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Baby Boomers Get Their Own Media Platform in Australia
This week's episode isn't about the life story profession per se, but about connecting with the Baby Boomer generation, what their needs and wants are, and how one woman built a media platform catering specifically to this underserved market.
Rebecca Wilson was a marketing specialist when she put two and two together. First, the Baby Boomers—those roughly 60 years old and up—were being ignored by marketers and the companies whose products and services they touted. Second, the Baby Boomers in Australia (and it's not much different here in the US) hold the purse strings in terms of assets and consumer spending. That translates into a market of people looking for the things they want and ready to spend money to get it, but not finding it online.
Enter Starts at 60.
With a $40 template and a hypothesis, Rebecca set out to change this. She invited people to submit there blog stories and was astounded by the response. Not only did people want to be heard, they wanted to be engaging with the others on her newly-minted site. Word grew, contributors multiplied, and Rebecca's idea took off. In six short years, Starts at 60 has grown to a platform with a million and a half visitors per month. They've also launched a travel arm, Travel at 60, where they can bring the best value in travel offers to an audience hungry to pack their suitcases and go.
Now Starts at 60 is looking toward markets outside the US, and there's room for us life story professionals to leverage the systems they've already built.
The idea I like best is starting monthly coffee groups. Maybe it's because I saw how lonely my dad was after my mom died. Maybe it's because as a waitress in my teens, I saw how the people who lingered over coffee after dinner seemed to be the best conversationalists, the ones I liked to eavesdrop on as I cleared away their plates (and ashtrays; yes, this was a long time ago!). And what better way to get people interested in preserving their life story than getting them talking about it over coffee, in a safe place among new friends?
In this episode, we also discuss:
- the need to find a group of people with similar mindset, especially after a transition like retirement
- how Baby Boomers, like the rest of us, want a hybrid experience of online and off-line
- the importance of building and safeguarding trust among clients or in a community
- how storytellers of all ages are turning to online research when looking for services (Hint: Have your website and Facebook page up to snuff!)
- why Baby Boomers make great storytellers (let me know what you think about my new slogan: More wrinkles, better stories).
- and more.
Links & Things
Visit Starts at 60
Want to get your client a byline and possibly feedback? Contact Starts at 60 about blog submissions.
Establish a Starts at 60 coffee group in your area
What an inspiring woman! My father was so isolated after my mother died (thank god for an amazing next door neighbour who looked out for him!), he could really have done with a community like this. Great episode.
Heather, I agree! I felt the same way about my dad after my mom’s death. There were plenty of seniors who congregated early mornings at a local Panera, but he wasn’t comfortable approaching them cold. I so wish we’d had something like the coffees the Start at 60 community has!
Glad you liked the episode!