Online Marketing Strategy for Baby Boomer Customers

Gaping Hole in Online Marketing to Baby Boomers

19 June 2008 25 Comments

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When you’re designing and adding content to your web site, consider the age group you want to reach. If your target market consists of individuals 45 and older, take a look at the following statistics from a recent Burst Media survey. (Stats are rounded.)

80% of those age 18-34 say web sites are designed for them, but that percentage decreases until only 35% of the 45-54 age segment, and 20% of the 55 and older group, feel sites are designed for people their age. Lest you think older people aren’t using the Internet much, almost 50% of the 55+ users said if they were unable to access the Internet their daily lives would be significantly disrupted.

The percentage is even more dismal when it comes to the focus of online advertising. The 45+ crowd surveyed said only 17% of it is designed for them. This means the population with the most disposable income is being overlooked by online advertisers.

70% of adults age 50 to 64 are online, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 80% of them are on broadband, and their overall usage patterns mirror other age segments.

Internet marketers and advertisers must realize that the Baby Boomers and older individuals, who comprise a full third of the U.S. population and control over 83% of consumer spending, are rapidly integrating the Internet into their lives. In fact, Boomers have been at the forefront of technology for years – they invented a lot of it!

Baby Boomer Online Spending

The Internet is the most important source of information for Baby Boomers when they make a major marketing purchase, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang). Adults 50+ spend an average of $7 billion online annually (SeniorNet), and 42% of all travel industry purchases happen online, with adults 50+ accounting for 80% of all luxury travel spending (Pew Internet and American Life Project).

By 2010, adults 45-years-old and older will out-spend younger adults by $1 trillion annually.
In 2004, people aged 50 and older spent an average of 48% of their family’s budget on “nonessentials” (Bureau of Labor).
50% of baby boomers plan to buy a new home after retirement (Del Webb Survey).

Designing Sites for an Older Demographic

Larger, darker fonts, higher color contrast, simple design, and consistent layout will encourage older visitors to stay on a site.

Since the type of content individuals seek varies by age group, a site’s content should be created around their interests:

Age 18-34

Entertainment info 45%

Local/national news 40%

Online games 38%

Shopping/product info 36%

Info for work 35%

Social networks, forums and blogs 31%

Age 35-54

Local/national news 54%

Shopping/product info 45%

Info for work 43%

Health info 37%

Entertainment info 37%

Travel info 34%

Age 55+

Local/national news 60%

Shopping/product info 44%

Health info 43%

International news 39%

Travel info 38%

Food information/recipes 34%

If your target market consists of this Baby Boomer and older demographic, and you want their business, you can’t afford to ignore their wants and needs. Baby boomer spending is expected to surpass $4.6 trillion by 2015.

Tags: advertising, baby boomers, content, online marketing, seo

http://www.carolstanley1.com carol stanley

WEll this does tell the story…Do not underestimate the spending power of seniors…Esp. today..when gas is high and it is so easy to order things online.,,,This could be a hayday for advertisers on line..So everyone lets get on the bandwagon…Carol Stanley carolstanley1.com “FOr Kids 59.99 and Over”
Rita

Thanks for the helpful information on boomer markets and spending. I write blogs to have a conversation with boomer consumers on how they can make the best use of their money so they can get what they want in their lives. Remember, boomer consumers like to make educated, informed choices,

I write a boomer consumer blog called The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com and a reader blog called the Boomer Consumer for the Seattle Post Intelligencer at http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/boomerconsumer/.

Rita
http://www.neworleanscondotrends.com Eric- New Orleans Co

This makes sense. I tend to get people of all ages and most of them can afford something in terms of buying. I am extremely lucky in attracting the cleints I do. Most come from the website and hoping some will be soon coming from the new blog I started this year.
http://www.seodiva.net/ SEO Diva

@Carol – yes, more people will be buying on line than ever before.
@Rita – thanks for the links to your blogs. I’m going to visit both of them.

@Eric – The statistic that impressed me was that 50% of baby boomers plan to buy a new home after retirement – that’s something to go after!
http://www.directsaleswebmarketing.com/speed-writi Dennis Edell

Now this is what I call an “action provoking” post! The ideas are flyin now
http://www.socialmediamarketingbuzz.com social media

Wow. This is a really great article and really does get you thinking about targeting the different audiences. I know my site http://www.socialmediamarketingbuzz.com is more focused on the younger generation who’s more in tune with social media, but now I’m thinking I’ll take this information and put it to use on a new website and target the baby boomers.

Thanks Diva!
http://www.mobilclub.org/ Robert Stout

Marvelous, the idea of targeting on baby boomers is really fresh one. Thanks
Pingback: Does Your Niche Market Include Baby Boomers? | Beyond Niche Marketing
http://seowebtips.com/ SEO tips

Well, that’s a nice and very comprehensive post there SEO Diva. Never really thought about this but if your statistics are correct, then there really is some great empty space with huge potential in Internet waters.

Speaking personally, even though I am a member of a very young generation (just entering into early twenties), I don’t like “over-designed” and “full of web 2.0 features” websites. I prefer websites with simple design and easy and straightforward navigation. I guess I am just an exception because most of my mates don’t share my opinions.

Keep up the good work
HAck Windows XP

Hi Diva, May be youngsters are targeted because they buy without much thinking
http://www.sunsecurity.com/ security cameras dir

Very well said. I think you have gather these informations after deep researches and analysis. Thanks for sharing and keep this good work dear. I will think about it and make the most of it so as to apply it to my website system to attract more youngsters.
http://www.tea-world-tour.de tea friend

Great article. I think keep thinks as simple as possible is always a smart decision regardless of the age of visitors.
http://blog.holiday-trips.co.uk Toddler Tim

Those are some startling numbers. I always knew the baby boomers had the highest disposable income, but I did not know that, that many of them where serious computer users. Thanks for the information.
http://www.seodiva.net Seo Diva

@Dennis – I hope it encourages people to think more about their market.
@Chadwyk – I don’t think they need to be “senior-centric” so much as not totally youth oriented. I’m a “senior” and trust me, I can keep up with the 20-somethings around me.
@Social Media – again, I don’t think baby boomers need separate web sites; their needs should be kept in mind while creating any web site.
@Robert – lol we’ve been around for awhile, but it does seem to be a new idea to lots of people.
@Seo Tips – I think the Web 2.0 sites have their place, but a good business site knows their target and caters to it, and typically the simpler sites do better economically because they encompass a larger audience.
http://www.seodiva.net Seo Diva

@Hack Windows – true, but they don’t have a lot of extra money, typically. They have to get it from their baby boomer parents
@Security Cameras – thanks!
@tea friend – I agree
@Toddler Tim – some have been intimidated by the Internet, especially the oldest of the boomer demographic, but many of them are becoming computer savvy also.
http://www.clarkcountyexpert.com John, Camas Homes

Kay, as a boomer myself I can see that site design for boomers is not always a top consideration. Too often I see small fonts, and cluttered sites that aren’t appealing when they are difficult to read. At this age we also want larger computer screen sizes to make the photos and type larger, and not to show more clutter!
http://optempo.com Frank C

I’d point out that the term ‘Baby Boomers’ is often misapplied to people born between 1954 through 1965. Marketing to this generation, often referred to as “Generation Jones”, is different from the older Boomers.

http://www.seodiva.net Seo Diva

@Frank – I would agree they’re a subset of the Baby Boomers. They probably are more tech-savvy. Anyway, you make an interesting point and now I’m off in a new direction! Thanks for your comment.

http://www.squidoo.com/surveyadventurescam Survey Adventure

At the moment my marketing tactics are all launched at males between the age of 18-30 and single mothers between 25-50 through various work at home programs, interesting statistics though in case I ever decide to try to expand to new markets.
http://www.life-senior-insurance.com SeniorLife Insurance

Interesting stats. If you’re not marketing to us senior folks, you’re missing the boat by a wide margin.
http://adegadabarra.com baby blog

Today I was searching for blogs related to Web Promotion and specifically global seo search engine placement optimization services seo and I found your related blog.

baby blogs last blog post..Stock Market- Are you using THE DOUBLE BOTTOM
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http://df-unemployed-and-over-fifty.blogspot.com/ David Stillwagon

I’m surprised that the over 45 demographic spends more that the under 45 crowd. If that is the case then the marketing industry doesn’t seem focused on the right advertising.

David Stillwagons last blog post..unemployed and over fifty news, March 18th
Shane

Nice Article. Understanding and focusing on the right demographic is essential. It may also be worth contacting a Digital Agency, to assist with Digital Media & Marketing activities. They can point you in the right direction in who to specifically target, and how best to attract these visitors.
http://phoneservice.tblog.com/ Phone service

That seems to make sense. The baby boomers have more money so they can buy more. I think as time goes on more and more will be bought by the baby boomers online. They also buy things that cost more so you should make more money off them.

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