A Millennial’s Perspective on Marketing to Boomers
In the spirit of gambling…
When someone considers a 24-year-old heading to Las Vegas, I’m willing to bet they don’t think she’s there to learn about marketing to boomers.
Source: International Builders’ Show, 2015
Believe it or not, that’s just what I got to do two weeks ago at the International Builders’ Show. Me and 125,000 builders, marketers, designers and more hit the Las Vegas Convention Center – all 3.2 million square feet of it – to kick off 2015. There were opportunities to learn new trends, share expert advice and, most importantly, tap creative and innovative ideas to put into play this year.
While I’m not much of a gambler, Vegas did teach me some tricks to play my cards right when marketing to not only the 50+ audience, but also homebuyers of any age.
For the next few days, I’ll be sharing insights from Las Vegas that can help you “win” with baby boomer homebuyers.
Lucky Number 8
Did you know that the average attention span now is only 8 seconds? That’s less than the attention span of a goldfish. While I didn’t even know that goldfish had attention spans, it brings to light a critical issue in marketing to your audience.
You now have less time than it took Usain Bolt to break a world record to introduce and reinforce your brand so that people even take a second look.
How do you do this?
Source: The Logo Company
1) First off, people are visual. The use of color in your strategy can convey so much in so little time. The Color Emotion Guide shows consumers’ responses to certain colors. What does your logo say about you?
While I am a millennial myself, understanding the 50+ audience should influence your strategy regarding color and design. As you age, eyes and comfort levels change. Calm tones of blue, green and purple are the most appealing, while serif fonts are most readable.
2) The use of bold and eye-catching imagery is another way to convey emotion quickly. (Download our whitepaper “15 Design Tips for the Mature Consumer” to learn more about photography and color use with baby boomers.)
3) Beyond that, phrasing is key. With digital marketing taking precedence, you now have even less space and less time to deliver messages.
To get lucky in 8 seconds or less, don’t try to say everything at once. Focus on what makes you different – whether that’s your location, your offerings, your lifestyle, etc. What makes you special enough for a prospect to want to learn more?
Keep it short so that after 8 seconds, they head to your website. That is where you want them to dig deeper…
And where we’ll focus tomorrow’s post.