When conducting business online, it can be difficult to secure customers. You can get their attention with your content, nurture them with email marketing, all in the hope that they will convert to paying customers. And it can be more difficult if you are trying to market online to many different demographics. A 50+ year old potential customer who is not familiar with digital marketing will always respond differently to a Facebook advert than a 20+ year old who has grown up with and is extremely familiar with digital marketing tactics. So, when creating your online marketing strategy it is essential to consider the generation you are marketing to and how they undertake the purchasing process.
First up we will consider how to market to the Baby Boomers.
This is the generation that still leave and listen to voicemails; they were born between 1946 and 1964 and are slowly, but surely embracing new technology. By 2014, 65% of adults aged 50-64 used social media sites. While they are the generation most likely to misunderstand Facebook remarketing adverts in their newsfeeds, they are still receptive to direct marketing tactics and speaking to ‘real people’.
And they are definitely worth marketing to; they spend the most money per shopping trip and as they reach retirement, are much more likely to impulse buy on items not on the shopping list. They also spend the most on technology; think top pay TV packages and the latest smartphones.
Tips for marketing online to Baby Boomers
Brand Loyalty
Much of the Baby Boomers shopping habits are based on loyalty. If you can prove to this generation that your product, service or brand is excellent quality and will be necessary to them for an indefinite amount of time then you should be able to retain some Baby Boomers as your customers.
Up Sell
The way to grab some of the extra cash the Baby Boomers are spending is to utilise up-selling or value-adding. This generation love entertainment, wine and buy the most prescription medicine. They like to know the value of a product or service – how it will make their lives easier- but they don’t like the hard sell. For them, up-selling, without being pushy, will increase their spend and will build a better relationship.
Cash-back
Baby Boomers love a cash-back offer and since they are spending quite a lot of money it makes sense to implement this type of program. If not a cash-back program then a points system is almost just as enticing to this segment of the market.
Old School
Baby Boomers are the most susceptible to traditional marketing – they typically want to talk to someone in order to purchase. They abhor phone calls during dinner but are open to traditional newspaper and television advertising. They are the most likely demographic to report Facebook adverts as spam and they don’t read long form blog posts. They are ones most likely to read blogs of only 300 words (or less). They are the least likely to buy on their smartphones so if you sell that way you might want to ensure that your checkout process is as simple as it can possibly be.
Don’t discount
These guys are getting ready for, entering or are already retired. They have worked hard and now they want to enjoy life. They are past the scrimping and saving – they want the top shelf products, they want the brand new products.
Baby Boomers are going to be splurging and they are going to be going online to spend; if you want a piece of that action you need to offer what they want, in a way they want it.
Learn more about how to market online to the Baby Boomers by contacting the team at Website Design Centre today.
