Digital marketing campaigns that neglect their senior audience can end up missing key opportunities for brand audience expansion and engagement.
This can leave seniors an untapped market in several ways.
In fact, there is significant growth across social media, including Pinterest, driving searches like “regular nomads.”
Pinterest’s user base continues to expand, and adults are using this platform to shop with an 85% growth in recent months.
Are your current campaigns on Pinterest and other social media platforms really reaching older audiences?
If not, this should be an area of focus. The older generations, those 50 and older, make up 51% of consumer spending They include 45% of all adults.
They are spending more money than the younger generations, and marketing strategies should reflect these stats.
Here, you’ll learn some best practices and methods for marketing to seniors. We’ll also dispel some outdated generalizations that may influence the methodology behind your current marketing strategy.
1. Senior marketing is more than just targeting influencers
It is true that a large number of influencer opportunities (family members, professional acquaintances, local news, offline thought leaders) offer an additional layer of marketing potential when looking to generate results from top campaigns.
However, the problem is that the interest should not exclude and alienate the 60+ age group but rather reinforce and support this focus as a result of optimization.
According to Ofcom’s latest results in Adult Media Use and Trends Report 2020/21′:
From 55 to 64 seconds:
- 86% use a smartphone.
- 94% use the Internet at home.
- 70% correctly identify the ad on Google.
- 73% have a social media profile.
From 65+:
- 55% use a smartphone.
- 77% use the Internet at home.
- 58% correctly identify an ad on Google.
- 59% have a social media profile.
What this tells us, as marketers, is that there is a direct reach to older audiences through mobile marketing, SMS and smartphones.
The older audience for YouTube marketing and social media marketing is also growing.
While the dependence on mobile technology is declining with the target age of the audience (mainly those over 65 years of age), mobile phones, tablets, computers and other technologies are still high and increasing every year.
As marketers, this increases the focus of marketing directly on the consumer (and prioritizing the end person over the influencer).
In practice, this means that AMP content alternatives, the mobile-first content mindset, traditional mobile optimization, and related actions are as effective for senior marketing as they are for other demographics.
2. Older people are more loyal and less likely to explore
Ofcom’s Transfer States:
“Although internet users over 55 were the least likely to have a social media profile, or to use messaging sites or apps, the majority were using both, and more than three in four used either.”
For marketers, this increases the need to be the first to educate and deliver brands, content, and insights to seniors first.
An added incentive is that 90% of seniors will keep you as their digital “go-to,” providing you help them with their informational needs first.
Seniors are willing to learn about brands to stay on top of new and important trends.
As you would expect, there are many ways to achieve this goal, and some of the ones I’ve seen most effective over the years include:
- Community resources and lifestyle centers.
- Location-based and local biased content.
- Free tools, tips and advice.
- Increase seamless user journeys both offline and online.
- Digital simplification and better connecting the dots between marketing channels.
- Added discount focus and call-to-action (CTA) phone calls.
- Increase remarketing on educational and informational content.
3. Experiences are most important
Interestingly, some of the recent search trends, such as content personalization, tailored user journeys, and user experience personalization, have some of the most significant potential to influence older audiences.
When you put the focus back on what your target audience is looking for, it’s easier to reach those audiences effectively.
Older audiences tend to hold customer service, personal contact, and traditional communication in higher esteem.
Once they feel heard and appreciated by the company, they are more motivated to share and repeat that experience.
There are many effective techniques you can add to your marketing campaigns, such as:
- Bridging the gap between offline and online user journeys. Keep your marketing messages consistent and easy to understand with clear steps.
- Use calls to action such as one-click actions or call or message triggers.
- Share feedback from customers who love your brand to help build trust.
- Clarify the benefits and the message, as well as take specific actions that need to be taken into account.
4. Increasing investment in the educational process
Older audiences require additional explanation, clarity, and general guidance throughout the information seeking and purchasing process.
There are many time-saving concepts (consider online banking) that can positively help and impact the 60+ demographic more than other age groups.
However, the added barriers that exist (aversion to change, misconceptions about internet security, a desire for an offline conversational experience) often prevent them from taking action.
Incorporating online and offline user journeys helps around this problem, as does additional exposure in traditional offline printing, such as:
- local newspapers.
- Household information drops / flyers.
- The calls-to-action that drive online and phone action.
5. Targeting the elderly through YouTube
Videos and YouTube can be excellent ways to reach older audiences. The Google States which – which:
- One in three Boomers say they use YouTube to learn about a product or service.
- Similar to other generations, Baby Boomers watch TV recaps, highlights, and their favorite shows on YouTube to stay in the know.
- 68% of baby boomers say they watch YouTube videos for their entertainment.
So what does this mean for marketing teams?
Video can take more of the heavy lifting when it comes to your senior marketing activities.
Using video content to explain concepts, demystify technology, and drive intended change in user activity should be a priority.
Through videos, brands can build trust with older audiences, encourage herd mentality, and bridge the gap between a user’s online and offline journeys.
6. Understanding generational values
Now more than ever, it’s critical to understand the values and interests of those you’re marketing to, including seniors.
When marketers take the time to think about what might resonate most with consumers, it helps build trust and engagement with the brand.
It is important to reach all generations in your marketing strategy and tailor your message to each audience based on the social media platform chosen for each campaign and the target audience.
While this may seem difficult at first, there are some commonalities that brands should focus on in their marketing strategy.
Seniors hold the same values of honesty, authenticity, relationship, and hard work as other adults.
These are highly valued values that brands can align with and thus reach wider audiences.
conclusion
Older generations are using the Internet more than ever before and it presents a huge (and relatively untapped) marketing opportunity.
However, marketing teams need to target more influencers from the older audience to maximize this.
More than half adults over 65 With the Internet, you have a social media profile, and more than three-quarters of them actively use the Internet at home, which creates many marketing opportunities.
Social media and YouTube are great ways to connect with potential big customers and tell them about your brand
Simple opportunities await marketers, such as maximizing the marketing calendar; On August 25th, for example, it’s Senior Citizens Day—the perfect time to reach out to your older crowd.
Older audiences are an untapped and underutilized market that, with a little effort to understand how to connect with them and tailor the experience to meet their needs, can result in engaged and loyal consumers.
More resources:
- 5 must-know trends in search engine optimization and content marketing
- 3 Social Media Strategies You Can Use To Boost Your SEO
- Social Media Marketing: A Complete Strategy Guide
Featured image: adriaticfoto/Shutterstock
