Old-school advertising vs the new. Which works best for seniors aged 55 and older?

The answer? It depends.

In the article to follow, we’re going to unpack several of the strategies available to you and the advantages they present.

First – how old is your audience?

We can group seniors together under the umbrella of 55+, but there are nuances to be aware of.

For instance, seniors below the age of 65 are far more likely to own an internet-enabled phone (79% vs. 53%).

With that in mind, an online strategy will only yield results with younger members of the seniors crowd.

Invest in too many social media platforms at your peril

The statistics don’t lie: only two social media platforms will truly help you reach over-55s. One is Facebook. The other is YouTube.

Dig deeper, and Pew Research reveals that women prefer Facebook on the whole, while men use YouTube more often.

Again, younger members of the seniors bracket are going to be most likely to see your advertising.

When it comes to Facebook, be careful: many seniors use the platform exclusively to keep in touch with adult children and grandkids. They are not interested in making buying decisions on the platform, nor do they want to feel they’re being targeted.

In many ways, YouTube is your best bet.

Be cautious with your messaging – whether online or off

A litany of focus groups have revealed that women do not like to be the recipient of an ad that makes them feel like an “older” woman – whereas men are far more relaxed about their age.

You might call your audience “seniors” – but you certainly don’t need to make that a tagline of the ad itself.

Especially if you’re marketing to women.

Men, on the other hand, are typically more comfortable with their elder status in society; especially because getting older as a man is synonymous with greater wisdom.

Word of mouth reigns supreme

The most proven marketing strategy of all is an old one: word of mouth.

92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family over advertising (Nielsen), while 88% will trust online reviews from strangers.

In short, word of mouth should be a cornerstone of your strategy.

Online, encourage user generated content and push ratings and reviews; offline, make use of referral schemes that encourage communities to spread the word (discounts are always a good option here).

Finally, for word of mouth to work, your product needs to be sound. The greatest commodity you’ve got is quality. No amount of salesmanship can market a broken brand.