In recent years, with the declining birthrate and aging population, “senior marketing” has been attracting attention. This is because doing business for seniors can be a huge business opportunity.
However, when
marketing
to seniors, it may not be possible to effectively market to them using the same approach as for young or middle-aged people.
In this article, we will provide an overview of senior marketing and explain the key points of senior marketing.
What is senior marketing?
Senior marketing refers to marketing to men and women over the age of 65.
In recent years, due to the accelerating trend of a declining birthrate and aging population, the age at which people retire is becoming longer, and advances in medical technology are also extending healthy life expectancy. Against this background, the influence that the elderly have on the economy is increasing year by year, and businesses targeting seniors continue to expand.
Marketing aimed at men and women over 65 years old
Senior marketing is marketing aimed primarily at men and women over the age of 65.
There are three types of seniors: active seniors, active seniors, non-active seniors, and passive seniors, and each requires products and services tailored to their lifestyles and interests.
Business for seniors continues to expand
As the population ages, businesses for seniors continue to expand. In particular, products and services for seniors related to health, beauty, travel, hobbies, lifestyle, etc. are gaining popularity.
Businesses targeting seniors are expected to continue to grow, partly because the economic power of the senior generation is increasing.
Types of senior generation
As mentioned above, there are three types of seniors: active seniors, active seniors, non-active seniors, and passive seniors. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of each.
Active senior
Active seniors are people who continue to work even after the age of 65.
It is characterized by many healthy and energetic people who lead active lifestyles. Many products and services for active seniors are related to work or hobbies.
active senior
Active seniors are people over 65 who are healthy and energetic.
I often enjoy hobbies and sports, and I also enjoy traveling. Many products and services for active seniors include sporting goods and travel products.
non-active senior
Non-active seniors are seniors who often spend time at home without going out for health or financial reasons.
They often enjoy hobbies such as reading and playing games that can be done at home, and they tend to spend a lot of time at home. Many products and services for non-active seniors include home health care goods and entertainment products.
passive senior
Passive seniors refer to seniors who receive treatment at home for physical or mental reasons, or seniors who require care and are admitted to a facility.
They often have physical problems, which may limit their ability to go out or enjoy hobbies. Products and services for passive seniors include health care goods, nursing care products, and functional foods.
Four points of senior marketing
In order to succeed in senior marketing, it is necessary to understand the characteristics and preferences of seniors and take an approach based on that. Here, we will introduce four important points in senior marketing.
Understand the interests of seniors
First, it is important to understand the interests and concerns of seniors.
For example, seniors tend to be more interested in maintaining their health and physical strength. Therefore, it is thought that demand for products such as health foods and health equipment is high.
Additionally, many people are interested in fields such as travel, hobbies, and culture, so it is necessary to provide products and services that match each person’s hobbies and preferences.
In this way, by understanding the interests and concerns of seniors, you can more specifically decide on the content of products and services to be provided. In addition, by providing content based on the interests of seniors, we can expect to attract more customers and purchase products and services.
Understand the values of seniors
Next, it is important to understand the values of seniors.
Seniors have different values than young people. For example, young people tend to seek “newness” and “a sense of speed,” while seniors tend to emphasize “a sense of security” and “reliability.”
When providing products and services for seniors, it is effective to emphasize reliability and a sense of security. It is also important to match the price range and design to the tastes of seniors.
Understand information sources and select media to promote
The information gathering tendency of seniors has different characteristics from that of younger people.
Seniors tend to rely more on traditional media such as telephone calls and mail to gather information. Therefore, it is effective to utilize traditional media such as TV commercials, flyers, posters, magazine advertisements, and
newspaper advertisements
.
However, recently, seniors are increasingly using smartphones and computers, so it is important to utilize digital media. However, there are problems with
Internet advertising
, such as small text that is hard to see and difficulty in operating, so it is necessary to carefully consider the format in which the advertisement will be posted and the media to which it will be posted.
Additionally, seniors value reliable sources of information based on their years of experience. For this reason, it is important to use highly reliable media such as websites of public institutions and organizations,
portal sites
, and review sites.
Try making products popular among young people aimed at seniors.
By arranging products that are popular among young people to appeal to seniors, you can create demand for the products among seniors as well.
For example, as people become more health-conscious these days, smoothies and green juices, which are popular among young people, can be adapted to nutritionally balanced recipes or palatable, easy-to-drink types for seniors.
You can also appeal to seniors by changing the appearance of your products, such as by changing the design or color. However, in order to appeal to seniors, it is important to consider their unique preferences, which are different from those of younger people. In product development, incorporating the opinions of senior customers will enable more effective product development.
How to make senior marketing successful
If you want to succeed in senior marketing and aim to develop your business, it is important to keep in mind deeper points. We will explain tips on implementing measures to lead senior marketing to success.
Don’t make the age range too wide
Seniors have very different lifestyles and interests depending on their age. Therefore, if you target too broadly, your products and services may not match the demand of seniors.
Also, if you focus too much on a specific age group, you may end up overlooking the needs of other age groups. In order to succeed in senior marketing, it is important to narrow down the appropriate age group and provide products and services tailored to that age group.
Clarify your persona
Setting
personas
is extremely important when marketing to seniors.
A persona is an image of a customer’s attributes and personality. Even for seniors, by clarifying personas based on age, gender, lifestyle, hobbies, and preferences, you can provide products and services that match
the needs
and desires of your target audience.
By establishing personas, you can better understand seniors and create
marketing strategies
that meet their needs.
Try to appeal to “nostalgia”
People, not just seniors, are creatures with a strong attachment to past times and nostalgic memories. If you can utilize this kind of “nostalgia” to promote your products and services, you will be able to gain sympathy from seniors.
For example, by incorporating retro designs, nostalgic music, nostalgic foods and sweets into your PR content, you can provide products and services that are attractive to seniors.
Utilize both analog and digital
Seniors tend to prefer analog communication methods. On the other hand, in recent years, more and more seniors are using smartphones and computers to access the Internet. Therefore, it is important to conduct marketing using both analog and digital methods.
Analog methods include flyers, posters, direct mail, and newspaper advertisements. Since these media are familiar to seniors, there is a high possibility of effective PR.
On the other hand, digital means include SNS,
email newsletters
, and
online
shops.
Digital marketing
is also important, as seniors are increasingly using these tools to gather information and make purchases.
Utilize word of mouth, reviews, etc.
Seniors tend to look for reliable sources of information. Therefore, there is a tendency to place more emphasis on third-party opinions such as word-of-mouth and reviews. Therefore, when conducting senior marketing, it is important to utilize word of mouth and
review
sites.
For example, when introducing leisure facilities for seniors, it is effective to highlight the facility’s high reputation. Additionally, when selling health foods for seniors, posting customer testimonials and reviews can increase the credibility of the product.
summary
This time, we provided an overview of senior marketing and explained the key points of senior marketing. Senior marketing has become an important marketing method in today’s world where demand from the senior generation is expanding.
Understanding the interests, concerns, and values of seniors, understanding their sources of information, and providing products and services requires a unique approach, such as customizing products that are popular among young people for seniors.
It is also important to use highly reliable information such as word of mouth and reviews. By keeping these points in mind, you can succeed in senior marketing.