Digital marketing is definitely focused on a younger generation. It’s easy to see why. Younger people are savvier with digital applications, social media, internet usage, etc. This makes them a key target demographic for businesses to hit. What shouldn’t get lost in the mix, however, is another demographic that is feeling increasingly left behind in the digital age, the older generations- the Baby Boomers and Generation X.
Younger demographics are a vital market, without a doubt, but don’t underestimate the older generation’s buying power. They are also a demographic that you don’t want to miss out on. Not quite sure how to use digital marketing to reach them? Well, today, we’ll give you a few tips on how to use digital marketing to reach older generations.
Make everything easier to find
These generations have a lot of knowledge and experience but may not necessarily have all the technical know-how of younger generations just yet. Therefore, making information easily accessible and simple to comprehend is an important step to targeting the older generations. Avoid using internet slang and shorthand as much as you can. Just because you know what lol or jk means doesn’t mean they do. Plus, they may not take your business as seriously with all the shorthand.
The older generations also have plenty of money to spend. They just like to do their research first before they buy. That’s why making your information as clear and accessible as possible is so important. Make sure your landing pages are less flashy and more in-depth. Whenever you’re putting together digital marketing for an older audience, focus on bold, easy-to-read fonts. Simple is better here. Substance over flash is key here as they want everything ready for them and in detail. Also, make it simple to find additional information and purchasing products from those pages should be simple as well.
Understand their lifestyle and take age off their mind
Understanding your target audience is an understood part of business. But knowing that these older generations are still an active market is crucial to tailoring your digital marketing strategies around them. Many of them are still active in the workforce or planning their retirement. Create advertising campaigns with an emphasis on living fulfilling and exciting lives. Definitely do not patronize them or make your marketing slower for them. There is a difference simple and slow; trust us, they will know when they feel like their hand is being held and you don’t want that.
A poll conducted by Lloyds Pharmacy showed that half of the British adults surveyed felt younger than they were. The old saying “age is just a number” might be more relevant now than it ever has been. Understanding this and adapting your marketing strategies to this can go a long way to making older customers feel engaged and valued. The style and tone of your campaign’s messages should be lively and cater to a demographic in the prime of their lives.
Don’t assume they don’t know how and focus on established channels
Over 2.34 billion internet users engage on Redes Sociales platforms. According to research by Smart Insights, over 60% of Baby Boomers have at least one social media profile and read blogs. Going further, they spend 27 hours a week online on average, which is actually more than Millennials between the ages of 16 and 34 do. So, the assumption that older generations don’t get on the internet is not one that your business should adopt. Instead, embracing this data and using it to make sure that their engaged on your social media platforms and your other marketing content will help you to create stronger targeted marketing for this demographic.
Keep in mind that while the older generations are embracing the internet both for commerce and social media, it doesn’t mean that their done with the traditional channels of marketing. Just because fancy options like video ad campaigns or Snapchat are available is not necessarily a guarantee that the older generations are 100% on board with them. In fact, sticking with real life informing methods such as reviews and blogs may be best. Identifying what methods your target demographic responds to best and appealing and relating your digital marketing strategies around them will give you an edge over your competition and lead to success. It will also make it easy for older customers to consider your business as their go-to place for their needs because you understand them and can make it easy for them to be reached.
Utilizing SEO and PPC
SEO is a critical aspect of any businesses’ publicidad digital strategy. Optimizing it for the older generation is the trick, however. Normally, older generations tend to use more blunt or direct search phrases. For instance, a younger person may type “Ray-Ban glasses” while an older person might type just plain “glasses”. Take this into consideration when crafting your SEO to ensure that is as optimized for the older generation as possible. On-site copy should reflect this difference in search terms, remaining relevant and useful. Copy should be clear and informative too, with all points fully expanded.
Customizing your Campañas de pago por clic for older customers can be tricky as well. Keeping in mind the search terms that they may use will help you to use better keywords and remove negative ones that may impact your campaign. The key points here are understanding how they’re searching for your products, and what times they’re searching for them. If your audience is retired, chances are they’ll spend more time online during the day than a thirty-something user in full-time employment. Using tools like Google Analytics to understand these points will allow you to optimize your PPC for the older generation.
Don’t Stereotype
This may seem pretty common sense, but it is still worth mentioning that not all Baby Boomers and Generation Xers are the same. It’s important not to fall back on stereotypes. If you view all of them as one segment, you’re making a mistake that could cost a lot of money. Instead, understanding what makes your product unique to your older demographic can help tailor your digital marketing efforts in a way that makes them feel appreciated, understood, and valued. This will keep you out of the trap of assuming that all older customers want the same thing.
Using digital marketing to target the older demographic can be a challenging yet rewarding undertaking. There is a whole market out there that some businesses think wont of trying to target. Don’t be one of those businesses. Understanding the demographic and the digital marketing methods you can use to target them will bring in more revenue for your business and help it to grow and expand.
