In 1936, when Dale Carnegie wrote his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People, discussion of the strategies and tactics related to marketing and older adults was non-existent. But Dale Carnegie knew this:
“You must know your audience in order to select the most appropriate and useful tactics to effectively approach them.”
Relationship Marketing
Before you begin thinking about garnering charitable gifts from residents, you must first make the effort to build personal relationships with them. We all prefer to interact with someone we know, like and trust. This preference sharpens as we age.
Older adults tend to be more wary of strangers and more skeptical of heavyhanded selling tactics. By gradually developing a personal relationship with your residents, in time you will turn them from donor suspects to donor prospects, and eventually to loyal donors.
Simple relationship marketing techniques:
- Make the Visit. The only way to really get to know someone and to understand their perspectives, values and concerns is to make time to visit them – in person.
- Listen. Develop an ability and willingness to listen. Although Greek philosopher Epictatus wasn’t politically correct, he got it right when he said, “Nature has given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.”
- Ask Questions. If information isn’t volunteered, ask questions. Then focus on talking in terms of the residents’ interests and concerns. This is a sincere way to make them feel important.
- Call People by Name. A person’s name can be the sweetest and most important sound in any language. By remembering and using their names in your conversations, your residents automatically will feel valued.
- Model Integrity. It can never be emphasized enough: Always be honest and ethical when dealing with your residents.
Traditional Marketing Materials
While successful relationship marketing accounts for more than 65 percent of the success rate in receiving a philanthropic gift from a senior, it is important to consider the use of traditional marketing methods in supporting your ability to build a solid connection.
Seminars and Events – A great way to build trust and explain concepts. Be sure that the information you are presenting is clear and easy to understand. For example, a seminar on bequests presented by a local estate planning attorney provides valuable information and a “soft” persuasion that attendees consider their community when updating estate plans.
Electronic Marketing – Used effectively, electronic marketing can be a successful method to promote giving. Most affluent, well-educated seniors are on-line, and the Web is increasing in popularity with all seniors every day. But don’t assume residents will visit your site without prompting. Suggestions such as “visit our Web site for more information” can be extremely helpful in increasing their interest and motivation. Be sure that your Web site is friendly, up to date and designed with residents in mind.
Print Materials – Quality marketing collateral is the foundation of traditional marketing techniques. A direct mail system to regularly inform your residents about the opportunities and benefits of making charitable gifts is still one of the most effective methods to communicate your message.
Consider Your Audience
Regardless of the combination and the depth and breadth of traditional marketing methods you choose, you
must consider the evidence that older people differ from younger people in many ways.
A person’s speed of mental processing, cognitive flexibility, capacity to draw inferences from information and ability to manipulate several types of information simultaneously all change as we age. For these reasons it is important to design your message so that it is clear and easily understood.
Consider the following:
- Use a large font.
- Omit shading and screening.
- Personalize as much as possible.
- Limit the use of charts and graphs.
- Avoid facts and figures and statistics.
- Apply generous amounts of white space.
- Use photographs of familiar places, objects or people.
- Keep your message simple and focused on one subject.
To put a finer point on your marketing approach, you will need to take into account the less obvious differences between younger and older adults in how they make decisions and respond to marketing messages.
For example, it is suggested that as life shortens, our focus turns more toward maintaining satisfying interpersonal relations and less on a thirst for knowledge. Seniors, therefore, put a lot of emphasis on how a situation makes them feel when making a decision. Evoking positive emotions becomes a high priority.
Your message in fund-raising materials should deliver a strong, upbeat, emotional connection. Introducing your message with a story, testimonial or anecdote that has emotional content will immediately grab the attention of your residents.
Like their older peers, younger seniors also differ in ways that should be considered in your marketing approach. Emotional messages that address concerns dealing with finances, independence and health lose effectiveness after age 75.
At that time, seniors begin to experience a growing concern about their families, friends and their own legacy. Addressing at least one of these areas of concern in your materials makes it more personal and positions the message as providing a solution to a concern or problem.
Finally, consider women in your marketing materials. Women are still living longer than men (currently women age 65 outnumber men 3 to 2; after age 85, there are 7 women for every 3 men). Studies show that women make 85 percent of all consumer buying decisions and, as couples age, women become the dominant decision makers. When creating your message, remember that women differ from men in their approach to giving.
Generally women tend to be motivated by strong feelings about the cause, believing that giving is the moral or right thing to do, or because they, a friend or family member was involved or benefited from the charity.
Conclusion
You can effectively build a culture of philanthropy with your residents by using a mix of relationship marketing techniques and adapting traditional marketing materials to fit the cognitive, physical, emotional and social changes associated with aging.
Both relationship marketing tactics and traditional marketing approaches take patience. In time, if you are consistent and deliberate in your efforts, you should find yourself with a strong base of loyal donors – the only basis from which philanthropic giving can really thrive.
About the author: Karen Howe Barr is president of M Davenport Associates, Partners in Philanthropy, a professional firm that specializes in providing philanthropic consulting services to the nonprofit sector.