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When I was hired to handle content for a leading medical alert provider back in 2013, I recognized that I had an uphill climb ahead of me. At that time, marketing to seniors was based mostly on creating fear: he worst will happen if you don't purchase this product!
Although I hadn't spent much time in the senior industry, I had spent enough time with my grandparents to know that was a really outdated and presumptive way to talk to an entire population of people. It was my belief then, and remains my belief now, that no demographic is one-dimensional. People are nuanced and your marketing has to reflect that, especially when your audience is made up of senior citizens.
Aim To Educate
Education is one of the first steps anyone is going take in the buying process. Present evidence as part of your marketing strategy---in the form of testimonials, data, or product demonstrations---to explain to your audience why they should make a purchase with you. You can even branch out beyond the reach of your specific product or service, educating seniors on topics that are parallel to your product, and relevant to them. If a potential customer can walk away from a digital or in-person experience with you or your brand and feel as though they have gained something, you should consider it a win.
Show Your Value
People and brands who use fear in order to inspire you to take some sort of action are coming from a place of weakness. When you are selling a valuable product, you don't have to do much aside from show people how they would benefit from making a purchase with you. When you come from an authentic place, you build more trust with your audience. Find different ways to show your value, and be open to using different mediums to do it. Although you would assume that many seniors might not be very tech-savvy, recent data actually proves otherwise. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of people aged 65 spend time online and 42 percent have smartphones. As a result, don't shy away from using video to promote your value, because it could prove to be quite fruitful for your bottom line.
Display Empathy
Many marketers have a one-dimensional view of senior audiences because they don't actually know or spend time with many seniors. Get to know your audience as more than just a dataset--take it offline and spend time with them in real life. Aside from the fact that spending a day volunteering with older adults or with a grandparent you haven't seen in a while can be rewarding in and of itself, you also might be surprised at what you discover just by engaging and listening. By gaining a deeper understanding of who your audience is, you'll be able to create a more authentic, more empathetic marketing experience for them down the road.
Beyond Senior Marketing
While they are geared towards seniors, all of the above tips can apply quite generally to your approach to marketing for any demographic. The key to making a strong connection with your audience is truly understanding who they are and what motivates them.
If you need help crafting your content strategy in a way that better resonates with your audience---senior or otherwise---contact HYC today for a free consultation.