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DQ News: The Best Ways to Market to a Senior Audience

No matter what you’re marketing or who you’re marketing it to, your first step in reaching your audience is to know that audience. If you try to market to “everyone,” you’ll sell to no one.

Marketers make one of two big mistakes in marketing to seniors. They either treat seniors like everyone else, or they treat seniors like old, closed-minded people.

Seniors don’t think, act or feel like anyone else in any other target market. They have different needs and priorities, and they’re interested in different ideas and products. That’s not a reason to not market to seniors, though; it’s a reason to understand how to market to them.

As for the belief that seniors are old and closed-minded, Seth Godin discusses this in a blog post on marketing to seniors. He says that there are open and closed people. Open people are “seeking out things that will make their lives better,” and closed people are “trying to maintain the status quo.” Seniors have traditionally been seen as closed, but Baby Boomers changed all that. Seniors today are looking for a great life. They’re open to anything, from fashion to travel to life experience.

Remembering that you have to know your audience, and understanding that today’s seniors are looking for ways to live fully and improve their lives, here are five tips to help you market effectively to seniors:

1. Build a relationship

 

In all of your marketing, show that you understand what your prospects are going through and that you are there for them. Use social media to reach out and build relationships with your prospects. You’d be surprised how many seniors use Facebook and Twitter. Create a community on your website where your customers and prospects can interact and support each other. Above all, build trust with your prospects and customers by doing what you say you’ll do and being who you say you are.

2. Be senior-friendly

This is about more than offering a senior discount, though that’s a start. Be easy to understand. Use plain English, not jargon and technical terms that make seniors feel left out. Make all of your documents easy to read, with high-contrast colors or black type on white and easy-to read type. The best type-styles for seniors are 12 or 14 point sans-serif styles like Arial and Verdana. Make sure your website is easy to read and easy to navigate, and that it contains the information you want to convey, based on your goals. If you have an office or store, provide clear directions on your website and over the phone. Make sure your building provides ample parking near the door, and that there is a clear, obstacle-free path from the parking lot to the door. Provide comfortable seating and plenty of light. Gear everything you do to making things easy for seniors, including everything they’re required to read, write, or do.

3. Be accessible and helpful

Provide information about your field that seniors can use. You can put this information on your website or blog and share it on social media. Publish a free newsletter, either print or email, that answers seniors’ most common questions and fills them in on new developments and information they may not know. Teach a class or seminar, or offer free consultations. Use any means possible to position yourself as knowledgeable, accessible and helpful. Become the go-to person for anything related to your field.

4. Communicate well

The most important thing to remember here is that seniors don’t respond well to interruption marketing, and will probably reach out to you after seeing your website or social media. “In your face” advertising doesn’t work with seniors, but interaction works very well. Create a website with informative, useful content. Consider writing a blog several times a week. Use social media to reach out to seniors in your market. Make your print communication informative and useful, not just marketing-oriented. If you reach out and interact rather than interrupting, seniors will respond.

5. Use community outreach to build relationships

This may include speaking at libraries or local senior groups. Consider speaking at local companies to provide information that employees might share with their parents and grandparents. Guest blog on senior-related blogs. Volunteer at senior-oriented charities. Network with people who can help you reach out through community organizations. The more visible you make yourself in the community, the more seniors will trust you and think of you first.

These tips will help you market much more effectively to seniors and reach your marketing goals for this market.

About the Author: Tom Demers writes for Assisted Living Today, a leading source of information on senior care providing a directory of assisted living facilities in PA..

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