A lot of times older audiences are removed from digital marketing focus with their potential business value due ineffective historical campaigns and data. According to Search Engine Journal, a quarter of the 75+ audience uses tablets and half of the 65-74 year olds have social media profiles. It is time to include the senior population in marketing campaigns and have sufficient marketing data for the senior population. The image below from a Search Engine Journal article shows the age group and their media usage:
This shows marketers that there is direct access to older audiences through mobile/smartphone marketing and social media marketing. The use of mobile phones, tablets, and other technology is high amongst the age group over 50 and growing every year. Ofcom’s report also states that, “The propensity to explore online decreases with age; 30% of internet users aged 16-24 say they have used lots of websites or apps they’ve not used before and this drops to 10% of those aged 55+.” Seniors are considered more loyal and are less likely to explore. Experiences matter the most with older audiences so it is important to focus on the person being targeted with customer service, personal contact and traditional communication.
There are many approaches that can be incorporated into marketing campaigns to target the senior audience: Keeping marketing messaging consistent and easy to digest is, including more offline media and traditional marketing like flyers, discount codes, catalogs, and making the benefits of the product or service clear. Seniors play a critical role in the marketing community and it is a priority to focus on this demographic.
