Is your companies social media marketing efforts stagnating a bit? Have you been looking for a way to breathe new life into your marketing strategy? How about trying to reach a new demographic: baby boomers.
To some, it may seem like baby boomers and social media are an odd combination. Few of us would refer to the older crowd as technologically savvy. However, you might be surprised at how active boomers are when it comes to social media.
If you stop to think about it, it really shouldn’t come as a shock to find out the over-55 crowd spends their days surfing the net. If a boomer is retired and doesn’t like to fish, what else is he going to do? And not all female boomers are content to sit around and knit!
If you are interested in taking your companies marketing to a new level, take a look at the top five baby boomer social networks.
1. Eons
Eons was brought to us by the same creator of Monster.com. It was launched in 2006; since then, hundreds of boomers join each day since the site membership is restricted to the over-50 age demographic.
The primary draw of this site is the interest groups. If a boomer has an interest, there is a group. Topics include travel, finance, health care, athletics, music, genealogy, and more.
2. AARP
Just like Eons, AARP’s social network is specifically designed with the older crowd in mind. Members are encouraged to join peer discussions about issues and trends that affect those over 55 years old. At all times, there are conversations happening about nearly every topic under the sun – politics, gardening, dating, book clubs, and more.
3. Facebook
As you contemplate how to proceed with your companiess social media marketing efforts, consider this:
- In 2009, female boomers increased their presence on Facebook by 175%
- In the same year, male boomers increased by 138%
- Boomers account for over 10% of all Facebook users
- The over-55 age group is the fastest growing segment on the social site
4. MySpace
While most of us have brushed off MySpace and dubbed it a teeny-bopper hangout, some boomers see the site as a fountain of youth. Spending time with the younger demographic makes boomers feel younger. If you’re not convinced, hear this: there are over 3 million boomers on MySpace – that’s 5% of the total MySpace population.
5. LinkedIn
The boomers on LinkedIn fall into two categories. First, there are the boomers who are still engaged in the business world. Because of the economy, many boomers are working well past 55. LinkedIn is a great way for boomers to get their social feet wet while enjoying the comfort of the business world they know so well.
The second group of LinkedIn boomers includes those who have already retired. They use LinkedIn as a way to stay connected to the business world – they still enjoy the water cooler gossip!
If nothing else in this article has struck your interest, maybe this will. Over 40% of the boomer demographic is using social media. Each year, their presences on networking sites increases. Find a way to meet their social media needs and your company might strike gold.
Blogger Logan Clement works for a local marketing firm. He was recently solicited by a nutrition company to use social media to market their B12 injections to seniors with a vitamin deficiency. By sharing the company’s page about B12 shots https://www.trimnutrition.com/b12-injections.html on Facebook, they’ve been able to bring in a lot more customers.