How to Market to Baby Boomers on Facebook

The years 1946 to 1964 mark the baby boomer generation. As this generation hits retirement age, baby boomers have high disposable income. However, they use less technology than other living generations--and since they spend less time online, a meme probably won't grab their attention.

To learn how to market to baby boomers on Facebook, consider their generation's history, values, and desires. Make your product seem innovative yet familiar to them. After working for decades, they're ready to enjoy retirement, and your business will help them get there.

How to Market to Baby Boomers on Facebook

Before you start, review your business listings to ensure the information is accurate. Ensure your business Name, Address, Phone (NAP), and Website URL are correct across the web. Afterward, set up a Facebook account for your business. Since baby boomers use Facebook more than other social media platforms, you'll reach the largest section of your audience.

Highlight the Prices

Unlike younger generations, baby boomers aren't impulsive buyers. Baby boomers saved for retirement for decades. Now that they're finally retiring, they want to spend their money wisely. They search for deals and research competitors before buying anything to ensure they get the best possible price.

When you market to baby boomers, highlight the price, so they know exactly how much they're paying. Place deals front-and-center to encourage them to buy before the sale ends. Displaying the price shows customers that you're not trying to trick them because they're "old." You know that you have the best price, and you trust them to make the right decision.

Make Them Feel Youthful

No one ever feels "old." Even if you present it in a lighthearted manner, reminding baby boomers that they're "old" makes them get defensive. Everyone wants to think they're in their prime because Western society looks down on aging. Pointing out their age also implies that you think your audience is "slow" and easily fooled.

Instead of treating baby boomers as "elderly," portray them as a generation of fit, healthy adults who stay active in their retirement years. Their lives aren't over--in fact, the best chapter of their lives is just getting started. Use pictures of active seniors in your marketing, and mention ways that they could spend time with loved ones now that they're retired.

Impart Valuable Information

Since baby boomers grew up with newspapers instead of smartphones, they're willing to wait a few seconds for the advertisement to get its point across. You'll still need to grab their attention--they have more patience, but they won't sit through a ten-minute instructional video with a sales pitch at the end. However, baby boomers value information over jokes and memes.

Engage your audience with reviews, surprising facts, product use cases, and clear, detailed information that unearths a desire that your viewers didn't know that they had. When they feel informed and confident about their purchase, they'll build positive associations with your business that creates repeat customers.

Avoid Sounding Too Stuffy

While baby boomers don't respond well to slang and memes, don't assume that you have to talk to them like 18th-century royalty. Some boomers will assume you're "talking down" to them if you sound too formal and stuffy. Others find that type of language inaccessible and look elsewhere.

Despite their age, baby boomers are still regular people living in the modern world. When appropriate, you can use contractions and conversational language in your marketing, like speaking to them in person. You can even crack the occasional joke as long as it's relevant to your audience. Baby boomers don't lack a sense of humor--they probably just won't get modern references.

Optimize Your Site for Mobile

Contrary to popular belief, the majority of baby boomers own a smartphone. Your website might look great on a desktop, but if it's not mobile-friendly, visitors will encounter crowded images, crowded text, and unclickable links. Since baby boomers are more likely to have sight and hearing problems, to begin with, they'll switch to a competitor's website instead.

Before you launch your ad campaign, ensure that your site is optimized for mobile. A responsive website loads in a fraction of a second, offers clean content blocks, and place links front and center. You could go further with a mobile app that allows customers to browse your store, watch videos, read updates, and place orders through their smartphones.

Respond to Comments and Questions

Most customers prefer talking to a real person over a bot. However, when baby boomers were growing up, "bots" didn't exist. Since many boomers struggle to adapt to new technology, this makes them even less likely to engage with businesses that don't provide real-time customer service.

Everyone jokes about the "boomer comments" that appear underneath Facebook posts, but some boomers just don't know what else to do. Respond to their comments and questions with polite, attentive customer service. If they had a bad experience, you could revive their faith in your business and prevent a bad review.

Enhance Your Local Search Business Listings

The accuracy of your business information in the local search business listings will determine your success. Most people don't go past the first few results, especially if they're in a hurry. Likewise, they'll turn to a competitor if they can't find all the information they need on your listing.

E-Marketing Associates' business listing software enables you to create, update and maintain how your business is listed on core search engines, vertical directories, geo directories, and key websites across the web.

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