Latest / Marketing Automation with Fexingo: HubSpot, Marketo, and Automated Customer Journeys / Why Marketing Automation Ignores Your Retirement
Transcript
- Lucas: So, Luna, the other day I'm talking to a financial advisor who's got a client, let's call her Janet. Sixty-four, just retired from thirty years as a school administrator. And the advisor's marketing automation sends Janet a welcome email for their new retirement planning program. Sounds fine, right? Luna: Yeah, sounds perfectly reasonable. What went wrong? Lucas: Well, the email opens with, 'Congratulations on your retirement, we're here to help you transition into this new chapter.' But then the recommended resources are: 'How to Adjust to a Fixed Income,' 'Managing Healthcare Costs in Retirement,' and a webinar on 'Avoiding Outliving Your Savings.' All perfectly sensible. Luna: But I'm guessing Janet didn't see it that way. Lucas: Not exactly. She replied to the advisor, cc'ing me, saying, 'I've been managing our household finances for forty years. I don't need a lesson in budgeting.' She was offended. And the thing is, the advisor's system had tagged her as 'new retiree' — but the automation treated her like every other retiree, not like Janet specifically. Luna: So the automation knew she retired, but it didn't know anything about her actual life or capabilities. Lucas: Exactly. And this is the heart of a problem I've been seeing a lot: marketing automation that's great at recognizing a life event like retirement, but terrible at understanding what that event means for the individual. The system saw 'retirement' and triggered a generic onboarding flow, without considering her history, her interests, or the fact that she's probably more financially literate than the average person. Luna: So it's not just about knowing the event, it's about context. And this isn't just financial services, right? I mean, any brand with a loyalty program or email list is going to have retirees. Lucas: Absolutely. Think about it: retirement is one of the biggest life changes a consumer goes through. Their income source changes, their time allocation changes, their needs and wants shift dramatically. But most automation systems are built on firmographic data — job title, industry, company size — and the moment someone retires, that data goes stale or becomes useless. Luna: Right. So if you're a travel company, you might be sending retirement-age folks beach resort ads when they actually want to go on a safari, or something. Lucas: Precisely. And a recent survey I saw — from a marketing analytics firm, I think it was around the start of the year — found that only about twenty percent of companies have any kind of life-event triggers in their automation, and even fewer update those triggers based on behavioral changes. So for the other eighty percent, a retiree might just keep getting the same messaging they got when they were fifty. Luna: So what should they be doing differently? I mean, short of asking everyone to update their profile every time something changes. Lucas: Well, there's a balance. On one hand, you can explicitly ask for life events — but people are reluctant to share that data, and it's often incomplete. On the other hand, you can infer life changes from behavioral signals. Like, if Janet suddenly stops opening emails about school supplies or work-related professional development, and starts clicking on articles about Mediterranean cruises or golfing in Scotland, that's a strong signal something's shifted. Luna: But that requires a lot of data and some smart machine learning, doesn't it? Lucas: It does, but even simple logic can help. A common mistake is relying on age as a proxy for retirement. I've seen systems that label anyone over sixty-five as a 'retiree' — but plenty of people work past that, and plenty retire at fifty-five. So age alone is a terrible trigger. You need a combination of factors: maybe a change in email engagement, a shift in website browsing patterns, or even something like a sudden increase in searches for 'senior discounts'. Luna: That's a good point. So, let's talk about the 'silver tsunami' — I think that's the term. There's a huge wave of boomers retiring, and it's going to be a massive marketing opportunity for brands that get this right. Lucas: Yeah, the number is staggering. In the US alone, something like ten thousand people turn sixty-five every day — that's been true for a few years now. And by 2030, all boomers will be over sixty-five. That's over sixty million people, a huge chunk of the consumer base. And yet, most marketing automation is built for younger demographics — it's all about career milestones, weddings, new babies, buying a home. Retirement is this big blind spot. Luna: And it's not just about selling them stuff, either. It's about serving them well. My mom retired last year, and she told me she felt invisible to brands she'd been loyal to for decades. She'd get emails about 'back to school' sales for grandkids, or 'office essentials' — she's like, 'I don't need a new laptop, I need to figure out what to do with my time.' Lucas: Exactly. The problem is that automation is often built around transactional triggers — purchase history, browsing behavior — but not around life-stage triggers. And when you do have a life event, like a retirement, the automation treats it as a one-time thing, not an ongoing journey. The first email is 'congrats on retiring,' but the second is back to business as usual. Luna: So, what's the fix? Is it about better data, better segmentation, or something else entirely? Lucas: All of the above, but I think the first step is to acknowledge that retirement is not a single event — it's a transition that unfolds over months, even years. The day you retire is not the same as six months later, or a year later. So your automation should adapt. Initially, they might need help with financial planning, but later it's about travel, hobbies, or even part-time work. If you're sending the same message at every stage, you're missing the mark. Luna: And that's where behavioral data comes in. You might see a spike in clicking on 'volunteering opportunities' or 'learning new skills' — that's a signal they're moving past the initial transition. Lucas: Right. So instead of a static 'retiree' segment, you create dynamic segments that evolve based on engagement. And that's where the technology is getting better — with things like customer data platforms, you can pull in data from multiple sources and build a more holistic view. But even without that, you can use simple rule-based logic to adjust messaging based on recent behavior. Luna: You know, this conversation actually makes me think about how we run this show. We talk a lot about marketing automation, and sometimes we get caught up in the tech. But at the end of the day, it's about understanding people — real humans with real lives. And if you're a listener who's found value in these episodes, maybe you've even applied some of these ideas in your own work or side projects. If so, that's exactly the kind of thing that keeps us going. Lucas: Yeah, and if you've ever wanted to support what we do here, one simple way is to buy us a coffee. It's a small gesture, but it genuinely helps keep the show running and ad-free. You can find us at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, but it's appreciated. Luna: And we're back to the topic. So, Lucas, any good examples of companies that actually get retirement marketing right? Lucas: One that comes to mind is a cruise line that uses behavioral triggers to spot potential retirees. They don't wait for someone to tell them they're retired. They look for a shift in browsing from 'family vacations' to 'adult-only cruises,' or an increase in searches for 'off-peak travel.' That's a signal they might have more time and flexibility. Then they tailor the offers accordingly. Luna: Smart. So they're using behavioral signals to infer life stage, rather than relying on demographic data. Lucas: Exactly. And another example is a home improvement retailer that noticed a spike in searches for 'home office' during the pandemic, but also a separate spike for 'garden shed' among the over-sixty crowd. They realized that a lot of those folks were retiring and starting new hobbies — gardening, woodworking, that kind of thing. So they created a 'New Chapter' campaign with content around starting a garden or building a workshop, and it performed really well. Luna: That's a great example of listening to your data. It's not about age, it's about intent. Lucas: Right. And the key is to test and learn. You can't just set up one trigger and call it done. You need to keep refining based on what your audience is actually doing. Because retirement is not a monolith. Some people want to travel the world, some want to stay close to grandkids, some want to start a second career. Your automation needs to reflect that diversity. Luna: So, what's your takeaway for marketers listening? If they want to avoid the Janet situation, what should they do? Lucas: First, audit your existing triggers. Do you have any that are specifically for retirement or other major life events? If not, start thinking about what those might be. Second, look at your data sources — are you collecting anything that could signal a life change? Maybe it's a form field on your website, or a survey you send after a purchase. Third, and this is crucial, don't assume that age equals retirement. Use behavioral signals to refine your segments. Luna: And don't forget to treat retirees as individuals, not just a segment. Janet is a good reminder that people have decades of experience and knowledge. Lucas: Absolutely. And the brands that get this right are going to win big in the next decade. Because the boomers aren't just retiring — they're living longer, they have more disposable income than any previous generation, and they're willing to spend on experiences, health, and convenience. If your automation is still stuck in the 1990s, you're going to miss out. Luna: Well said. And on that note, I think we've given our listeners plenty to think about. Thanks for joining us, and we'll catch you next time.