Are tech companies patronising to Aussie boomers and seniors? Internet security firm AVG has surveyed 608 Australians over 50 in a larger global study and found many feel ‘talked down to’ when needing help from tech companies.
AVG has released the results from its latest ‘Digital Diaries’ research (full details here), speaking to 5907 respondents from Australia, the UK, US, Canada, Brazil, France, Germany, the Czech Republic and New Zealand, to ‘identify device ownership and usage, and attitudes towards technology’ those countries. 608 of that number are Australians over 50, with 53% reporting feeling ‘patronised by technology companies’ - which my dictionary tells me means being treated with apparent kindness which betrays a feeling of superiority.
This presumably makes those people wonder whether they should be patronising the companies concerned, with the definition of patronising in this case being frequenting a business - but that’s just my guesstimation. 66% use Facebook and 48% use Skype, making it the ‘most widespread communication service’. _WP_23Rules_WebSavvySeniors. Myths of Marketing to Seniors. Marketing to the aging 50+ crowd is always a challenging topic.
Ad agencies, marketing consultants and companies who are in business to attract seniors have all studied and tried many ways to tap into this lucrative industry. With more and more people aging – the senior populous is only strengthening – meaning more services and products will be needed to keep up with a growing demand. However, there is a faltering perception of marketing to seniors and retirees.
And that is that seniors are easy prey. Indeed, there have been instances of scammers or con-artists that prey to the naturally trusting nature of senior citizens. Attraction Marketing uses a better way. In order to understand why or why not attraction marketing might work with the senior 50+ market, you must understand the myths that have been passed on through erroneous senior marketing strategies. A Small Business Solution to Shrinking Workforce.
Yahoo Small Business/New America Media , News Feature, Mark Taylor , Posted: Jan 18, 2015 WASHINGTON, D.C.
--As the U.S. economy heats up and successful companies consider expansion and new hiring, competition for reliable, experienced and skilled employees will grow more intense, labor market experts predict. They caution small businesses against ignoring one source of potential employees: older Americans. Older Americans Millions of seniors who have retired or are approaching retirement from lengthy careers still need to work to maintain their families and lifestyles. Peter Cappelli, professor of management and the director of the Center for Human Resources at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, said increased life expectancy and the maturing of the largest generation in American history—-the Baby Boomers—- will account for increased numbers of older Americans in the workplace.
How to target the senior market. Even though “baby boomers” own almost 80 per cent of the UK’s wealth, many marketers fail to successfully target this lucrative market.
Some might not see them as aspirational, while others lump all over 50s and 60s together and treat them as a homogenous group. But it’s a hugely diverse market and needs clear segmentation and understanding. “There is misunderstanding between generations – I think it’s difficult for generation Y to understand baby boomers, simply because they're coming from very different places,” says DC Thomson & Co head of consumer insight and brand development Helenor Gilmour. “The marketing industry needs a wake-up call, says High50 editor-in-chief Stefano Hatfield: “Brands need to realise that midlife is no longer a crisis but an opportunity.
How to Find and Reach Your “Older” Target Audience Online. Ask yourself the following questions: Does my business target customers or clients who are over 50 years old?
Am I marketing to this target audience online? If the answer to #2 is no, then ask yourself why not? Companies marketing to a senior demographic have traditionally put most of their energy and money into traditional media. There is a long-standing belief that people over 50 are either not on the internet at all or are only going onto sites like AARP.com or WebMD.com. Market Segmentation: Successfully targeting the senior population. SAPVoice: The Overlooked: Social Media Marketing For Senior Citizens. By Katie Moran, Boston College Though Madison Avenue largely forgets seniors in general, they are now a demographic grossly overlooked on social media.
Those 65 years and older are changing: they are living longer, are more active, and becoming increasingly literate online. Not only does this age group have 47x the net worth of households headed by those 35 and older (according to AdAge), but they are now the fastest growing users of social media. These days, they don’t just have an email account, but they are searching on Google GOOG +0.65%, browsing Facebook FB -1.51% newsfeeds, and watching YouTube—sometimes from their iPad. According to the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, “the 74-plus demographic is the fastest growing demographic among social networks.” 6 Keys to Engage Seniors Online. Find Hidden Opportunities in the Senior Market.
The senior market is booming, and opportunities are plentiful.
To get a better understanding on how businesses can successfully market to seniors, Entrepreneur.com talked to USC Assistant Dean of Gerontology Maria Henke. What are some specific tips you have for entrepreneurs who want to start a business serving the senior market? The rules of starting any business still apply to serving the senior market.
Offer a product or service of value that meets an unmet need, put together a business plan, etc. 1-800 charges linked to company accused of targeting seniors. A B.C. senior has decided to Go Public after discovering years of suspicious debits on her bank statements.
As with a lot of Canadian seniors, Mary Bryce, 91, and her husband, Ron, 94, each had a role in the relationship.. She took care of the family home, while he took care of the finances. That is, until he moved into a full-time care facility outside Vancouver last year. So after 65 years of marriage, Bryce found herself dealing with bank accounts for the first time. Family friend Don Christie offered to help. "Mary had a fall and I was giving her a hand with cleaning up the paperwork that was coming in. Niche Business Ideas to Capture the Seniors Market. As baby boomers approach retirement, the growing market of seniors and retirees offers great opportunities for savvy businesspeople.
As of 2012, 13.7 percent of the population was over the age of 65, and by 2030 this figure will grow to 19 percent, according to U.S. census figures. Want to seize the opportunity these consumers represent? 10 Baby Boomer Trends & How to Profit From Them. The baby boomer market is an extremely desirable market because of its sheer size.
While niche marketing is almost a rule for small business success, it makes sense, too, to try and target a niche as large and moneyed as possible - and the huge baby boomer market is full of niche opportunities that can be extremely profitable.