Marketing Health Nutrition to Baby Boomers Online

.50 Shades of Grey

Don’t overlook a big opportunity based on misconceptions

Marketing health and wellness products to the boomer generation may seem like a no-brainer. They are proactive consumers who are motivated to do what it takes to stay active and vibrant as long as possible. They also have a lot of spending power—over $1 trillion annually.

Unfortunately, some marketers of vitamins, supplements and nutritional foods are still a little shy about spending the time and energy creating online campaigns targeting this demographic. The main reason? The myth that boomers aren’t tech-savvy enough to interact with a brand online.

The facts:

Baby Boomers are the large group of men and women born between the years of 1946 and 1964, representing over 26 percent of the U.S. population (according to a recent study by the Mature Market Institute of MetLife).

Boomers have always tended to think of themselves as very different from every generation that came before, so it’s no surprise that they are independent thinkers who are redefining what it means to age. As a group, Boomers tend to be more flexible and more adventurous than their parents or grandparents ever were, which means placing labels and expectations on their behaviors could be one of the worst things marketers can do.

Writer, Spencer Belkofer clarifies some of the myths about marketing to Boomers online, and reminds us why it could be a big mistake to overlook this demographic in the article, “Top 3 Myths About Marketing to Boomers Online.”

Even the author of this article started with misconceptions about how active Baby Boomers behave online. I think the realities will surprise you. You’ll want to read the complete article to really understand how Boomers use the Internet, but here are the Top 3 myths in a nutshell:

Myth 1: Boomers aren’t tech savvy and rarely use the Internet.

Fact: Boomers spend more time online than any other demographic.

Myth 2: Boomers are extremely brand loyal.

Fact: boomers do a lot of shopping for other people, so the brands they choose are based on other people’s needs and wants, not their own brand loyalty.

Myth 3: Boomers don’t feel safe spending money online.

Fact: Boomers outspend every other demographic shopping online—and by considerable amounts.

I think the bottom line for us as health and wellness marketers is that we can’t take it for granted that we know how things are. We have to stay flexible, open, and curious about the world and the people around us. Apparently, we could take a lesson from the Boomers in that regard.

Click on the following link to read Spencer’s full article, “Top 3 Myths About Marketing to Boomers Online.”. You may also be interested in these other related topics:

Creating AdWords Campaigns for Your Health Nutrition Brand

Competitive Health Nutrition Marketing Requires Expert Social Media

5 Tips for Marketing Health and Nutrition to Millennials

 

photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/chollsjr/8410067218/”>Carl’s Captures</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a>

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