When you think of marketing to seniors, you might believe it\u2019s all about increasing the size of fonts and displaying images of older people in your advertising. Although this is a common practice among many businesses, those elements alone are not going to capture the attention of this market.<\/p>\n
The baby boomer generation isn\u2019t necessarily all that different from other markets, and contrary to popular belief, many seniors spend a good amount of time online. There are, however, some important distinctions to remember when marketing to an older demographic.<\/p>\n
Here are some tips you can integrate into your marketing strategy to reach a senior demographic:<\/p>\n
If you want to market your product to someone, you have to speak their language. If you\u2019re going to market to seniors, you need to avoid using teenage jargon, trendy language, and internet slang.<\/p>\n
Unlike millennials who\u00a0thrive on a heightened sense of drama<\/a>, baby boomers just want to know how your product or service is going to improve the quality of their life. That might be old school, but it\u2019s what they want.<\/p>\n That does not mean you can\u2019t be clever. It just means you need to avoid using a language they didn\u2019t grow up with. This means avoiding terms like \u201cROFLCOPTER\u201d and \u201cAIIGHT.\u201d Even if you are making a joke\u00a0using internet slang, they won\u2019t know what you\u2019re talking about, your joke (and sales) will be totally lost on them.<\/p>\n Seniors are not\u00a0helpless people who can\u2019t make their own decisions. They are often strong, healthy adults who like to make their own choices. Don\u2019t assume that you need to speak to a caregiving audience or their children in order to sell your product.<\/p>\n When you are\u00a0selling a product or service to someone, it\u2019s basic marketing knowledge that you are not selling them “the product”, but rather what the product will do\u00a0for<\/em>\u00a0them. For example, if your product is a drill, you are really selling the\u00a0hole it can create. And, the company that can convince people their drill creates a superior hole wins.<\/p>\n When it comes to seniors, they don\u2019t necessarily want the same things a teenager wants, but that doesn\u2019t mean they don\u2019t want the same product. You can sell the same product to anybody as long as you can discover why they would want it.<\/p>\n Baby boomers didn\u2019t grow up with an iPhone in their hand, so requiring certain actions on a web page or in an app won\u2019t necessarily be second nature for them. For example, they may not know what a hamburger menu is, or if it is even something to click on.<\/p>\n If part of your marketing strategy requires people to click on symbols or read the\u00a0fine print, you may lose a large portion of your potential senior customers. Don\u2019t make these choices just for seniors; everyone can benefit from an easy, clear sales process.<\/p>\n According to the Pew Research Center, in 2015 only\u00a027% of adults 65 and over owned smartphones<\/a>. While this number may be gradually increasing, it is a good indication that seniors live more of their lives in the offline world. This means you are going to have a hard time selling to seniors if you are relying only on\u00a0mobile<\/a>\u00a0and internet marketing to reach them.<\/p>\n If you want to reach the majority of your senior market, you have to use multi-channel marketing by targeting them on and offline. This doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t use online marketing, but the majority of your efforts should be concentrated where the majority of your market can be found.<\/p>\n People are naturally drawn to what is familiar. Since seniors grew up receiving advertisements and physical catalogs in the mail, it makes sense to market to them through this channel.<\/p>\n The older generation prefers something tangible they can hold in their hands, like a catalog. And if you don\u2019t already have one, the internet makes it easy for you to print your catalogs without going anywhere<\/p>\n2. Don\u2019t Assume Other People Make Their Buying Decisions<\/h2>\n
3. Understand Their Criteria is Different Than Younger Generations<\/h2>\n
4. Make Things Easy for Them<\/h2>\n
5. Use Multi-Channel Marketing (like catalogs)<\/h2>\n
6. Give Them Something Familiar<\/h2>\n