How to Capture - and Hold - The attention of Baby Boomers

Part 1:  How do you look to Baby Boomers

Baby Boomers, born between 1947 and 1965, are now at or approaching retirement age. They are arguably the most affluent group in history. As they have done throughout their lives, Baby Boomers continue to live on their own terms, upending traditional concepts of old age, senior living, and retirement.

This group is healthy, active, and interested in the world around them. They own homes, travel, and enjoy the finer things in life, having worked, saved, and invested with retirement in mind. As the economy falters, companies are searching for new markets. While many would love to tap into this group, they often find it challenging to connect with Baby Boomers and convey messages that resonate.

As a Baby Boomer myself, and as a consultant, speaker, and author on the subject, I gather information globally about Baby Boomers' experiences and what resonates with them. This is the first in a series of blog posts summarizing what I've learned about capturing and holding Baby Boomers' attention.

Corporate Presence

Baby Boomers have been  deeply involved in social justice causes from a young age. They pushed for fairness, equality, transparency, and accountability; values that remain deeply ingrained in their collective personality.

To capture this demographic, corporations must first examine their own culture and personality.

Your Corporate Persona

Every corporation has a unique personality that silently communicates to customers who and what the company is. Consider the following:

• Perception Matters: How is your company perceived by clients, the community, and the world at large? Are you seen as caring, open, and nurturing, or is there a sense of hypocrisy and opaqueness in your corporate DNA?

• Online Presence and Customer Service: These aspects speak volumes about your company and contribute to your social profile. What does yours look like?
  

High on the list of importance to Baby Boomers is the quality of any company they do business with. This group are avid researchers and consider a variety of issues before making a buying decision:

1. Transparency:

• Who owns your company, and what values do you espouse? Whether you represent a large publicly traded company or a small privately owned business, your story should be part of your message—on your website, packaging, and marketing materials.

• Studies have shown that ethics and honesty rank higher for this group than price.

1. Values:

• Baby Boomers are tired of scammers, misinformation, and seemingly untrustworthy corporations. They are fatigued by phone hackers, bank fraudsters, and internet scam artists. Trust is hard-earned and fragile, but an unwavering set of corporate ethics can establish long-term customers from this demographic.

• Does your management team live these values? Are your executives traveling by private planes while espousing environmental concerns? Your customers are watching and will go elsewhere if they don't like what they see.

1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

• Does your company stress fairness and diverse hiring? Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are major concerns, but how many companies hire older workers? Including older workers contributes to a diverse work culture just as much as other diverse hiring practices.

4. Healing the Planet

What role does your company play in healing the planet? Simply recycling corporate waste is no longer enough as more people become concerned about environmental damage.

As your company looks inward, remember that older consumers are watching you. Make your positive choices part of your public persona and weave them into your corporate story.

Next Blog: Performing a website audit and what to consider when trying to entice Baby Boomers to stop and take a look.