Friday, May 17, 2013

How to Advertise Your Business to Seniors Online


Many business owners have already recognized the need and importance, in focusing a portion of their advertising to senior citizens. This rapidly expanding market is projected to grow in excess of fifty million people over the next fifteen years, in North America alone. Seniors of today are active, healthy people who are involved in everything from sports to social committees. Advancements in medical science, plus the wide spread notion of healthy living, has made senior life a fun and enjoyable period, where it is not unheard of to live past eighty years old virtually free from health ailments. With that being said, do you know what seniors want from your business? Guaranteed, there is at least one aspect of your company that appeals to this growing senior demographic. Another aspect to keep in mind is that seniors are also the largest growing group of computer users, with the percentage of daily users rising every year.

Seniors have proven to be smart and savvy consumers who can contribute too much of your overall profits. Many businesses that pride themselves on quality and service will already have a large senior client base. This is one of the most crucial points of interest; seniors are intelligent people who hold high value in quality and assurance. Giving customers a "no questions asked" satisfaction guarantee can make a world of difference to the senior consumer. Do not forget, this generation was raised in a time when it was not uncommon to bind contractual agreements with a promise and a handshake. Although times have changed slightly, seniors are still quite receptive to these business tactics. Make sure to connect with your customer, and always add your personal guarantee, it goes a long way for your consumers and visibly reflects on your profits.

Now that we have established the importance of reaching out to this growing demographic, do you know how to design your ads, listings or classifieds? Start by looking at different ads by companies who have been actively involved in senior life, these companies include retirement homes, nursing homes, home care and assisted living facilities. Many of these types of businesses have developed successful advertising campaigns which have been in place for years. These ads offer a great tool for planning and developing new listings for your business. Although you may offer a different product or service, look at the ad layout to see where they have placed the images in relation to the text. Look for the style of font which has been used, the size it is and the wording. Remember in many cases these ads have been developed by someone who, in all likelihood has a background and education in marketing. Use this to your advantage. Develop a few different ads specifically geared to seniors and get ready to begin.

We now understand the importance and direct impact the senior market has on your business. Your ads, listings and classifieds have been designed in thoughtful way and modeled after already implemented advertising campaigns. It is time to start testing different methods and ways to get these advertisements in front of your target market, the senior population. Begin with free or low cost avenues of media. This way you can get an idea of which advertisement shows the most response. Was it a classified ad, or maybe well placed business listings? This can give you a good understanding of what has potential for growth and what possibly does not. Try doing this a few times; the information collected will help direct your advertising campaign, saving you time and money. Start by searching out free classifieds for seniors, or retirement listings online. The internet provides many sources of low cost advertising, yet it is important to seek out websites that are directed to the senior market. Check in to local news papers and smaller magazines, these forms of media can often be inexpensive and very successful. Find as many low cost forms of advertising as possible, and start using them. Once you have your results, it is time to throw out what does not work and focus on what does. With this new found knowledge you will surely get the most out of your advertising dollars while establishing your name within the senior marketplace.

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