When you think about marketing to seniors, images of increasing font sizes and using stock photos of older people in your advertising might come to mind. But while many businesses use these strategies and they can be useful, it’s not going to capture the attention of this market on its own. In fact, the older generation is not all that different from other markets – and more and more seniors today are spending their time online. However, there are some important factors that should be kept in mind if you want to market products or services to an older demographic.
Use Relatable Language:
Just as with marketing to any generation, it’s important to speak their language. If you want to market to seniors, then the first most important thing to ensure is that you are speaking in a way that they can understand. Unlike younger generations who tend to relate more to stories and even drama, the older generation tends to be simply looking to find out how your product is going to improve their quality of life. Taking an old-school approach to how you market your product to seniors, such as this company that offer a variety of wheelchairs and scooters, is crucial to giving your audience what they want.
Market Directly:
One of the biggest mistakes that many companies make is assuming that most seniors will have their purchasing decisions made for them or heavily influenced by other people. And while this might sometimes be the case for some seniors, it’s important not to assume that they are helpless people who aren’t capable of making their own buying decisions. Most seniors like to make their own choices, so avoid marketing to a caregiving audience instead.
Focus On How You Can Help:
Selling a product or service to anybody isn’t about just selling them the product or service alone but focusing on what it will do for them and how it is going to make their lives easier. When it comes to seniors, they may not necessarily want the same things that a younger person might want, however, they may still want some of the same products that younger people would buy. As long as you discover why a certain demographic might want a certain product, you can sell it to anybody.
Consider Technological Knowledge:
While more and more seniors are getting computer- and internet-savvy, bear in mind that this generation did not grow up with a smartphone in their hand. So, when it comes to the buying process, make sure that it is easy for them. You don’t want your marketing efforts to go to waste because your target audience is not sure how to go about making the purchase. For example, some older people might not realize that a hamburger menu will bring up options when clicked on, so keep your website design in mind when it comes to marketing to seniors.
Consider Offline Marketing:
People tend to be more drawn to things that are familiar to them, and since the older generation grew up receiving catalogs through the mail and seeing physical advertisements, it makes more sense to market to them using these channels compared to the younger generation who are used to seeing marketing online. Generally speaking, the older generation tends to prefer something tangible that they can look through, so giving them the option to order or print off a catalog can be a good marketing strategy.
For the most part, marketing your products and services to seniors is not very different from marketing to any other generation. But it’s important to keep some differences in mind to ensure that your marketing strategies are successful.