Category: Boomerology

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Decorating Cookies at CookieCon

This week we visit a cookie conference and learn how to decorate cookies. CookieCon 2014 was a lot of fun! But we also talk about boomer women, Great Grips, menopause and music bands from the 60’s with animal names. We are very eclectic around here!.

Some of our guests on this episode are:

Karen and Mike Summers organizers of Cookie Con
Julia Usher the cookie queen
Susan Schimidt
Carrie Wilson with http://www.twirledup.com/
Tasha with operation Cookie Takeover
Terri Simmons
Connie Davis and
Dr Kara Clapp.


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Disney Secrets For Baby Boomers

This week we talk to John Kenney from Disney Cast Member Secrets podcast. He shares what are the best things for baby boomers to do at Disney. We also talk about how food affects your brain, review a travel bed cane, a trip down memory lane and a lot more!

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Why Are Millennials So Unhappy?

Why are millennials so unhappy? Where is the pot of gold for Millennials? Stress levels are declining, see why and how to manage stress. How to deal with incontinence problems. How to find new friends, and a lot more on this show for baby boomers!

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Marketing to Baby Boomers on their own terms

Baby boomers grew up learning how to consume. They grew up in front of the TV and commercials. They like to buy and many businesses fail to see this and don’t market to them. HomeCare included. Baby boomers are still the decision makers when it comes to buying solutions to their aging parents but they are also the end users now.

Trying to market to them the same way you market to their parents is a sure way to fail.

Here are a few ways to hit a home run when marketing to Baby Boomers:

  1. Don’t mention age.They don’t want to be reminded of their age, but of their accomplishments and of their future. Think more about the Bucket list idea, they may have to buy diapers but they want to hear about where to go in Oregon in their next bike trip. They don’t grow old, they move into different experience phases.
  2. Go where they are. They still have a house in the suburb. They may be moving to a bigger one soon since they plan to age in place. Home Depot HD -0.15% and Ace Hardware know this very well, and take advantage of it by locating their box stores where baby boomers can get to them easily.
  3. They are online and so should you. “They do their homework online. Baby Boomers know their stuff … so you better too.” Instead of retiring to rocking chairs on the front porch, they are actively looking for newly constructed homes where they can continue to pursue an active lifestyle surrounded by the latest amenities and HME solutions that don’t get in the way of their decor. “Invisible and useful” is what they are looking for.
  4. Yes, they are on social media. As you develop your social media strategy for baby boomers, be aware that while a 20-year old is posting photos of their night out on Instagram or Snapchat, a baby boomer is more likely to post a photograph of a new grandbaby or the new RV they just purchased on Facebook. It’s the more ‘traditional’ venues such as Facebook and Twitter that are used by baby boomers; so keep your focus there. (Who would have thought we would ever call Facebook traditional).
  5. Difficult topics. Many times issues like incontinence will not be discussed on Facebook but boomers may look for forums or ask questions in places like Quora.com
  6. Fun first. Remember what can touch an emotional cord with boomers. They love nostalgia. The Woodstock Festival was much more than a concert featuring the likes of Joan Baez, Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead and Jimi Hendrix; it was a countercultural event which symbolized, among other things, that the baby boomers were not going to be trussed up by their parent’s morals and lifestyle. They would think and act for themselves – and they still want to be thought of that way. The least hint of patronizing the baby boomers will flatten any marketing campaign, just as Wile E. Coyote was flattened by the Road Runner.Marketing to Baby Boomers is different than marketing to other generations.We specialize in consulting on behavioral marketing for boomers for the HME industry.

    Give us a call and let’s work together. 801-8429765 buzz@buzzbooster.com

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Life by design when aging

Let’s discuss Life by design when aging.

 Baby Boomers want to have a say in every aspect, they want to have their individual choice and decide how things are going to happen. Very different than their parents specially because they don’t accept: “This is the way it has always being done”. Baby Boomers don’t stick to the script!

They will be active and independent for as long as possible and then more.

So when it comes to aging in place and how they are treated, things must be in their own terms.

Are all Boomers making the most prudent housing decisions as they approach retirement? Not necessarily. Regardless, their decisions will have important implications as this generation, once again, does it their way.

While many Boomers are planning major home improvements in the next three years, a significant number will make style and value a priority over aging-friendly features. In fact, the top Boomer reasons to renovate are similar to those of younger generations:

39% plan for major home improvements in the next 3 years

Top reasons for that:

  • 78% increase home value
  • 78% make repairs
  • 66% energy efficiency
  • 65% update home style

Aging related reasons:

  • 58% easier to maintain
  • 44% easier for aging
  • 23% health needs

Note: major home improvement is defined as spending $2,000 or more on the job.

Source: 2013 Demand institute housing & community survey.

In some instances, baby boomers will move, but they still want to be close to home. When Baby Boomers do move, they don’t intend to go very far. Only one-third will move out of state, with the lure of “wanting to be closer to family” being just as strong as a “change of climate.” Indeed, more than half of Boomers will move within 30 miles of their current home. Further, only one in five Boomer movers wants to relocate to senior-related housing or active adult communities. For many Boomers, maintaining a connection to their communities and families is an important consideration as they decide where to live.

The population is aging, but Boomers are not necessarily looking for “senior” products and solutions. While there is limited interest in aging- and health-specific home improvements, those that make the home easier and less costly to maintain do resonate with Boomers. Among those moving, the majority will seek single-story homes, and subtle touches that make aging in the home easier without sacrificing style, like smaller yards and universal design elements, will appeal to Boomers.

As long as our homes are our private retreats, we will want them as comfortable as possible. As our needs for what is comfortable change, we will adapt our homes to those needs.

Baby-Boomers aging

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4 TIPS MANAGERS SHOULD ADOPT TO RELATE TO MILLENNIALS

By Tyler Howell

Despite their rapid movement toward retirement — within the next decade, a majority of Baby Boomers will be of retirement age — boomers still hold a large percentage of leadership positions, especially in more “traditional” industries (i.e. manufacturing, utility and power, government, etc.).

So, how can more senior managers and leaders relate to and draw the most out of their younger employees? Here are 4 tips for relating to this young generation:

 

    1. Don’t be a boss, be a coach 

      Like many of my peers, I was introduced to league- and team-based sports early in my life and participated in them religiously. Thinking back, I can still remember every coach I had and their impact on my performance and attitude.

      The good ones pulled performance out of me, were encouraging but firm, tough but fair, and provided guidance about how to do the “job” well. Because of their influence, I learned to love the sports they coached.

      The bad ones, however, played favorites, dismissed questions or concerns, didn’t listen, and were arrogant or hateful, and my perception of the sport was diminished.

      The No. 1 reason a millennial will leave their job is due to a bad manager. If companies want to reduce their turnover costs and retain millennial talent, managers need to be coaches — not bosses.

 

    1. Set your values and live by them

      Millennials have a strong inclination toward aligning justice and fairness across the various aspects of their lives. They want their work to be meaningful and make a difference — and to not just collect a paycheck every two weeks.

      There is little forgiveness for companies that act unethically or hypocritically. Not only are they likely to lose their millennial talent, but their brand might also be blasted across social media and be publicly shamed.

      If companies don’t have their values in order, or they haven’t communicated them to their employees, there’s no time like the present. If such corporate values are already in place, for the love of God live by them! Hypocrisy is an extremely toxic corporate value for millennials.

 

    1. Create opportunities for development

      The average tenure for millennials in any one job is two years. Yep, you read that right — that millennial employee you just spent a lot of resources to hire at the beginning of last year might not be with your company for the holiday party this year. Why are they leaving?

      One of the primary reasons millennials decide to pack up and leave is because they don’t believe they are receiving any personal benefit or growth. Millennials have grown up in an era of instant access to information, leading them to become more efficient in problem solving, decision-making and critical thinking.

      Work with this generation to make a development plan for their job that includes continuing education, progressive job training and coaching. This type of development provides them more responsibility and will allow them to move up the proverbial corporate leadership ladder.

 

  1. Communicate, communicate, communicate!

    From my experience, if there is one key concept for working well with millennials, it’s communication. My generation is used to instant communication in almost every facet of our lives, from parents, teachers, coaches and peers, so it makes sense that we would expect the same from our managers.

    However, this is a big shift for a lot of managers. Whereas older generations would only receive feedback during annual performance reviews, millennials want to receive feedback much more regularly.  It’s not just the frequency of communication, but also the content. Millennials want to know if their performance may be suffering, as well as when they are succeeding.

    Moreover, they want to be included in brainstorming about how the job could be improved, provide new ideas for productivity or efficiency, and learn how their role fits within the organization. T hink about your communication. If you believe you’re communicating too little, you most likely are not meeting the mark!


Maximize Your Resources!

If you follow these four tips, you will be well on your way to maximizing your millennial workforce.

Take this to heart: Millennial workers, if managed properly, can be your most productive, innovative and motivated employees yet! Once they feel invested in, the sky is the limit.

teenagers online