Social Media Roundup: September 26, 2017

Boomers: Are They Marketers' Forgotten Generation?

After focusing their mobile campaigns on Millennials for the past several years, marketers may be missing a lucrative market, according to an article in Advertising Age. That market would be Baby Boomers - the same group they'd courted for decades -until they developed a crush on a younger generation. While this wake-up call comes from the AARP's director of digital sales, Peter Zeuschner, it's worth considering for marketers seeking to expand their brand's customer base. First, he says, smartphones have become a necessity for consumers in the 50-plus category: 29 percent owned smartphones in 2013, compared with 74 percent today. Many also use tablets, whether to share pictures of their grandchildren or for checking their email or surfing the web. Additional stats he cites: 1) Boomers spend nearly 2.5 hours a day on their smartphones; 2) 40 percent of AARP site traffic now comes through smartphones; 3) people over 50 control 51 percent of all consumer spending and stand to inherit $15 trillion (that's with a "tr"!) over the next 20 years. To reach this group, which also has more leisure time to shop than busy Millennials, he suggests the following:

• Develop omnichannel campaigns - Research shows that Boomers tend to do research on their phone but buy on their desktops.
• Create a cohesive message - Connect the dots across platforms with consistent campaigns.
• Maximize mobile landing pages - Keep the page lightweight (less than 1 MB), use larger fonts, and include a phone number or click-to-call capability.
• Provide discounts - Boomers still love a bargain. Use personalized push notifications on targeted bargains or deals.
• Communicate strategically - Don't overdo it. Max out at one message per day.

Boost Your Direct Mail Campaigns Using Facebook Ads

Combining "old school" direct mail campaigns with Facebook ads allows marketers to show Facebook ads to their direct mail recipients who also are Facebook users, writes digital marketer Ryan Ruud on Social Media Examiner. "This approach is a great way to reach potential customers in multiple ways," writes Ruud, a digital marketer based in Minneapolis-St. Paul. He outlines how to do this in 7 steps:

1. Prepare your mailing data for upload into Facebook
2. Create a Facebook custom audience based on your data
3. Set up distinct landing pages for direct mail and Facebook ads
4. Segment custom audiences for Facebook remarketing
5. Coordinate the timing of your direct mail and Facebook ads
6. Align creative to your audience
7. Launch your campaign and monitor performance

For specifics on each step and examples with screen shots, see the complete article here.

Portable Pancakes? IHOP Gives Delivery a Try

Following Denny's rollout of 24-hour delivery in May, IHOP has started to test delivery in a few of its 1,740 locations, dipping its toe in the delivery pool in informal testing. Company executives said they are speaking with third-party delivery companies to conduct a larger test later this year, according to an article in Nation's Restaurant News. IHOP President Darren Rebelez said the decision to experiment with delivery was "rooted in guest insights," according to NRN, adding that adding delivery will allow the brand to continue attracting multi-generational customers.

Domino's Expands the Ways for Its Customers To Earn Loyalty Points

Customers can now earn loyalty points at Domino's no matter how they order - whether online, by phone, or in the store. Previously, customers could only earn points through the company's Piece of the Pie Rewards program if they ordered online. "Now everyone can earn points toward free pizza no matter how they choose to order, whether it's online, via our AnyWare ordering channels, phone, or in-store," said Russell Weiner, president of Domino's USA in a press release.

South Philly Cheesesteaks Offers "Cease and Desist" Sandwich After IP Flap

In a sassy and classy response to a "legal threat from a certain unnamed chicken brand's legal counsel," the 15-unit South Philly Cheesesteaks & Fries brand has renamed its "Chick Philly" crispy chicken sandwich the "Cease and Desist." In a press release, Brand Manager Andrea Carella stated, "As we did not want to let our loyal guests down, we decided to tweak things a bit so that we would abide by their request and still be able to sell it. During the tweaking process, we came up with the idea to also wrap the Cease and Desist in the legal letter. In the end, we are happy we were able to keep the Cease and Desist on the menu at our restaurants nationwide."