Baby Boomers are typically defined as individuals who were born between 1945 and 1964 as part of the post-World War II spike in childbirth and Millennials are defined as having been born from the 1980s to the early 2000s.
The sheer size of the Millennials group, which according to the U.S Census Bureau represents 83.1 million individuals, makes it an attractive market. Yet Baby Boomers represent 75.4 million individuals, making the group almost as large.
Unlike Millennials, however, most Baby Boomers are retired, so they have time for traveling and other recreational pursuits. They also have considerable discretionary income. According to Infusionsoft, they represent 70% of the nation’s disposable income.
Baby Boomers, furthermore, are bigger users of digital media than commonly believed. Approximately 35% of Baby Boomers spend 19 or more hours a week on the internet, while only 25% spend 19 hours or more watching television, according to DMN3.
Among Baby Boomers, 10% of individuals spend 17 to 18 hours a week on the internet, while only 7% spend that amount of time watching television. In addition, more than 50% of Baby Boomers watch online videos, according to a study by Google and Ipsos. So reports Forbes.
Among viewers of online video, 82% said they accessed the content via YouTube. The study also found that more than 3,600 Baby Boomers do a Google search for YouTube every minute and have higher view rates than Millennials.
With that in mind, video can be an important part of marketing to Baby Boomers. Indeed, AARP, or the American Association of Retired Persons, found that online videos are an important channel for promoting the organization’s image.
The organization created six-second and 15-second YouTube videos to supplement its analogue advertising. It resulted in a 13% improvement in brand favorability and a 22% increase in ad recall among people age 45–64.
Various nuances apply when marketing to Baby Boomers. Broadly speaking, Baby Boomers spend more time deciding what to purchase than younger generations. To that end, Infusionsoft recommends that digital marketers ensure that their content has sufficient information on products or services for individuals to make informed decisions.
Baby Boomers were raised with print media, so they tend to have longer attention spans than younger generations, which means longer articles may be appropriate. Baby Boomers also spend most of their online time conducting searches, so search engine marketing is important.
Social media can also be important, but Infusionsoft says such efforts should be focused on Facebook, which is the most popular online network of Baby Boomers. In a similar manner, it’s important to avoid using hashtags, which aren’t used by many Baby Boomers.
Common sense is also important. For example, Baby Boomers aren’t different from prior generations in the sense that they don’t like being referred to as old.
Approximately one-quarter of new entrepreneurs in the U.S. are Baby Boomers, according to 60startsat60.
In addition to business-to-consumer marketing, brands that focus on business-to-business industries may also find Baby Boomers an attractive audience.
