The generation of Woodstock, women’s liberation, and the invention of television, baby boomers are a matured market ready to buy. Traditional marketing is often used to reach this audience, but contrary to popular belief, you can utilize more than billboards, radio spots, and brochures to resonate with boomers. Grabbing the attention of this demographic can be simple with the proper digital strategy in place.
Why Target Baby Boomers?
While using digital marketing to reach millennials seems like the perfect match, baby boomers are, on average, the ones with the most disposable income., “consumers over 50 now account for more than half of all U.S. spending. They are also responsible for more spending growth over the past decade than any other generation, including the coveted millennials.” With a generation not afraid to spend cash, it might be worth adding them to your target market.
Choose Your Platform Wisely
Digital marketing is all about finding your audience where they are most likely to be. A states that 68% of 50- to 64-year-olds and 46% of people age 65 or older are active on Facebook. This same Pew survey shows that only 23% of people age 50-64 and 8% of those 65 and older are active on Instagram. Knowing that more baby boomers are active on Facebook makes the choice easy of where you can advertise to reach them.
Utilizing Google Ads is also a great way to reach baby boomers, where they are actively searching for your product or service. According to Forbes, use search engines as one of their top resources to gather information, making it a no-brainer to add to your marketing plan.
Copy Tips
There are a few key tips to keep in mind regarding baby boomers and writing ads targeted to them. They don’t think of themselves as old; this means stay away from terms like “golden years” or “elderly” in your ads. This generation also can get easily confused with new-age slang terms. Steer clear of trendy new sayings if you want to avoid confusion or misunderstanding from your target audience.
Avoid Retargeting
While retargeting is a go-to popular digital marketing tactic that has shown proven results, it’s almost always best to stay away from it when it comes to baby boomers. Instead of seeing retargeting as convincing, they see it as intrusive and a breach of their privacy.
Tech Savvy
Compared to millennials, baby boomers were middle ages when the internet became a worldwide phenomenon. But that does not mean they haven’t learned a thing or two over the years. Forbes did a study that showed that people born between 1946 and 1964 are on their smartphones an average of . This study suggests it’s important to make your marketing efforts both desktop and mobile-friendly when targeting boomers.
Keep it Simple
When you provide information that proves a product or service is worth their time, boomers tend to react positively. When writing copy, try using clear headings and bullet points that convey key benefits to this demographic.
With the most disposable income of any generation, and a rising online purchasing behavior, targeting baby boomers in your next campaign with these tips in mind will lead you to digital marketing success. For help with your next digital campaign,
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