Marketing to Baby Boomers, Part 4-- What It Means to You
What Does this Mean for You? What does this mean for a small business owner? For starters, you need to start marketing to Baby Boomers if you aren't already doing so.
Boomers are currently the only age demographic that's growing in size.
Baby Boomers make up about a third of the adult population--which mean one out of every three of your potential customers could be a Boomer.
If you're only targeting 18-49 year olds, you could be missing out on thousands, even millions, of customers.
Stick with the Tried & True Don't get swept up in the media "flavor of the day.
" Baby Boomers have been marketed to more than any generation.
They know all the marketing tricks, and they're not going to be fooled by any of them.
As mentioned above, they want choices.
They also want the best possible information to help them make the right choices.
That means you need to give them more information than a 30-second sound byte.
Believe it or not, a well-done infomercial or long-copy ad will probably do the trick, by giving Baby Boomers enough information to make an informed decision about your product.
New methods like blogging or podcasting may also appeal to Boomers, if you make the most of those media by conveying meaningful information.
Get Boomer Input If it takes a thief to catch a thief, it may take a Boomer to market to a Boomer.
There are lots of talented marketers in Generations X and Y, but they may not understand the needs and perceptions of the Baby Boomers.
To pinpoint Boomers' emotional hot buttons, you should consult with, or if possible, hire, someone from the Baby Boomer generation.
At the very least, do your homework on Boomer preferences by using focus groups or other information-gathering methods.
Specialized Products We've already said that Boomers want products tailored to their needs.
They want clothing somewhere between skimpy 20-something clothes and what their father or mother wears--something that fits their lifestyle and size.
They may not give up their SUVs, but that doesn't mean they don't want all the amenities of the luxury sedan many people expect them to buy.
Other products need to fit their lifestyles and needs: electronics, entertainment, portion sizes in restaurants and packaged foods, and more.
Make it an Experience Many Boomers are looking for experiences, not things.
To market a product as an experience, you need to position it as what Brent Green calls a "reflection of unique psychological encounters.
" That's a fancy way of saying your product, or the buying experience, needs to engage Boomers on a personal level to create memories and rich sensations.
Offer Quality of Life According to Chuck Nyren, author of Advertising to Baby Boomers, you don't need to sell Boomers the promise of longevity.
They know they're not going to live forever.
What they do insist on, though, is that the quality of their lives is as good as possible.
If you show Boomers the ways your product or service will improve their quality of life, they'll be more likely to buy from you.
For Pete's Sake, Don't Call Them "Old" Finally, Boomers aren't going to be wooed by any imagery that associates them with "old.
" I know, I just said they know they won't live forever.
They do know that, and they don't really want anyone to sugarcoat the realities of aging.
Since many do view themselves as younger than their calendar years, though, it's important to depict Boomers in your marketing as active, energetic and engaged in life--not as geriatrics with one foot in the proverbial grave.
By appealing to the energy and vitality of the Boomer generation, you'll create an energetic and vital business for yourself for years to come.
Boomers are currently the only age demographic that's growing in size.
Baby Boomers make up about a third of the adult population--which mean one out of every three of your potential customers could be a Boomer.
If you're only targeting 18-49 year olds, you could be missing out on thousands, even millions, of customers.
Stick with the Tried & True Don't get swept up in the media "flavor of the day.
" Baby Boomers have been marketed to more than any generation.
They know all the marketing tricks, and they're not going to be fooled by any of them.
As mentioned above, they want choices.
They also want the best possible information to help them make the right choices.
That means you need to give them more information than a 30-second sound byte.
Believe it or not, a well-done infomercial or long-copy ad will probably do the trick, by giving Baby Boomers enough information to make an informed decision about your product.
New methods like blogging or podcasting may also appeal to Boomers, if you make the most of those media by conveying meaningful information.
Get Boomer Input If it takes a thief to catch a thief, it may take a Boomer to market to a Boomer.
There are lots of talented marketers in Generations X and Y, but they may not understand the needs and perceptions of the Baby Boomers.
To pinpoint Boomers' emotional hot buttons, you should consult with, or if possible, hire, someone from the Baby Boomer generation.
At the very least, do your homework on Boomer preferences by using focus groups or other information-gathering methods.
Specialized Products We've already said that Boomers want products tailored to their needs.
They want clothing somewhere between skimpy 20-something clothes and what their father or mother wears--something that fits their lifestyle and size.
They may not give up their SUVs, but that doesn't mean they don't want all the amenities of the luxury sedan many people expect them to buy.
Other products need to fit their lifestyles and needs: electronics, entertainment, portion sizes in restaurants and packaged foods, and more.
Make it an Experience Many Boomers are looking for experiences, not things.
To market a product as an experience, you need to position it as what Brent Green calls a "reflection of unique psychological encounters.
" That's a fancy way of saying your product, or the buying experience, needs to engage Boomers on a personal level to create memories and rich sensations.
Offer Quality of Life According to Chuck Nyren, author of Advertising to Baby Boomers, you don't need to sell Boomers the promise of longevity.
They know they're not going to live forever.
What they do insist on, though, is that the quality of their lives is as good as possible.
If you show Boomers the ways your product or service will improve their quality of life, they'll be more likely to buy from you.
For Pete's Sake, Don't Call Them "Old" Finally, Boomers aren't going to be wooed by any imagery that associates them with "old.
" I know, I just said they know they won't live forever.
They do know that, and they don't really want anyone to sugarcoat the realities of aging.
Since many do view themselves as younger than their calendar years, though, it's important to depict Boomers in your marketing as active, energetic and engaged in life--not as geriatrics with one foot in the proverbial grave.
By appealing to the energy and vitality of the Boomer generation, you'll create an energetic and vital business for yourself for years to come.
