With so much attention surrounding social media marketing, it's often challenging to find the best way to reach audiences that are less active on the top platforms. In particular, senior citizens tend to use the internet much differently than younger generations. This can pose challenges when marketing products that are designed for older adults. However, all hope is not lost. Not only are there ways to reach seniors online, but you can also take advantage of more traditional advertising methods to reach your target audience.
Look at Usage Statistics
Contrary to what you may believe, senior citizens are actually active online. What differentiates them from younger demographics is the fact that they use the internet quite differently. In particular, they're more likely to use social media to maintain close relationships rather than look for new brands or engage with influencers.
Digital advertising for seniors should be explanatory and detailed versus aesthetically driven and conceptual. Most seniors will go online to look up a product or service video content, infographics, and how to logs will help you reach them more effectively.
You can also focus on using video ads versus static ones, which are more attention-grabbing and have higher views and engagement rates across all platforms and age demographics.
Advertise on Television
Who says TV is dead? The streaming era may have caused viewership to decrease substantially over the last two decades, but Baby Boomers and older seniors still watch regularly. They tune into daytime TV shows and the news often, and it's still a common pastime for them to watch sports on television rather than through a streaming network.
Because of this, TV ads have a higher conversion rate for seniors 65+. If your product or service aligns with that market, consider investing in channels during peak viewing hours. Most watch television between 8:00 pm and 10:00 pm on weekdays and weekends. Statista reports that senior adults 65 and older spend over four hours per day watching TV compared to younger demographics that average two hours per day.
Know Your Audience
The likelihood that your senior market is older than you is high. Because of this, it's important for you to understand the unique values, cultural experiences and life events that have shaped consumer behavior among adults 60 and older. Finding focus groups may be difficult when these individuals tend to be less active on social media. However, you can still do plenty of research online that will help you learn more about what seniors in your audience care about, what they look for oand what platforms they turn to most often.
Brand Loyalty Is Higher Among Seniors
A major benefit of marketing to senior citizens is their brand's loyalty, once they find a company they trust, they tend to stick with them and refer them to others. However, it's important for a company to earn the trust of consumers in this age demographic. This means personalizing buying experiences, offering value up front and being clear and transparent in your offerings.
In conclusion, by leveraging unique social media marketing strategies, search engine optimization and television advertising, you can begin to reach senior citizens in today's digital world.
