Senior Commitment
Seniors may be thinking of others. A large number of seniors are committed – many passionately so – to leaving wealth, property and investments to their kids and/or grandkids. They want to be good stewards of their money. They may sacrifice, endure inconveniences, or forego desires to leave something to love ones. To be proactive in your copy, let them know it’s OK for them to consider your product or service first, especially if it can help their heirs.
Be Straightforward
Address your prospects in a straightforward manner about their concern for making a good decision. Talking down to them or in a condescending way will be an immediate turn-off. Include several mentions of your attention to customer service. Mature buyers like feeling reassured when they make a purchase. Also, including an easy money-back guarantee for a purchase will be a sure response booster.
Response by the Senior Market
The hot markets for the next 10 to 15 years for this segment of the population are service-oriented. They consist of travel, health and fitness, household services, family fun, convenience, information services, investment and financial services, safety and security. Grand parenting represents an enormous additional marketing opportunity.
Use of Graphics
In your layout, use graphics that emotionally connect with your mature prospects. Avoid stereotypical pictures that have older Americans in rocking chairs and golf courses. Use active pictures that suggest a vibrant life after 55. Pictures that include grandchildren, sporting events and travel are other response-boosting images. It’s a good rule of thumb to use pictures of people 10-15 years younger than your target audience.
Physical Limitations
Seniors have problems with physical limitations to varying degrees. For example, many have trouble with eyesight. Adjust your marketing piece by avoiding small type, crammed type and crowded copy. You’ll increase your response if you use 12-14 point type or larger in all communications. We once tested 10 point vs. 14 point in a direct mail piece… the 14 point (with identical copy) boosted response by over 18%. When designing material make the act of responding easy. For example, in direct mail you do this by simplifying the response device and providing ample room to write their name and address. Another important rule for both print and online is to avoid reverse type. Reverse type can cut your readership by a whopping 75%.
Mature Marketplace Prizes Value
Remember even retirees with a comfortable nest egg are still on fixed incomes. The mature market seeks to get the most for every dollar and make their money last. Seniors appreciate added value, special offers, coupons, free gifts, samples, and, of course, discounts. As in any direct response campaign, the offer should be related to the primary product being sold.
Skepticism
Seniors have had years and years to acquire a high level of skepticism. Prove your claim with endorsements and testimonials. And use reviews and a “star” system. Seniors love and know them. Also, use positive but realistic images rather than the more common “plastic” images of a smiling older couple.
Age Status
Some seniors feel that their age gives them status, while others feel crushed by the aging process. Be aware of perceptions as you create your advertising. Also, be aware that even though 70% of people over 70 have some sort of chronic health condition, they tend not to dwell on it, and neither should marketers.
Characteristics of the Senior Market
Seniors are resistance to change and have a strong dedication to tradition. Avoid the suggestion of change and newness as much as possible. For example, market your products as simple and something that’s need not disruptive to one’s lifestyle and something that makes life more comfortable.
Examples Instead of Statistics
Seniors are unimpressed with numbers. They are, however, impressed with examples of an individual with whom they can identify, who uses a certain product or service.
Seniors Respond to Different Mediums
- Direct mail
- Radio and television commercials
- Banner ads on the web.
That’s why testing media and an integrated campaign are optimal to dominating this market for your product or service. However, direct mail is used heavily by those marketing to seniors… because it usually works better than other media.
Personalize the Selling/Buying Process
Build rapport. Be aware of the senior ideal, as opposed to the mass-market ideal. Seniors prefer to be regarded as individuals. Their buying history began at a time when merchants knew them personally. This is the last group of people in our society to enjoy personalized relationships with the people who provided them with goods and services. Unlike the generations that have followed, the mature market is not a product of an impersonal, mass-produced world.
Senior Market
The senior market is composed of many subgroups. They are identifiable by three main groups: pre-retirees (people between 55 and 62), active retirees (63 to 74) and seniors (75 and over). Your marketing should differ accordingly for each group. A senior’s lifetime of experiences is an important element in designing your offer. These experiences should be acknowledged if you hope to motivate the mature consumer to buy. Nostalgia and clichés can be utilized profitably. Instead of modern jargon and images, use language and references to fond memories with which the seniors can identify.
Affluent Americans
Seniors are the most affluent segment of our society. For example, 77% of all assets in the United States are owned by individuals over the age of 55. Seniors have five times the net worth of the average American.
Add Memorable Icons
Finally, jog visual memory with icons. Older people have a visual memory that becomes even better than verbal memory. Using icons, guarantee logos, Better Business Bureau logos, award icons and even coupons, which is a basic icon of the direct marketing industry helps increase your response. If you use a dotted-line coupon, when the person looks at the page, the icon sends a subliminal message that says, ‘We want you to do something. Look at this page and see what we want you to do.’
