Category — Social Media

In the short time since we acquired Eons we have been busy with two main priorities: the planned ‘refresh’ elements to the site, which are based on the members’ feedback, as well as another priority which was a concern for both me and many Eons members, and that was getting a better quality of advertisers on the site.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all at LeadingAge annual meeting this month in Washington, D.C. As you prepare your schedules, consider joining me by registering for my session – an Twitter-enabled interactive one for all attendees this year! Here are the details:

Leveraging Social Media and Internet Marketing (159-G)

October 19, 2011
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Track: Marketing, Philanthropy & Public Relations
Speaker: Lori Bitter

• Discover ways you can maximize the use of social media and internet marketing tools to reach your consumers.
• Learn to incorporate these tools into your traditional marketing plan to strike the right marketing mix.
• Realize how to measure the effectiveness of different marketing tools and their return on investment.

We have just completed our first block of episodes for The Business of Aging on WGRN (WeEarth Global Radio Network) and I wanted to say “Thank you” to all my guests, the team: Allan, Kat, Nick and Judy, and my Continuum Crew team. These last couple of months have enabled me to get back to my radio roots (so much fun!) and have some of the most insightful and inspiring conversations around the implications to businesses of an aging population.

[Read more →]

Yesterday our Media Director Ashley Mercier delivered an introduction to Paid Search & SEO during GrandCare System’s bi-weekly webinar series. The audio & video of this webinar is available here.

We received many great questions, more than time allowed, so we will be posting answers here in an upcoming blog post. Feel free to post any more in the comments section below so that we can include those as well.

Thank you to all the participants for the great conversation, and to the entire GrandCare Systems team for inviting us to speak on this topic.

The fourth show The Business of … Boomer Social Networking looks at the opportunities in reaching boomers and seniors as they engage online through social networking.

My guests this week are Ashley Mercier, Group Publisher for Eons.com, an online social network for baby boomers,  and Ri Regina, Director of the Eons Community. We also speak to Mary Furlong, founder of Mary Furlong & Associates, author of Turning Silver into Gold: How to Profit in the New Boomer Marketplace, and producer of The What’s Next Boomer Business Summit. She is a leading authority on the baby boom generation. Mary is the Dean’s Executive Professor of Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business. Mary gives us an update on the outcomes and findings from the first of the two annual conferences she produces –  The What’s Next Boomer Business Summit which was held in San Francisco last week, as well as a lead on next month’s Silicon Valley Boomer Venture Summit and business plan competition in June at Santa Clara University.

Ashley Mercier Group Publisher Eons

Ri Regina Director Eons Community

Mary Furlong President Mary Furlong & Associates

I am very excited to announce today that we have acquired Eons.com, the baby boomer online social networking site from Jeff Taylor and his wonderful team. We have also acquired Eons BOOM Media, a baby boomer online advertising network.

It has been a long journey, one that started months ago by deciding we could be a good steward of what Jeff and his team created. For the Eons community we intend to keep what they love and are making plans to add some of the things they have been asking and waiting for. I wanted to be part of keeping that forum alive and helping it grow.

Over this time I have learned just how loyal members of the large Eons community are, how they actively participate in groups and connect with one another. It is a remarkable place where their opinions can he heard and they can talk back to the companies who are designing products and services for them. This presents a great engagement opportunity, and one to collect insights and deliver those to advertisers. The addition of Eons and Eons BOOM Media to Continuum Crew is a next step in our commitment to helping businesses build lasting and profitable relationships with mature consumers. We are doing this by bringing those businesses opportunities – like the ones through Eons and the Eons Boom Media network – to motivate their boomer and senior customers to engage with their brands.

In the coming weeks, we will have additional exciting news, including an announcement about a strategic media sales partnership for Eons.com and the Eons BOOM Media network.

Press release on the announcement made today available here.

Let’s connect on Eons! My screen name is LoriKB

This annual event has been going eight years strong. It fosters a cutting-edge community explores and shares products and services that will serve the needs and wants of the 50+ market.

It is where the country’s leading Baby Boomer strategists, business leaders, executive marketers and research experts gather to introduce new research, products and services that truly represent what is next on the horizon for businesses selling to Baby Boomer and senior customers today. The gathered expert speakers and panelists will answer how to reach and successfully market to today’s Baby Boomer and senior consumer.

If you are a brand manager, corporate strategist, entrepreneur or a non-profit executive responsible for growing boomer business, this Summit is for you.

The event theme for 2011 is Dynamics, Deals, Differentiation and Disruption

• GAIN insight into the latest 50+ research, go-to-market strategies, and success stories
• LEARN methods to creating line Baby Boomer communities
• CONNECT with thought leaders, brand managers and entrepreneurs who are shaping the 50+ market
• DISCOVER new distribution channels
• INTERACT with leading analysts, bloggers, authors, and age beat reporters during Lunch with the Experts
• NETWORK with decision makers who get deals done
• FIND out how the changing economy will influence decisions about real estate, lifestyle and the financial future of the 50+ population

Date: Friday April 29, 2011 – 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Location: Parc 55 Wyndham Hotel, 55 Cyril Magnin Street, San Francisco, CA 94102

Register by February 24 to receive the early bird rate!

Check out speakers, agenda and more information: www.boomersummit.com

Connect with What’s Next Boomer Business Summit

Hashtag: #wnbbs2011

Produced by Mary Furlong & Associates, the What’s Next Boomer Business Summit is an official post-conference of the American Society on Aging (ASA) Aging in America Conference on April 26-30, 2011 in San Francisco.