A great joy of working in an agency environment is interacting with the rich mix of interesting and creative people it takes to develop great communication. One of those folks here at GlynnDevins is writer Charles Harris. Charles is always sharing his eclectic collection of news and notes internally, and we thought our growing community of GlynnDevins blog readers would find Charles’ take just as refreshing. So take a walk through Charles’ world and look for more musings every month or so – he does have a day job you know.

Notes from a dimly lit cubicle.

• Asked why he moved to a CCRC, one man said, “I’d had enough mowing.”

• When I read about banner blindness, where my brain doesn’t recognize an online advertising banner even though my eyes see it, I think I must’ve missed a lot. I suppose I’ll never know.

• The word “enjoy” is bone-weary after years of overuse in advertising and by wait staff.

• Travel tip: If three carnivorous women target a hotdog restaurant for lunch, a vegetarian copywriter traveling with them can make do with tater tots and a milkshake.

• Print, direct mail and broadcast are passive. The web isn’t. “Linear vs. non-linear. Author-driven vs. reader-driven. Storytelling vs. ruthless pursuit of actionable content. Anecdotal examples vs. comprehensive data. Sentences vs. fragments.” (Jakob Nielsen) Understanding this changes everything about writing and designing for the web.

• Once championed for its response-boosting effectiveness, now neglected. I seldom see a Johnson Box in direct mail letters anymore.

• Travel tip: Everybody knows Houston has 2 airports. If you inadvertently drop off your rental at the wrong one and amble off looking for the Southwest terminal that isn’t there, call for Luis, the High-Speed Cabbie. And tell him his new friends at GlynnDevins say hello.

• Interviewing retirement community residents for testimonial ad campaigns is almost as energizing for the GlynnDevins writers as Starbucks.

• Among my “Friends” on Facebook, it looks like the most active are those who’re burning the midnight oil in Farmville.

• From a 72-year study of 268 men that began in the 1930s: “Their lives were too human for science, too beautiful for numbers, too sad for diagnosis and too immortal for bound journals.” A rather nice way to think of our target demographic.

And life goes on. So far.

Learn more about web site analytics by gaining an in-depth understanding of the terms associated with web analytics along with what you should be tracking and the benefits that arise from spending time tracking the right metrics.

When: Thursday, February 11, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m. CST

Register Here

We recently watched the beginning of a new series called “Mom & Dad, We Need to Talk” featured on Good Morning America (GMA).  As a marketer, it’s interesting to see how many adult children are turning to GMA for advice on how to tackle difficult conversations with their aging parents, as represented by the many comments being posted online. 

You can view the first two segments of the series by clicking on the links below:

·         Talking to Parents About Assisted Living

·         When It’s Time to Hang Up the Car Keys

What hot topics are adult children addressing with your sales associates when discussing future care options for their loved ones?

2009 seems to have flown by. But before you move ahead to next year, here are 10 posts from the GlynnDevins Blog you might have missed – and we think are worth checking out one more time.

#1 The Big Mac Lesson
The Big Mac lesson says it’s easier to change behavior than attitude, and this post asks what the relationship is to senior living marketing.

#2  Grand Opening Signals a Bond to Community
Randy Eilts reports from a grand opening, where the significance of the event and the importance of the community was apparent by participation from everyone in the area.

#3 Small Incremental Steps Increase Sales Productivity
Simple steps you can take to help your sales staff using Kaizen, the Japanese word for continuous improvement.

#4 Who Needs A Waitlist Anyway
Waitlists remain an important item for sales counselors, and this post discusses ways to continue to use waitlists to your advantage and to make them relevant to the leads that remain on them.

#5 Did You Ever Consider It’s Not Them, It’s You
Ken Curnes attended the CASP Institute this summer and wrote about his experiences each day. This post focuses on Day Three. Read other posts from the week by clicking on the June 2009 tab in the sidebar.

#6 Is Blogging Good for Senior Living Marketing?
If you’re considering starting a blog, here is some useful information and questions to consider.

#7 Pay Attention to the Spirit of Your Community
What is the feeling like when a prospect enters your community for the first time? This post focuses on asking those questions and making sure your community represents a place someone would want to move to.

#8 A Place for Bernice
Betty Thompson relays her story of being on the other side, as a prospect searching for a community for her mother-in-law, and the frustrations, feelings and experiences she went through.

#9 A Quick Checklist to Sell the Sizzle, Not Just the Steak
A 10-point checklist to ensure you’re selling all the benefits of your community, including anticipation and happy feelings.

#10 From a Different Point of View
Randy Eilts relates his own experiences on being a senior living marketing professional who now has a family member living in a senior living community.

If you’re not a subscriber to our blog, just provide your email address in the box at the top left-hand corner of your screen. We wish you a Happy New Year and see you in 2010! 

The presentation at this morning’s session by Mary Beth Fritz from Greystone Communities, and Janel Wait and Randy Eilts from GlynnDevins, is now available here on the GlynnDevins Blog. Click the link below to download a copy of the presentation, or it is also available by clicking the link on the left-hand side of the blog under presentations, titled: Consumers in Control. Building Relationships in a Digital World.

Consumers in Control. Building Relationships in a Digital World.