How to Effectively Communicate Your Message to Baby Boomers (Part Two) 

This article continues the subject matter first introduced in “How to Effectively Communicate Your Message to Baby Boomers (Part One)”. 

1 – Changing Times  

With baby boomers willing to understand the newer technology present nowadays, it’s clear that they are a viable part of the market. (This is important to note, as it goes against the misconception that they aren’t, which Alex Shvarts at Forbes magazine further explores in detail.) 

Marketeers always seek the best way to communicate with prospects and their adult children, and while success can be found with radio, billboards, social media, and sponsorships, the holy grail still remains the basics.  

2 – Methods of Communication 

With boomers now in a better position technologically speaking, just how exactly do they use it to communicate? Well, rather than use tools such as social media platforms, they prefer more direct lines of communication—as both Ryan Jenkins of Entrepreneur and Rachel Pelta of FlexJob discuss in their respective articles—such as face-to-face interactions, phone calls, mail, and email. 

There’s the old motto “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” and it seems that boomers are living by that. The days of their youth were dominated by analog devices—as discussed in Part One—so it is understandable why they’d opt for speaking with someone over the phone instead of speaking through direct messages (or “DMs”) on X. (That being said, there are probably boomers who are more willing—or perhaps even more accepting—of the changing times, and are open to using newer communication methods. Imagine a boomer replying to their grandchild’s story on Instagram, or even finally sending that Twitter DM to a distant cousin!) 

3 – Heart of the Matter 

Now, to finally answer the central question: how can you effectively communicate your message to boomers? In our opinion, the three strongest avenues to do this are through still remain to be television ads, direct mail, and emails. On the surface, all three methods are wildly different in terms of execution and possible engagement, but they all can act as a method of direct communication. 

TELEVISION: 

  • Television ads have been a mainstay for decades, and an optimal way to reach boomers. There is a directness to TV that is difficult to replicate: the viewer watches a person or a group of people doing everyday things, like going to the park, hanging out with their family, walking their dog, etc. Seeing these experiences onscreen can personally speak to the viewer, as it can be relatable to them. Let’s use an example. 
  • Marion Smith is a seventy-six-year-old woman who is contemplating going to a retirement community. Her current house isn’t as accommodating as it used to be—what with her back and knee problems—and she needs assistance. As someone who isn’t the best at using newer technology to find places, and the older analog methods not working for her, she has been in a rut. One day, she turns on the TV and sees an ad for a retirement community, where a woman her age is talking about her body aches. Marion called the community’s phone number, scheduled a tour, and was blown away by the services provided. She ended up becoming a member, much to Marion’s joy. She identified with the woman in the ad.  

MAIL: 

  • Much like with TV ads, mail has been a decades-long mainstay. It is a surefire way to reach many people, and while it doesn’t have that same level of visual engagement that TV does, it can be made more personable. The letter sent to an individual is mailed specifically to them, for starters, as it has both their name and address on it. This captures the recipient’s attention, making them go, “Hmm, this is for me? I wonder what it’s about,” causing them to open the letter. The letter—unlike the ad—won’t be able to show a visual to help relatability. Still, it can give specific details about what services the sender can provide to the recipient. 
  • Mason Harrison is a stubborn seventy-eight-year-old man who is set in his ways. He prefers to talk on his phone and receive mail than even participate in receiving emails and texts from family and friends. Unfortunately, his family feels that he should be in a community, but they have difficulty reaching him as his cell phone is rarely handy. They have been finding places for him but can’t send him emails with more information. One day—after a heated argument with his son, Ben—Mason receives a letter from a community in his neighborhood. He opens it, feeling a bit guilty about the argument. The mail details the community’s services for retirees, and as he reads on, Mason finds himself intrigued. He writes down the number and email in the letter, and while he isn’t entirely sure he wants to go, he is willing to look more into it. He calls Ben back and gives him the info, telling his son to investigate the email while he will try calling. 

EMAIL: 

  • Email is essentially the next phase of mail’s evolution. It’s digitalized, it’s faster, it creates less clutter, etc. Much like with mail, however, it is personable: email is sent to users’ email accounts, where they can interact with it directly. They want to respond? They can go right on ahead. They want to ignore and / or delete it? They can do that, too. Unlike TV and mail, email can provide links, attachments, and even images regarding the subject that the sender wants to discuss with the recipient. The recipient can respond or ignore these add-ons if they so choose. Let’s explore one final example. 
  • Sheila Marks is a sixty-eight-year-old woman who retired a few years ago. She is actively looking for retirement communities to be a part of, having grown lonely in her cramped apartment complex. More tech-savvy than Marion and Mason, Sheila—with the help of her granddaughter, Mara—has had no luck browsing for communities online. One day, while browsing her Gmail account, Sheila saw an email from a local community. It was sent to her as a part of an AARP promotion, and after scouring the email, she believes she finally found her dream community. With Mara’s help, Sheila makes her way to the community’s website through a link on the email, and together, they navigate it—though Mara must make sure that she doesn’t go too quickly or else Sheila will be left behind! 

 

Conclusion – Good Luck 

We hope that Part Two has helped to illustrate not only how boomers’ relations with tech have changed, along with showing the three avenues that you can take to spread your community brand’s message. We wish you all the best of luck! 

The details present in this blog article were comprised of information gathered from the sources listed below. I want to give credit where credit is due. 

References 

Man in Blue Long Sleeve Sweater Using Cellphone · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com) 

The Misconception Of Baby Boomers And The Age Of Technology (forbes.com) 

Baby Boomers & Tech – How The Pandemic Changed The Relationship – GWI 

Four Ways Millennials Can Help Boomers Use Digital Tech at Work (livetilesglobal.com) 

How to Improve Communication Between Generations in the Workplace | Entrepreneur 

How to Bridge Communication Gaps Between Generations | FlexJobs 

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It’s my job to discover our client’s goals and then match the best processes to achieve them, within their budgets, of course.  I get to explore traditional, digital and every manner of communication to determine which tactics, whether it is direct mail or TV advertising, a new website or PPC (to name just a few) will efficiently and effectively capture the attention of prospects. 

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IVY was established in 1990 with a basic premise to offer professional, ethical and highly creative marketing, advertising and public relations services. We have successfully maintained our core values and have been part of many amazing projects, client growth and changes in the world of marketing that continue to happen at lightening speed. Most of our clients serve older adults in some capacity so we keep abreast of the opportunities and challenges they face.   Each day, we keep it real and fun and consistently deliver positive results to our clients and their markets.

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As a hybrid graphic and digital designer/web developer with over 17 years of experience, I am always on the lookout for innovative digital and print visual communications. IVY Marketing Group’s broad range of projects keeps my job challenging and rewarding, as each campaign is a new and exciting opportunity to effectively communicate our clients’ messages and help them achieve their goals. It’s my passion!

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Areas of professional expertise include Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Word Press, Responsive Design, CSS3, and HTML5. The industries I’ve served include senior living, health care, hospitality and finance.

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All my life, I have loved writing. As a child, I could often be found in my room “writing a book.” While “novelist” is not (yet) on my resume, I am a storyteller. I believe that everyone and everything has a great story, and it is my joy to find that story and share it with the world.

After earning my bachelor’s degree in journalism and completing my master’s studies in the same field, I joined a small advertising agency with powerhouse clients in the hospitality industry, such as Hyatt, Hilton International and Carnival Cruise Lines. I began as a proofreader and achieved the position of senior copy writer within a year.

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For nine years, I was employed as Communications Director for a large faith community, where I managed all aspects of internal and external communications. I was writer, editor, designer, web master, and content manager.

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I joined IVY Marketing Group in 2013, when I began writing client press releases on a freelance basis. I loved the work—and my teammates—so much, I was thrilled when I was invited to come on board in a greater capacity.

I have immensely enjoyed getting to know our valued clients in the senior housing industry, the people they serve, and telling the many wonderful stories that come out of content marketing done right—with the love and care our IVY teams puts into everything we do.

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It all starts with one idea. Working with the Ivy creative team for over two decades has always meant taking one great idea and bringing it to life to help our clients meet their goals. We enjoy the challenges offered with every creative opportunity and try to make the design process itself enjoyable for our clients.

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Making certain that the projects IVY produces are word- and picture-perfect is my specialty. But I also love implementing marketing campaigns and programs that bring our clients success. Details are my thing, so it is a pleasure to have worked with IVY twice now, first after college four years ago and, recently, for the past two years.

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Rock-climbing, training for an 80-floor stair climb event, running a 5K…This is just a tiny peek into what people 20 and even 30 years older than I am, are doing on a fairly regular basis at some of the retirement communities that IVY represents.

I’m of the generation that still has reoccurring nightmares about what the next step looked like when my grandmother could no longer live by herself. The very best option at that time was living at a “facility” and  included eating rubbery chicken and playing an occasional game of BINGO. Period. That’s why my parent’s generation begged us not to ever put them into “one of those places.”

I am so proud that IVY’s clients are at the very forefront of an industry that creates opportunities, challenges, and most of all freedom for seniors, allowing them to explore hobbies, interests, passions…the next chapter of their very full lives.

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With my hospitality background in marketing top Chicago restaurants and hotels, I was eager to bring fresh concepts and communication strategies to our clients and have really enjoyed learning various industries.

Our clients have such exciting and unique events and programs, which really makes it motivating for me to make the most of their content.  Results like increased sales leads, website visits and social media connections make everyday rewarding and interesting.

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I oversee, plan and implement projects and processes at IVY.  Often,  I am the conduit between our writers and designers, with printers, and other vendors to fulfill the marketing needs for our clients. I also manage media buys and coordinate production of advertisements.

Working for a flexible and fluid company that is constantly growing, changing and evolving is fun and rewarding. There is always something new to learn.

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My bio has a big blank in the beginning—Mom and Dad rescued me in Wisconsin, and no one really knows my origins. They were probably ruff. What matters though is where I am now, running IVY Marketing Group. There are humans here who think they’re in charge. In truth, they do actually have amazing experience in content marketing and public relations, but I’m super important and the center of attention. I mean, look at this face. Right? And I know I’m the top dog because honestly, I’m the only one allowed to sleep through staff meetings and eat things that people drop on the floor.

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As for my pack of people at IVY…they are amazing and always make my tail wag!

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I could not be more thrilled to work alongside the IVY team.

For over 25 years, I have been employed in top executive positions across the Chicago area and have consistently built profitable businesses, generated sales, and developed and launched new product lines.

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I love being able to use my skills to help improve other people’s lives, and with a growing elderly population, it’s important to create meaningful and user-friendly digital solutions to aid the senior living industry.I have a wide range of technology and design skills with a deep interest in Human-Computer Interaction– helping IVY provide outstanding web design and print design services. IVY has a long-proven track record of excellence, and I’m proud to be able to help carry on that tradition. 

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