7 Tips for Marketing Your Content to Baby Boomers (And Why You Should) More often than not, they are your ideal customer.
By Syed Balkhi Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Many new businesses and startups are making the decision to not promote their business to baby boomers. As a result, they are missing out on an opportunity to reach an audience of more than 76 million people in the U.S. alone.
Whenever we hear the term baby boomers, our minds immediately think of grandmas and grandpas living in retirement. But it's actually quite the opposite. According to studies, many baby boomers are now launching startups and becoming entrepreneurs instead of retiring. In fact, 23 percent of entrepreneurs in 2014 were older than 55. This is exactly why B2B marketers should have a content marketing strategy targeting baby boomers. They are your ideal customers.
If you don't already have a marketing plan for baby boomers, we have a few tips that will help you get started.
1. Use proper formatting.
Whether you're marketing to baby boomers or teenagers, your content should always have proper formatting that's suitable for each audience. You need to pay special attention to your content design when your audience is baby boomers.
Related: Have You Heard? Millennials Aren't the Only Ones Out There.
The font size is the first thing that you need to focus on when creating your content. Majority of baby boomers now prefer smartphones and tablets over laptops. According to an AARP study, 73 percent of people age 50-59 and 54 percent of people age 60-69 own a smartphone.
You need to pay close attention to how your content and text appear on mobile devices. Make sure to use the right font size to make your content easier to read across all devices.
2. Avoid abbreviations.
Baby boomers are an experienced crowd. But you shouldn't assume they know everything. When using abbreviations and tech terms in your content, you should at least consider explaining those abbreviations to ensure your audience fully understands your intentions. This rule also applies to slang terms and pop-culture references. Avoid using them altogether if it doesn't add any value to your content. Otherwise, it will only confuse your audience.
3. Come up with catchy headlines.
Baby boomers are too smart for your regular clickbait article headlines. They will rarely fall for such topics. Instead, use more economical and relevant headlines for your blog posts to attract a smarter crowd. For example, baby boomers will certainly be interested in headlines like "Business Advice From Bill Gates" or "7 Tips For Restaurant Owners" since they can easily relate to them.
Related: Seniors in Emerging Markets Represent Huge Opportunity for Innovative Entrepreneurs
4. Facebook versus Instagram.
Focusing on creating content for Facebook would be the best strategy to reach boomers. According to a survey conducted by Olapic, 90 percent of baby boomers prefer Facebook over Instagram.
Keep in mind that your content formatting and abbreviations practices also apply to social media content as well. You should avoid using too many hashtags in your social media posts because 50 percent of boomers admit to never using hashtags.
5. Don't make them feel old.
The one mistake most marketers make when reaching baby boomers is being condescending in content marketing. If you talk down to your audience, assuming they know nothing about latest technologies or trends, you will only end up offending them.
Treat them as equals instead of making them feel irrelevant. Don't over-explain every trend or tech term you use in your content. Don't oversimplify your content like you're talking to children. Simply make them feel like they're part of your own generation.
6. Create more blog posts and videos.
The Olapic survey also found that baby boomers are interested in written content and video content. This gives you the opportunity to invest more in creating blog posts, ebooks and videos. When creating videos, you can use different strategies, like explainer videos and whiteboard videos, to make them easier to understand -- while also promoting your products in a friendly way. These videos will also help make your content and landing pages more effective.
Related: 5 Tips for Writing an Awesome Blog Post
7. Make clear promises.
Things can get tricky if you're promoting a product or a service through your content because baby boomers can often misunderstand the promises you make.
So, make promises. But, also make your promises clear enough to understand. If you're going to promote a product that helps boomers grow their online sales by 50 percent, explain the necessary steps required to achieve that.
Conclusion.
Remember, baby boomers are a well-educated and experienced audience. Your content should be developed in a way that doesn't treat them like beginners.
Take advantage of your email list segments to get a better understanding of the interests of your baby boomers. Learn if they're single, grandparents, business owners or artists to create more personalized content to target the right audience.
