Paul Flowers, an veteran advertiser, posits that seniors respond to emotional factors first (then follow that up with data to rationalize it) and are less likely to make decisions based on factual analysis and research first – although they tend to be more loyal customers in the long run. Not sure I agree with that but either way there is an opportunity for companies to more effectively engage with seniors through online media.
One of the best ways to achieve an emotional connection (as well as build trust and positive perception of a brand) is to engage enthusiastic lead users to act as advocates and spread the word through their network – use people seniors already trust to spread the word.
This means senior directed companies need to be listening to online conversations about their brand and trying to find users that could be great advocates. One way to do this is using Hootsuite keyword searches (there are definitely other tracking methods out there) to track people discussing your brand – especially those with a number of followers. Interacting with those people through information (upcoming sales, article you might like), shareable coupon codes, or sneak previews of new products will get the word out there with emotional ties – leading to further research and potential purchase decisions.
