America's population is aging, and savvy business owners have discovered that senior citizens have money to spend and are willing to do it if the circumstances are right. In many ways, they are interested in the same products as younger people, but have different reasons for it. In order to capture this growing market, you need to use good sense marketing to seniors strategies.
In this new age of soundbites, emojis, limited character online media feeds, and creative spelling, some seniors feel like they are living in an alien world. When you want to get their attention, you have to use the same language they use. A lot of them are suspicious of dramatic jargon and trendy buzz words. To be successful, you need to give them straight talk, and tell them exactly what your product or service is going to do for them.
Savvy marketers know that they will never sell a product by describing what is looks like or how it's made. You have to let the consumer know what the product will do for them and why they need it. This law is true whether you are targeting teenagers or septuagenarians. They may not be interested in the same product for the same reasons though.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with senior citizens is to talk down to them. These are not kindergartners or mentally impaired individuals. Seniors have lived long lives and learned a lot. Many have been very successful in their careers. Nothing disgusts them more or makes them angrier than someone who is disrespectful or condescending. If you are going to market to this age group, you should implant this lesson squarely in your brain.
You should never assume that, because a customer is older, she is technologically handicapped. Many seniors love downloading apps on their smart phones and staying connected to friends and family on social media sites. Others have no interest in any of it. To be really successful you have to find a way to capture both markets. Fine print and overuse of icons is not the way to go.
Dropping all your print advertising in favor of online sales, can be a big mistake if you are trying to target an older demographic. Seniors grew up in the days when people communicated by land line phones and mail. They still read books. Some still love to get catalogs and brochures in their mailboxes. Many enjoy the tactile nature of print and are more inclined to buy from it.
The younger generation doesn't think anything about communicating through automation when they call a business to place an order or get more information. Many seniors hate talking to a machine, and some will refuse to do it. You will gain loyal older customers when you man your phones with polite, knowledgeable, well spoken, live humans.
Senior citizens are a vibrant, viable market, and if you discount them, you will be losing a huge segment of the buying public. You will have to adjust your thinking to attract them. You will also have to uncover what interests them and why.
In this new age of soundbites, emojis, limited character online media feeds, and creative spelling, some seniors feel like they are living in an alien world. When you want to get their attention, you have to use the same language they use. A lot of them are suspicious of dramatic jargon and trendy buzz words. To be successful, you need to give them straight talk, and tell them exactly what your product or service is going to do for them.
Savvy marketers know that they will never sell a product by describing what is looks like or how it's made. You have to let the consumer know what the product will do for them and why they need it. This law is true whether you are targeting teenagers or septuagenarians. They may not be interested in the same product for the same reasons though.
One of the biggest mistakes you can make with senior citizens is to talk down to them. These are not kindergartners or mentally impaired individuals. Seniors have lived long lives and learned a lot. Many have been very successful in their careers. Nothing disgusts them more or makes them angrier than someone who is disrespectful or condescending. If you are going to market to this age group, you should implant this lesson squarely in your brain.
You should never assume that, because a customer is older, she is technologically handicapped. Many seniors love downloading apps on their smart phones and staying connected to friends and family on social media sites. Others have no interest in any of it. To be really successful you have to find a way to capture both markets. Fine print and overuse of icons is not the way to go.
Dropping all your print advertising in favor of online sales, can be a big mistake if you are trying to target an older demographic. Seniors grew up in the days when people communicated by land line phones and mail. They still read books. Some still love to get catalogs and brochures in their mailboxes. Many enjoy the tactile nature of print and are more inclined to buy from it.
The younger generation doesn't think anything about communicating through automation when they call a business to place an order or get more information. Many seniors hate talking to a machine, and some will refuse to do it. You will gain loyal older customers when you man your phones with polite, knowledgeable, well spoken, live humans.
Senior citizens are a vibrant, viable market, and if you discount them, you will be losing a huge segment of the buying public. You will have to adjust your thinking to attract them. You will also have to uncover what interests them and why.
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