While influencer marketing is particularly popular and successful with younger audiences—millennials and Gen Z to be specific—one has to wonder: could it work for boomers just as well?
Marketing and advertising are evolving with the changes in technology and the spread of the internet. For businesses that are aimed specifically at boomer folks, or for those that are aimed at boomers as well as other audiences, the shift to influencer marketing is a move that always comes with a lot of questions.
The most important of which is this: will it work?
Will Boomers Like Influencer Marketing?
Before the pandemic hit, none of us ever realized that seniors could be interested in online shopping. They were, after all, people who shopped physically. Strolling through marts and malls. They like to hold things in their hands and make their own judgments.
What if we told you that all of that is just a stereotype?
The pandemic has taught us that the digital world is not just for younger audiences. Our seniors learned—and learned fast—how to benefit from the online world when things went awry, and physical distancing became the way of life.
COVID-19 had a major impact on how boomers use the internet and in a positive way. It’s expected that baby boomers will continue online shopping even after the pandemic is over.
This is proof enough that the boomer generation can definitely catch up with the rest of the world when it come to influencer marketing.
How to Reach Out
The one thing you, as an influencer, must understand is that boomers can’t be appealed to with the same content you put out for millennials. The generation gap is real. For instance, if you began a video about a product in this manner—“This blender will yeet the juice out of your fruit,” or made social media posts with obscure millennial/Gen Z lingo, they definitely won’t get it. Boomers don’t know simps from e-girls or what uwu means—and language is a major part of how you connect with your audience. Tldr, iykwim, tbh, ngl—they won’t get it.
Like any good marketer, you have to understand your audience here and connect with them—they shouldn’t have to make efforts to understand what you’re trying to say.
Boomer Marketing
If you notice what your parents watch on YouTube, you already understand that those boomers are just as interested in videos as the regular millennial. Sure, they don’t get the concept of “vlogging” or “vines,” but they like watching videos. And you can reach out to them via videos—market the product you want, but customize your videos for them.
In particular, you might want to be mindful of:
- Your tone. It can’t be too ghetto or too internet/tech-savvy because your audience will feel a disconnect.
- Your speed of speech. You can’t rap or ramble when you’re speaking to seniors. They need time to understand and take in every word since they aren’t used to this kind of thing.
- Marketing the product. Remember that millennials and boomers are looking for very different things with a product. You need to market the right benefit to the right person.
Use Afluencer to Connect with Influencers
If you’re looking for top influencers who can help you reach out to a boomer audience, you can find a great number of them at Afluencer. Sign up for our platform today. You can also get in touch with us directly.