With America's population aging, smart advertisers are looking at the demographics and realizing senior citizens have disposable income and are willing to spend money on the things that interest them. They have some of the same preferences as younger generations, but often for different reasons. You can capture this market if you use some sound marketing to seniors strategies.
Some older citizens feel like the world has been invaded by aliens with all the emojis, sound bites, creative spelling, and online media feeds. If you want their business, you need to drop the jargon and speak a language they understand. Dramatic testimonies and trendy graphics aren't going to move them. What does succeed is straight talk and an honest dialog clearly stating what your service or product will do to make life easier for them.
One of the first rules of marketing is give the public what they want. You won't sell much extolling the bells and whistles of your product. You will be much more successful convincing the buying public of how your product will improve their lives and why they need to buy it now. This holds true no matter whether you are directing your advertising at retired people or teenagers.
Talking down to the senior market is a serious mistake. These people are older, not senile or childlike. Many of them have had very successful careers, and all of them have a lifetime of experience and are knowledgeable in many areas. You will lose senior customers by underestimating them and their business savvy. This may be the most important lesson to be learned about marketing to older individuals.
You can't assume all seniors are technologically ignorant. A lot of them love social media, smart phones, and downloading new apps. On the other hand, there are older people who couldn't care less about the internet and still swear by their flip phones. Your challenge is to find a way to get the attention of both groups.
Dropping all your print advertising in favor of online sales, can be a big mistake if you are trying to target an older demographic. Seniors grew up in the days when people communicated by land line phones and mail. They still read books. Some still love to get catalogs and brochures in their mailboxes. Many enjoy the tactile nature of print and are more inclined to buy from it.
The younger generation doesn't think anything about communicating through automation when they call a business to place an order or get more information. Many seniors hate talking to a machine, and some will refuse to do it. You will gain loyal older customers when you man your phones with polite, knowledgeable, well spoken, live humans.
Senior citizens are a vibrant, viable market, and if you discount them, you will be losing a huge segment of the buying public. You will have to adjust your thinking to attract them. You will also have to uncover what interests them and why.
Some older citizens feel like the world has been invaded by aliens with all the emojis, sound bites, creative spelling, and online media feeds. If you want their business, you need to drop the jargon and speak a language they understand. Dramatic testimonies and trendy graphics aren't going to move them. What does succeed is straight talk and an honest dialog clearly stating what your service or product will do to make life easier for them.
One of the first rules of marketing is give the public what they want. You won't sell much extolling the bells and whistles of your product. You will be much more successful convincing the buying public of how your product will improve their lives and why they need to buy it now. This holds true no matter whether you are directing your advertising at retired people or teenagers.
Talking down to the senior market is a serious mistake. These people are older, not senile or childlike. Many of them have had very successful careers, and all of them have a lifetime of experience and are knowledgeable in many areas. You will lose senior customers by underestimating them and their business savvy. This may be the most important lesson to be learned about marketing to older individuals.
You can't assume all seniors are technologically ignorant. A lot of them love social media, smart phones, and downloading new apps. On the other hand, there are older people who couldn't care less about the internet and still swear by their flip phones. Your challenge is to find a way to get the attention of both groups.
Dropping all your print advertising in favor of online sales, can be a big mistake if you are trying to target an older demographic. Seniors grew up in the days when people communicated by land line phones and mail. They still read books. Some still love to get catalogs and brochures in their mailboxes. Many enjoy the tactile nature of print and are more inclined to buy from it.
The younger generation doesn't think anything about communicating through automation when they call a business to place an order or get more information. Many seniors hate talking to a machine, and some will refuse to do it. You will gain loyal older customers when you man your phones with polite, knowledgeable, well spoken, live humans.
Senior citizens are a vibrant, viable market, and if you discount them, you will be losing a huge segment of the buying public. You will have to adjust your thinking to attract them. You will also have to uncover what interests them and why.
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