Social Seniors

Think social media is exclusively for millennials? Think again.

More seniors than ever are using platforms like Facebook for a variety of reasons, and that number is only going to rise in the coming years. Love it or hate it, social media has never been more essential to daily life. Want to keep in touch with your kids, grandkids, and old friends? Stay up to date on world events and relevant cultural touchstones? Without social media, that can be tough to do. But how are today’s social media savvy seniors using these tools, and how are advertisers taking advantage of their online presence?

Talk to someone in their teens or early 20s and they’ll say that while they probably still have a Facebook account, Instagram and Snapchat are their preferred apps. Facebook is a place they go to keep in touch with family, like the many baby boomers who are gravitating towards the site. In fact, a recent Gallup poll found that 52 percent of people ages 50 to 64 and 32 percent of those 65 or older use Facebook.

What does the 60+ generation use sites like Facebook for other than commenting on family photos? Sharing inaccurate news, of course! Older Americans are more likely to share “fake news” online regardless of education, sex, race, income, and even party affiliation. So, while people who grew up on the internet have honed their ability to verify what is and isn’t a credible source, the baby boomer generation still struggles with discerning fact from fiction online.

Aside from using Facebook to proliferate the rising trend of false news, most older people are using it for the same reasons that we all do. They want to keep up to date with friends, family, and loved ones throughout the year.

Old and young users aren’t just using social media for different reasons, they also have separate concerns. According to AARP, seniors are much more anxious about protecting their privacy online, with 52 percent of Facebook users over the age of 50 concerned about how their data is getting used. Just 39 percent of 18-to-49-year-olds share the same worry.

With baby boomers now making up such a large portion of the Facebook and social media community, it makes sense that advertisers are trying to find ways to appeal to them and grab their attention on those platforms. According to Bloom, a Senior Living Marketing Solutions company, Boomers on social media sites are 58 percent more likely to visit a company website, 57 percent more likely to continue searching for that company’s service on a search engine, and 42 percent more likely to visit a retailer or store.

So, how do you target seniors online in a way that entices them? Women in this age group are 26 percent more likely to share content online than men of the same age, so gearing your advertisements towards them is one place to start. Boomers also want to share content that’s meaningful and worthwhile with like-minded boomers, so focus more on substance rather than the snappy and clever slang that might appeal to younger users. Like most people, they also prefer messages and graphics that elicit a positive emotional response.

According to Adweek, older users are much more likely to be influenced by online advertising than their younger counterparts. Although they make up just a small percentage of Instagram’s user base, those who are on the app between the ages of 65 and 74 are most likely to search for the advertised product after seeing a promoted post. Common sense suggests that this holds true against all the social media platforms, Facebook included.

As social media becomes a more imperative part of the human experience with each passing year, the number of seniors who not only use the platforms but are comfortable and competent navigating them will only increase. Like with every demographic, it will be up to advertisers to stay afloat among ever-changing trends and user behavior to create content that grabs their attention.

For more information about Facebook advertising or social media marketing, please contact SPARKS! Marketing Communications at 866-500-8088 or visit www.onsparks.com

New Data in Mobile Shopping

Mobile a major force in consumer shopping habits.

Mobile shopping habits have continued to increase. Businesses have continued to see that more and more consumers connect with them through smartphones. This is not a surprise. As I’ve written before, mobile phones are perfect for today’s busy person-on-the-go. They allow us to purchase things as we go along, make reservations, check and answer e-mail, make a doctor’s appointment, and a whole host of other activities.

In a new report from MarketLive, Q2 2015 Update: Double-Digit Revenue Increases For Eight Consecutive Quarters, “smartphone revenue grew by 335 percent, while smartphone visits grew much slower (+44%)” in the catalog sector. The report also showed that page views per visit rose, smartphone add-to-cart rates rose more than 17% while declining on desktops and tablets.

These findings coincide with a report by Marchex that showed an increase in click-to-call commerce rates. Marchex states that “the average conversion rate (to a sale, appointment or reservation) is 5-25%.” Also, “conversion rates from mobile phone calls are on average 4x higher than those from desktop PCs” and “approximately three out of four phone calls to advertisers are product and service-related calls.”

Data also showed that 60% of car consumers, 58% of banking customers, 46% of those shopping for home goods, 72% of professional services consumers, and 58% of hotel customers were likely to “click-to-call.”

Want to reach your target audience? Contact SPARKS! and we’ll help you.

The Next Big Marketing Challenge: Centennials

Here come the Centennials.

Marketers are constantly on the lookout for the next opportunity to reach their target audiences. For years now, they have focused on reaching the millennials, those reaching young adulthood in or around the year 2000. As millennials are growing older, marketers are beginning to shift their focus, or rather, realize that centennials, also called Generation Z, are the next challenge.

Who are the centennials? Centennials are classified as those born around 1997 to the present and are aged up to 18 years-old. Although only 23% of the population, this demographic will be entering the workforce, as well as college. What are their characteristics? They’re more realistic, and while they like having fun, they won’t take too many risks. Cynicism also is a trait. Their outlook is more tempered. And only 52% of centennials have an active Facebook account.

How to reach centennials?

Being true digital natives, centennials are savvy with all the technology that is available to them. They are, therefore, heavily mobile-dependent. Brands will need to reach centennials across as many platforms as possible. And brands will have to be intelligent about how they go about doing this. Will the message fit into a context? If not, centennials will ignore you. As marketing is becoming more and more personal, your message will have to relate to the specific centennial.

Since cynicism is also a trait, a brand will have to prove trustworthiness. According to The Futures Company, “Centennials are slow to trust established systems, which means they’re wary of traditional, one-way brand messages. Earn their trust by allowing them to share their experiences and adjust their preferences, or design authentic branded experiences that align with their interests. Giving centennials control over their experience with a brand will make them more comfortable.”

They also want to stand out. “Standing out is the new fitting in,” said Megan Hartman, head of Red Peak Branding’s youth-oriented division, Red Peak Youth. “This generation really is about making your own mark and being an individual” in a recent article on AdAge.

Be a trustworthy brand, whether trying to reach millennials, centennials or any other target audience.

Not sure how to reach your target audience? Contact SPARKS! to see how we can help you.

New B2B Mobile Marketing Stats

The top priority for B2B mobile marketing is brand awareness.

As I’ve written before, mobile-only internet usage surpassed desktop usage, and seeing how dependable we have become on it, mobile-only usage will only increase. We’re mobile, making purchases, reservations, checking and answering e-mail, even confirming medical appointments.

While B2C marketing touts the benefits of the product, using emotion to trigger an action – purchase – B2B marketing uses logic, focusing on the features of the product. While B2C marketing aims for brand awareness, in their recent report on B2B mobile marketing, Regalix revealed that brand awareness is the top priority.

67% of those surveyed said that an increase in brand awareness is their top priority, followed by 62% who said that an increase in customer engagement was their top priority.

When it came to the most favored tactics used by B2B mobile marketers to reach their mobile marketing goals, the use of a mobile website or a mobile app both came in first at 65%.

While brand awareness is the number one priority for B2B mobile marketers, and with the continued increase and quickly changing technology that is mobile, it’s important for B2B mobile marketers to remember that mobile marketing isn’t just about mobile marketing, but about the consumer.

New Statistics on Mobile App Usage

Mobile apps are vital for your marketing

As more and more brands incorporate mobile marketing and create mobile-friendly websites, some are questioning the use of mobile apps. Although most may decide upon using an app, some questions arise as to the effectiveness and frequency of app usage.

App usage continues to rise and can be useful to your marketing success.

But it isn’t just enough to jump on the app bandwagon; to execute a successful mobile marketing strategy, you must know which apps your customers are on. You must also know how to utilize those apps to the potential that they can be used.

People do continue to make purchases using apps. However, to no one’s surprise, social networking apps topped the type usage by mobile apps users with an average of 25.1 sessions per month.

If your target audience is made up of millennials that like to travel, you’re lucky. eMarketer reported that three-quarters of millennials use mobile to make travel plans. “Among those loyal to one mobile device, smartphones were much more popular than tablets for planning, with respective usage rates of 62% and 46%.”

Micro-Moments Are All Marketers Have

Micro-Moments are all marketers have to capture their audience.

As mobile marketing, and marketing in general, continues to change as fast as the speed of light, it seems, marketers are constantly challenged with how to capture their target audience’s attention.

According to Google, mobile has seen an increase by 20% on the past year of users’ online sessions, while at the same time, there has been an 18% drop in the time spent per visit. In other words, mobile users are getting on and off as soon as they find what they want.

You no longer have a moment to capture your audience. You have a micro-moment. As defined by Google, “Want-to-know moments. Want-to-go moments. Want-to-do moments. Want-to-buy moments. Or as Forrester defines them as “brief interactions where developers can get customers’ attention — and anticipate their needs.” Google itself defines micro-moments

Think about why people go online, besides checking e-mail or going on Facebook. They want to find something, they want to know about something, they want to buy something or go somewhere. And they will do this with the device that’s nearest to them, which, these days, is a mobile phone. If you can meet the needs of your customers, you’ll be ahead of your competition.

Mobile Marketing Isn’t Only About Mobile

Mobile marketing must engage the customer.

As mobile usage continues to increase, more and more brands are looking to utilize mobile marketing to its fullest effect. Without a doubt, mobile marketing must be a part of any company’s marketing strategy.

Back in April, Pew Research showed that “64% of American adults now own a smartphone of some kind, up from 35% in the spring of 2011.” Smartphones, Pew goes on to say, are, for many, the onramp to the internet world.

While mobile marketing is necessary, marketers must never forget that mobile marketing isn’t only about mobile marketing, but it’s about engaging the customer. Mobile marketing is about the customer. Although mobile marketing is very different from traditional marketing, the core principles of marketing still apply, one of which is to know the customer.

Marketers must always know who their customer is, which means knowing or anticipating what the customers wants and expects through interacting via a mobile-friendly website. Intelligent marketers grasp the fact that a mobile device is only a bridge to the customer. When creating a mobile-friendly site, marketers will take into account how the customer browses and shops, thereby seeking ways to make that experience more enjoyable.

Marketers can do this by fully understanding the kinds of experiences their customers will encounter. After all, marketers themselves are customers who also shop, and they will have their negative mobile experiences to reflect upon. It’s also important to remember data is not the most important thing in mobile marketing. Data is all well and good, but what’s the use of gathering as much data as you can without enhancing the customer experience?

It is also vital to understand that there is no one way to do mobile marketing. Each customer is unique, so mobile marketing will be a customized experience for each consumer. This isn’t to say that the mobile-friendly site will be different for each person. More and more, marketing, especially mobile marketing, is becoming more personalized.

Smart mobile marketing is customer-centric, not mobile-centric.

Questions To Ask Before Doing Mobile Marketing

Mobile is getting bigger, but ask these questions first.

Mobile is only getting bigger. As I wrote in a previous post, we’re doing almost everything on mobile, with statistics showing that mobile-only internet usage has surpassed desktop-only usage. It’s expected that all businesses should have a mobile-friendly website.

Just as you would ask questions prior to improving your regular site, you would ask yourself questions regarding mobile marketing. After all, you are spending time and money, and you want to see valuable and measurable results. You want to see an increase in profits.

By 2018, over 80% of the U.S. population is expected to have smartphones. These numbers will excite marketers that will be competing for the attention and money of these consumers. More and more transactions will be done via mobile. But while this is exciting, you should ask yourself about your audience and what you will be communicating to them. As the following graph shows, marketers will have plenty of opportunities to try to reach their audience.

1. Is my audience on mobile? Although mobile usage will increase, there may be some holdouts. Depending on what type of industry you are competing in, and the demographics of your audience – age, income, tech-savvy, etc. – you want to know if your audience is on mobile or not.

2. Do I need an app? With the rise in mobile usage, there will be a rise in app usage. But it isn’t just enough to jump on the app bandwagon; to execute a successful mobile marketing strategy, you must know which apps your customers are on. You must also know how to utilize those apps to the potential that they can be used.

3. What will I share via mobile? How different will my mobile site be from the regular site? After all, you must be consistent, yet there can be some slight variation. Will your mobile site be sharing the same information as your fixed website that’s also mobile-friendly? You have to give customers a reason to use your app, especially if it helps solve a problem they are facing, bringing the answer to a need they have.

4. Which mobile platform will be the best for my business? Examine your company’s core objectives and strength. If you are a small company, you might want to consider local advertising to reach a local audience. If you want to reach consumers in a particular area or country, a company like AdMob or Millennial Media might serve you best with their services.

Mobile-Only Internet Usage Surpass Desktop Usage

Number of mobile-only internet users outnumber desktop-only users.

In the U.S., mobile usage continues to show how ubiquitous it is, and how dependable on it we have become. According to a report by comScore, in March of this year, the number of mobile-only internet users outnumbered desktop-only users.

We’re doing almost everything on mobile.

As I wrote recently, they allow us to purchase things as we go along, make reservations, check and answer e-mail, make a doctor’s appointment, and a whole host of other activities, which undoubtedly is responsible for the surpassing of desktop-only internet users. For marketers, this is more good news.

comScore reported that “Just a year ago, there was still nearly twice the percentage of desktop-only internet users (19.1 percent) as mobile-only users (10.8 percent). While the share of mobile-only users has climbed over the past year to 11.3 percent, the desktop-only population has drastically declined to just 10.6 percent. Of course these numbers also tell us that the vast majority of the digital population (78 percent) is multi-platform and goes online using both desktop and mobile platforms.” This is illustrated in the following graph.

This shows how sophisticated and technologically advanced mobile phones have become. However, it does not mean that desktop or laptop computers will be of no use. They still offer certain benefits that a mobile device does not, specifically, they’re still needed in offices, for schoolwork, personal use, etc.

Of course, marketers should not neglect the large screen for mobile devices. We are, it shows, becoming more and more “mobile-first”, as more people can do almost anything on their mobile devices that they can on their laptops.

For anyone trying to reach their target audience, the numbers show that, while you should still implement traditional online marketing, you must include mobile in your strategy.

Baseball’s Marketing Challenge

Opening Day has come and gone. Millions of Americans that have been eagerly awaiting baseball’s first day can sit back and watch their teams slug it out for the next several months. However, only the diehard and occasional baseball fan knows when opening day is and looks forward to it.

This is becasue baseball is still behind other sports when it comes to marketing. In terms of popularity, basketball players such as LeBron James are more well-known than players like Mike Trout and Clayton Kershaw. But MLB is trying to change that.
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