Marketing to Baby Boomers - Doing It Their Way

Baby Boomers – Doing It Their Way

27 May 2009 21 Comments

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Every once in a while I like to revisit the issue that although Baby Boomers have the most disposable income, only 10% of marketing efforts are targeted to that demographic. Perhaps it’s because I’m a Baby Boomer.

Marketing to Baby Boomers A lot of online marketers are totally missing a huge segment of potential customers. Keep in mind this group has $2.3 trillion in disposable income and in 2004, people aged 50 and older spent an average of 47.6 percent of their family’s budget on “nonessentials” (Bureau of Labor). These numbers are staggering for online marketers.

I came across a blog (and site) that talks a lot about marketing specifically to Baby Boomers; it has a lot of valuable info on it that you can take away for marketing your products.

Vim, Vigor and Vassolo makes some interesting points that need to be considered when marketing to Baby Boomers:

Every Baby Boomer thinks he or she can make a difference
They care about others
They care more about substance than trendiness
Boomers don’t feel old and expect to live forever
They’re confidant and know who they are
They want to feel fully alive and connected
They’re willing to pay a premium for quality
Baby Boomers expect r-e-s-p-e-c-t

If you’re a young marketer that assumes the world of ecommerce looks like you, you need to realign your thinking.

If you’re selling your own products, give some thought as to how they will appeal to the Baby Boomer segment of the population.

By targeting the people with the most money to spend you’re bound to increase sales and ROI.

http://www.1weddingsource.com/store wedding favors

Here is the definition I got from Wikipedia – “Baby Boom Generation is a term which portrays a generation born during the middle part of the 20th Century. The birth years of the Baby Boom Generation are the subject of controversy. Historically, everyone born during the post-World War II demographic boom in births was called part of the Baby Boom Generation. However, as numerous experts have pointed out, generations have traditionally been based on the shared formative experiences of its members; this was the only time a generation had been named by the fertility rates of its members’ parents”.

Yes I think our marketers will come to realize the potential market in Baby Boomers as this market offer opportunity for income and ROI.
http://www.directsaleswebmarketing.com/ Dennis Edell

Got any good tips on finding them?

Dennis Edells last blog post..Would Even The Slightest Hint Of Porn Stop You From Advertising?
http://www.dcadvocate.com/ Grand Rapids, MI

I find most of the clients I deal with wanting custom websites that are realistic about pricing are baby boomers. If they are a little older they might not believe internet marketing or great web design has any value. If they are younger they have friends who say “Oh I can do that $2,000 job for a hundred bucks” and they usually are full of hot air.

http://www.frederickwebpromotions.com David Bruce Jr

What you just said mirrors what I see here in Frederick Maryland.

the “youngins” are so sure Internet Marketing has seen it’s best days and no longer is worth doing (based solely on the fact that they wouldn’t pay for it so it must follow that no one else would either)

The over 60 crowd still thinks “Advertising” means Newspaper, TV and/ or Radio and are totally suspicious of what they don’t understand.

The baby boomers are realistic but they want the lowest bang for the buck or it’s no deal.

Interestingly when I charged under $500 per company for local SEO I had almost no takers.
I raised my fee to $1500 annually and my phone is ringing off the hook.
My competitors charge $1000 a month leaving the small business field to me (all by my lonesome:)

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Such a great post breaking down how to effectively market to baby boomers. Quality definitely is the most important thing to them over trends and flashiness.
http://www.homecareprofile.com/services/arizona.ht Arizona home health

All the baby boomers I know have kids in college. They don’t have spending money, especially in times like these. Regards!
http://www.logicbright.com Contact Manager

I agree that this demographic is typically neglected and it is probably because when people think of online marketing and social networking trends they think of Gen X or Y and the people in charge of the campaigns are probably Gen Xers as well…
http://www.50ToDeath.com Joan Barber

I was very glad to read in this post that someone is aware we Baby Boomers think of ourselves as caring, substantive, deserving of respect, confident and fully alive. One thing that was left out is “able to laugh at ourselves.” “50ToDeath” is a comedic web series dedicated to proving that very point. You can find us on facebook or by just “googling” our name. We’d love to have you join us in “jousting with the 21st century” laughing all the way.
http://www.neworleanscondotrends.com Eric Bouler

Being a Boomer, we may not listen and want to do our own thing. I want to spend the way I like and do things that I enjoy doing. It may not effect the Boomer generation as much as others.

Eric Boulers last blog post..New Orleans Condos-The Studio condos, are they good buys?
http://coolproducts.com Cool Gifts

Very true. I’ve done quite a bit of research on marketing to baby boomers, women specifically. It’s overwhelming how much disposable income they have. You also have to consider that they’re generally the ones making the purchasing decisions for holidays and special occasions.
http://mattressmaven.co.uk Mattress Maven

I think there’s always a tendency to develop and design products around young and apparently tech-savvy people but by doing this I’d have to agree – marketers are definitely missing out on a very lucrative demographic.

Perhaps there’s an opportunity there for online companies to offer more eco-friendly or even charity elements to their products at a slight price premium.

Mattress Mavens last blog post..Most Popular Sealy Mattresses
http://www.the-student-loans.co.cc/ student loan Guide

As SEO diva, you are really Baby Boomers with huge respects from me

student loan Guides last blog post..Medical Students Loan Repayment Options
http://www.keyword-research.info Keyword Research Service

I think a lot of online marketers just don’t know how to go after different demographics. They just market their product or service in the language and style they feel will be best for the masses. It is tough to drive or separate traffic by a demographic like age. There are likely far more young people in online marketing too. So there are less online marketers that actually think the same way or visit the same kinds of sites as baby boomers.
http://www.trade-show-guru.com/about/ Trade Show Guru

hey Kay,
Where do you get the 10% figure? It seems that eventually marketers who stay in business go where the money is. Those that don’t, don’t stay in business. That said, I do think our culture likes to focus on the “youth” more than us crotchety old f a r t s. Don’t know why…
~ Steve, the crotchety old trade show guru

Trade Show Gurus last blog post..The Dirty Little Secret to Designing Great Trade Show Exhibits

http://www.seodiva.net Seo Diva

@Steve – you would call me on that! I don’t remember; it’s a bandied-about number, but I did find it in a marketing report. It seems odd to me that a lot of the marketing I see ignores the facts and and presents an ideal world that most of us don’t live in. Oh well, I’ve been a little bitter since Twiggy.

http://amberalertgps.livejournal.com/ Tracy

There is not a lot of online marketing to this age group. But then it seems like more than half of the baby boomers I know are not that internet savvy. Many are the type that still pay with checks and go to the store to get it. Maybe that is why they are being overlooked.

Tracys last blog post..Avoiding Overuse Of A Massage Chair
http://www.trade-show-guru.com/about/ Trade Show Guru

hi Kay,
LOL at Twiggy!
You wrote: “It seems odd to me that a lot of the marketing I see ignores the facts and and presents an ideal world that most of us don’t live in.”
I couldn’t agree more. Most older people I talk to say the viagra TV ads they see are a perfect example of that “ideal world”. Actually, most TV ads in general are a perfect example…
~ Steve, the trade show guru
PS. I wonder if mentioning the word viagra will get this comment thrown in moderation?

Trade Show Gurus last blog post..The Dirty Little Secret to Designing Great Trade Show Exhibits

http://www.seodiva.net Seo Diva

@Steve – nope, showed right up in comments. I think you have to spell it VI@GRA for Askimet to catch it lol!

http://www.lets-do-diy.com DIY

There are some staggering stats. This is a group definitely worth marketing at.

DIYs last blog post..Philips LED lamps mark a new era in home lighting
http://www.dentalproductshopper.com/ dental products

Your post really shows that baby boomers are also important to internet marketers. Those are really useful tips to all internet marketers to effectively dealt with baby boomers.

kim
http://www.pat-pro.co.uk/ PAT Testing

@dental products – your right about this showing the importance to internet marketers.
A great post