. Bet that extra hour of sleep we got on Sunday was much appreciated. Today we look at a new facet of the increased use of social media by Boomers and Seniors—the need for tech support—and take a look at what the Creating Results Team is up to this week at LeadingAge.
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Readers last week were interested in Richard Harris’ article on NextAvenue. In Why the New Social Media Fans Are Over 65, Harris writes that as older Americans discover tech’s power to connect to others using social media, “they flock to it.”
While this is something Creating Results already knew, he looks at some interesting impacts of this, such as the new demands that are being placed on service providers as older adopters get connected for the first time:
“That surge [in older adopters] is apparent to Andy Livingston, who calls himself a ‘digital plumber’ and runs a Washington, D.C.-area firm called Flush It. There has been such a spike in demand for digital services by boomers and folks well into their 70s, he says, that he is spending more and more time teaching them how to get set up and then making house calls to help them navigate the often bewildering digital world. They are eager to learn.”
To support this niche of new users who wish to use social media but need “hands-on” tech support to do so, Livingston connects to them directly using software on his computer and iPhone, serving as an on-call, personal IT specialist. One of Livingston’s most frequent requests from his older clients is setting up a multi-generational family group page on Facebook so they can control who has access to pictures, especially those of important life milestones.
This need for tech support is certainly one we all have in this day and age, and one that spans both desktop and mobile technologies. It is even more vital (and problematic) for those just getting into the game. Many of us struggle to find a good resource to help keep our computers running and get access to the services we use online. This struggle is magnified for those who are new to technology and need someone patient and flexible to help them at home. Have any resources or ideas about this you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you.
Related Links:
31% of All Seniors Are on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1Wrxsz3
Technology and Boomer Migration: http://bit.ly/1MCqqD4
Avoiding Social Media Marketing Failure: http://bit.ly/1Rpl0cL
ALSO OF NOTE:
The Creating Results Team has descended upon LeadingAge 2015 in Boston, and will have a busy week giving presentations and visiting with our industry friends from the expo floor at booth 708.
Monday nearly 200 attendees joined Creating Results President Todd Harff and our Director of Business Development Beth Spohn, along with Willow Valley Communities’ Kim Nobbs, to discuss “The End of Advertising, the Rise of Engagement.” This session explored marketing trends and presented high-performing methods of prospect engagement, including experiential and online marketing. On Wednesday Beth Mickey and Erin Read will talk about challenges and benefits of using print and direct mail to market senior living communities. Attendees of “Aligning Print and Digital Marketing” will obtain practical tips to elevate the effectiveness of CCRC marketing tactics and improve ROI.
Two of our tweets from LeadingAge got numerous clicks and retweets from event attendees and others: “Translate CCRC jargon into non-profit benefits” and “Amen to getting resident feedback!” Join in the dialog to see what people are talking about at this annual event — follow along using the hashtag #LeadingAge15.
We will provide updates and insights on this important event as the week progresses!