If You Are Looking For A Market To Get Into, Maybe You Should Go "Old."

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Hey All,

So last year I turned 55. An official "Senior Citizen."

I'm also working (have been for some time, took the Summer off) on a site targeted to the over 50 crowd.

In my research, I came upon some pretty interesting information so I thought I would share it with y'all.

There is a long-standing belief that people over 50 are either not on the internet at all or are only going onto sites such as AARP.org or WebMD.com. The fact of the matter is that seniors control 70% of America's disposable income and they are far more web savvy than most people believe. Recent Studies show that in 2014, 70% of the 50-65 age bracket use the internet, while 38% of those over 65 years old go online. Of the "wired" seniors:

94% use the internet for e-mail
77% shop online
71% are looking for health information
70% use the internet to read news
https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/bl...udience-online
The affiliate products I will promote on the new site pay insanely well. I've also found some excellent advertising opportunities in the market.

If you are looking for a market, you could do far worse.

Have Fun!

Brent
#market #niche selection #senior citizen
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  • Profile picture of the author CityCowboy
    Good idea @Brent

    Old people or seniors def have more disposable income than young people struggling with college debt and mortgages...

    But...

    What will you sell them?
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    • Profile picture of the author GordonJ
      Originally Posted by CityCowboy View Post

      Good idea @Brent

      Old people or seniors def have more disposable income than young people struggling with college debt and mortgages...

      But...

      What will you sell them?
      Seldom do I get sold to...AT, yea, but too savvy to fall for the BS. But I do buy.

      And I consider myself an average old fart.

      But, I have my HBO, Netflix, Showtime and Hulu accounts. I belong to both Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited.

      I have several memberships on a recurring basis to private forums, blogs and websites.

      I buy a lot of GIFTS, a lot of electronics for kids. A lot of books.

      I like unique art from etsy, something one of a kind. I buy new kitchen gadgets, all in one tools, or new tools.

      I'm not big on long winded promotions these days, although I will suffer through if it is interesting enough. I am sales resistant, but love to buy. I can smell hype in the first 10 seconds.

      I don't want to be treated as if I am senile, over the hill, too old to get it, not hip, and looked at only as a $$ sign cause I can buy what I want.

      I am both computer and Internet savvy, and not alone. Many old timers are old time computer users. So, here I am.

      Maybe your TARGET market. Whatcha got for me? Cause I'M BUYING.

      GordonJ

      PS. WE baby boomers are a diverse group, don't make the mistake of lumping us all together, segment, segment, and look for buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    What will you sell them?
    There is no shortage of possibilities.

    Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author AndreiMorariu
    Very cool stats, thanks for sharing. I think you're going to do great in that market since you are also a senior citizen and know how to send your marketing message in a congruent way to your similar audience.

    I think most people trying to target the 'senior citizen' audience don't have success with it because they talk in their copy/ads like they talk to a 20 yr old. The ads should be different, the copy as well, less flashy stuff etc. Go crush it my friend
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    I think most people trying to target the 'senior citizen' audience don't have success with it because they talk in their copy/ads like they talk to a 20 yr old. The ads should be different, the copy as well, less flashy stuff etc.
    From the same article:

    Suggestions for making your website "senior friendly" include:

    Make sure your font size is large enough for easy reading. Laptops and most monitors are relatively small, making reading difficult for many seniors. I suggest a minimum of 12 point.

    Keep the navigation as simple as possible.

    Age appropriate photos and graphics. If you are trying to get an older audience to buy, then make them feel comfortable and welcome on your site.

    Understand the market. Marketing to seniors is a sub-specialty. Most internet marketers tend to be younger and don't quite understand the senior market. It makes sense to add at least one person to your marketing team that has experience working with senior consumers.

    Create landing pages specifically targeted to the senior audience. If your online advertising is geared to attract a senior audience, then it makes sense to create a landing page or alternate home page specifically geared to that audience.
    https://www.bluefountainmedia.com/bl...udience-online
    Go crush it my friend
    I think that is likely...

    Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author Adeshile Victor
    Interesting read.
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  • Profile picture of the author brettb
    Nice report. My new site is popular with older people. They have time to post content on there, AND they have a load of disposable income to spend on their hobby.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rose Anderson
    I'd love to see your site, Brent.

    As someone who turns 60 (OMG!) this December I fall into this category. I know, I for one, spend tons of money on my grandbabies.

    I've often thought of setting up a site for people over 50 who want to make money writing but haven't got around to it yet. I know many people who look for side hustle after they retire.

    Thanks for the motivation!

    Old Rose
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    • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
      Originally Posted by Rose Anderson View Post

      I'd love to see your site, Brent.
      Well, I won't post it here for the obvious reasons but will certainly send you a link when it's finished. It's very product specific and hopefully, you won't be a customer.

      Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author Nick Million
    These are some promising stats, I myself had never considered marketing to senior citizens before, definitely going to be digging into this a little more.
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  • Profile picture of the author SiteNameSales
    It also answers a post you'll see here from time to time: What trends are on the horizon?

    Whatever else their interest might be, the elderly, formerly known as the baby boomers are, and will continue to be, significant consumers of heath care items. In addition to the the general public's interest in the products, you can also add walkers, canes, hearing aids, blood pressure monitors, orthopedic supplies, etc.

    I suppose you could keep your ear to the ground as to what millennials and other age groups are buying, but the 'disposable income' factor is a big plus.

    One other factor about the elderly that should be of interest to the contributors here. High ticket marketing courses are often more popular with the elderly than some of the younger folk. While many are computer savvy, there are more than a few who, unlike younger generations, did not grow up with computers and mobile phones.

    Comprehensive training in all aspects of online sales can be very attractive to a retiree interested in trying something new.
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    It also answers a post you'll see here from time to time: What trends are on the horizon?
    The market will continue to grow:

    "By 2035, there will be 78.0 million people 65 years and older compared to 76.7 million (previously 76.4 million) under the age of 18." The 2030s are projected to be a transformative decade for the U.S. population.Mar 13, 2018 https://www.census.gov/newsroom/pres...ojections.html
    Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author DIABL0
    I use to actually promote AARP until they stopped their affiliate program.

    It was one of the highest producing offers I have ever run.

    That was quite a few years ago and I'm sure that since internet use has grown for older users.
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  • Profile picture of the author superowid
    Interesting and informative. This also happens to offline opportunities. The baby boomers are great buyers.
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  • Profile picture of the author SeanDezoysa
    More money, easier to marketing to, less focused on by IMers who themselves tend to be younger... what's not to like? Great tip!
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    less focused on by IMers
    This is true in some niches within the market, however, the niche I'm going into is highly competitive. PPC clicks are in the $7 - $10 range and the first page of Google results are dominated by big brands.

    Fortunately, I'm really good at finding backdoors. (;

    Brent
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    • Yeah, definitely an ideal market for assistive device creators like me. AI / ML / DL, wearables, IoT and augmented sensory are quite promising in the senior retail market and also in B2B med tech. That's why governments are giving us dev't grants, while private investment groups are buying shares for our patents.
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  • Profile picture of the author Obermair
    I believe this is a terrific target market. There are so many offerings that they are interested in and they tend to have the budget. Suddenly the bucket list kicks in and they are considering the trips/vacations they never took. They look at there finances and realize that they haven't done estate planning. As mentioned above, the grandkids arrive and they are dying to spoil them rotten. And most of them have lived with the internet age for 15+ years and are now pretty astute as to how to use it and are comfortable purchasing on it. Find the sub niches - target them and build the community! And of course profit.
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