Fastest Growing Market On The Internet And How Best To Serve Them
Dear Business Builder, Happy Friday! Here's a riddle for you… Their numbers amass more than 40 percent of the U.S. population… They account for over 70 percent of the U.S. net worth… In the next 15 years their numbers will grow by a staggering 82%… And they’re largely forgotten on the 'Net! Who are they? If you guessed Baby Boomers and seniors… you’re right! Here are a few more surprising facts about this largely untapped goldmine! According to a recent study by ThirdAge Inc. and JWT BOOM over 72% of older Internet users have a Broadband connection (significantly higher than the national average)… A full 82% of them are researching or reading health and wellness information online for themselves and their families… They’re currently spending over $7 billion online each year… And according to Jupiter Research, seniors aged 65 and older are one of the fastest growing segments of the online population… 39 percent of all seniors in the U.S. will regularly access the Internet by the end of this year! By 2010 that will grow to 50 percent! And that most coveted web demographic 18-40 year old Gen-X and Gen-Y… their populations combined will grow a measly 3 percent! So What are Boomers and Seniors Doing on the Web? They're seeking out information… if you’re an information publisher in the health and wellness or financial arenas take note – you can no longer afford to put off sustained web marketing efforts… They’re staying in touch with family and friends and responding to offers by e-mail… It’s more important than ever for all businesses to start collecting e-mail addresses whenever possible and start a consistent e-mail dialog with your customers… and don’t forget to invite offline customers to subscribe to your newsletters or opt-in to receive your special offers… that is hands-down the fastest way to grow your list. They’re shopping and researching products before they purchase offline… An easy-to-navigate website is no longer a marketing luxury – it’s a necessity for businesses of all types and sizes down to the local pizza shop or auto-repair… the website has replaced the brochure when it comes to small business marketing. What Aren’t Boomers and Seniors Doing on the Web? They’re not perusing the latest hot video on YouTube… They’re not pouring their guts out on their personal blog… They’re not playing the latest online video game… They’re not downloading music. 5 Important Rules When Marketing to Seniors Online
A Quick Note About Offline Marketing Before We Go… Your older prospects grew up in the age of traditional media. The oldest boomers and all of the seniors were kids when the television was invented. They rely on traditional offline media for much of their information and therefore it heavily sways their buying decisions. Look to use offline media to bring older prospect to the web.
These are surprisingly high numbers and make it that much more crucial for you to include your web address and information about your free e-zine in everything you do. It may be sexy to build and market websites to young, hip users on the cusp of all the latest technology and dream of being the next big, young internet mogul after your big Google buyout… but that’s just not realistic. Me? I prefer a sure thing and to follow the money… you’ll find me hanging with the old folks! And my guess is we’ll be partying together for years to come! What do you think? What are some ways you’re tapping into the Boomer and senior market online? Are you marketing a business that caters strictly to the older demographic? If so, tell us about it! Hope that helped and stay tuned… Because next week we’ll talk about optimizing your shopping cart to increase conversions and lower your abandonment rate! Until next week,
Julie McManus Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these. Looking for more of Julie's articles? Check these out. Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives. P.S. Are you in the ‘net trenches? Do you need help? Send me an e-mail to AskJulie@MakepeaceTotalPackage.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it and I just might answer your question in an upcoming issue. P.P.S. Have you checked out The Total Package affiliate program lately? We’ve added tons of new creative to help you earn cash on any new subscriber you refer and we’ve opened our archives up for the pilfering… Click Here to check it out NOW! The Total Package |
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