10 Effective Marketing Tactics That Target Baby Boomers

Generational marketing is an approach in which marketers target a specific generation of people based on their similarities and dissimilarities. Knowing how to target each generational group will allow you to increase conversions, brand awareness, and sales. In addition, it’s an excellent way to strategically approach your audience by understanding where to find your audience and what type of content to offer them. In this article, we’ll guide you to effectively marketing to the second-largest generation in the nation – baby boomers.

Who Are Baby Boomers?

Over 71 million people fall into the generation of baby boomers born between the early to mid-1940s and the mid-1960s, the country’s largest generation after millennials and the second largest segment of consumers.

Baby boomers hold $2.6 trillion in buying power and are one of the wealthiest generations, so no wonder brands want to target boomers in their marketing strategies.

However, approaching boomers online can get tricky. They grew up without technology and the internet; therefore, they have a different approach to online shopping and consuming online content than younger generations. As a result, something that’d attract your millennial prospect will be left unnoticed by a boomer and vice versa. Therefore, it’s essential to understand the tactics to target baby boomers successfully so that you can grab their attention.

1. Create Video Content

Baby boomers grew up in the television age, and for most of them, watching TV used to be their favorite pastime activity, even though there’re weren’t too many available channels or TV shows back then. To watch, they needed to be there at the specific time when it was broadcasted; otherwise, they’d miss the episode.

Fast forward to today, now boomers can rewatch their favorite shows online at any time they’d like, even from a mobile device. The freedom that came with the birth of the video-sharing platform YouTube is something a young boomer wouldn’t have imagined back in the 20th century, so unsurprisingly, it soon became their favorite place to watch content.

More than 65% of boomers now watch YouTube videos, and it’s a great place to reach them. One in three boomers say they use YouTube to learn about a product or service, so educational videos such as using different products are a must in your marketing plan. Show how your product can solve their problem or service make their life easier in your YouTube videos.

2. Write A Blog

Although younger generations may find visual content more appealing than text and may have made you rethink your entire marketing strategy, about 60% of baby boomers still spend time reading blogs and online articles as a source of information. A blog on your website is an excellent way to grab boomers’ attention and gain their trust.

3. SEO and Google Paid Search

Most boomers, 96% of them, use search engines to find information, and optimizing your website for search engines is how you can appear in their search queries. SEO is crucial for a marketing plan of any kind, regardless of generation, and can bring astonishing results for your brand’s success. Because SEO can take time to drive results, you can use Google Paid Search to Get in the front row of your customers’ search queries while waiting for your SEO outcomes.  Here you can choose to only pay for results, like clicks to your website or calls you receive, so Google Paid Search is a cost-effective advertising model.

4. Include Facebook in Your Marketing Strategy

Boomers are influenced by what they see on social media. More than half of them will visit a company website or continue searching on a search engine after seeing information on a social platform. In addition, 78% of boomers use Facebook, so it’s a great place to reach them. Although the generation loves YouTube, 43% prefer to watch videos on Facebook, so it’s another outlet for your video content. Here you can use a combination of images, written posts, videos, and Facebook stories to engage with boomers. Baby boomers are 19% more likely to share content on social media than any other demographic, so social media posts are a great way to increase brand awareness amongst this generation. However, social media ads should remain off the table when targeting baby boomers, as they are least likely to trust social media ads for recommendations when shopping online.

5. Collaborate with Boomer Influencers

Influencer marketing is a highly effective way of promoting your products and services to baby boomers when done right. Online influencers can affect shoppers’ decisions, and you can use this marketing channel to reach baby boomers but choose the influencer accordingly. A teen with thousands of followers with gaming content won’t be perfect for targeting your wellness products to older generations. You’ll need to find influencers relevant to what you sell, are part of the generation or have many followers from that age group.

Boomers are active on social media, especially on two platforms – Facebook and YouTube so these are the best places to collaborate with boomer influencers.  In addition, boomers have a long attention span so that influencers can create long-form videos and written content for the generation. Nowadays, 49% of consumers depend on influencer recommendations, and influencer marketing campaigns bring $6.50 for every dollar spent, so when done right, it’s a great channel to target boomers.

6. Use Traditional Marketing Methods

Although boomers are online, 93% of them still read a magazine or newspaper, and although you may see it as outdated, boomers show more trust in print advertising than online ads. Advertising to boomers through traditional media like newspapers and magazines can get costly but may bring more revenue than digital ads.

Direct mail has always been a part of the baby boomer generation’s life, and sometimes it’s how they received their credit cards or important information. Per “Review of Mail Moments,” 88% of boomers take time to look through the mail, and if your promotional letter ends up there, you may increase the chances of boomers trusting your business. In addition, direct mail response rates are five to nine times higher than any other advertising channel, so it’s a great way to spread the word about your products and services amongst boomers.

7. Email Marketing

Email marketing is a marketing channel bringing the highest ROI and an excellent way to engage with more boomers in your audience. Boomers are least likely to multitask while checking their inboxes, so they are more likely to read your messages.  In your emails, you can promote your products or services, send out your blogs and content, or take shoppers to the final stage of making a purchase. Additionally, 95% of boomers use email, so email is one of the most effective ways to connect with them.

8. Use Coupons and Discount Codes

Shoppers look for coupons everywhere before completing a purchase, and boomers are no exception. The majority of the generation expects some level of a discount before making a purchase. Because they grew up on coupons and newspaper inserts, they are more likely to redeem a coupon they receive from a brand. Providing baby boomers with discounts coupons that are easy to find and use may encourage them to complete purchases.

Per the report from coupon distributor Valassis in 2019, almost all US internet users use coupons, and 45% use them at least frequently.

9. Focus on Customer Service

Baby boomers prefer personal engagement and one-on-one interactions, whether over the phone, in-person, through email, or online chat. Ensure to provide an excellent customer experience and answer boomers’ questions when they need assistance during shopping. Automated bots or FAQ pages won’t impress them more than actual conversations.

10. Be Straightforward

Baby boomers like to do their research before making purchases. Even if you try hard to sell your products to them with a fabulous copy, it might not do the job as well as honest, detailed information about your product and what it can do for them. When promoting your products to baby boomers, try to show the value of your product without being pushy. Make your content as clear and straightforward as possible and clarify how the product could improve consumers’ lives.