ATLANTA – The upcoming Medtrade (Oct 20-23, 2014 in Atlanta) has an excellent line-up of speakers who will present programs addressing the most important topics faced by DME suppliers today. Every issue of Medtrade Monday, leading up to Medtrade, will highlight a Medtrade program.
Baby boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964. They make for the largest generation and are now the decision makers for most homecare products. They either buy for their aging parents or for themselves since the older boomers are now in their 70s where physical challenges starts to accelerate. There are almost 80 million boomers out there and they account for $3.1 trillion in spending power. They are less conscious about price and will pay more for convenience. They’re also not too worried about discounts or coupons.
Baby boomers hold 70% of this country’s wealth and on average each boomer has an extra $24,000 to spend every year. They spend an average of $3.1 trillion a year according to AARP. As they get older they have more time to spend their disposable income.
Baby boomers are known for having reinvented each phase of their lives and are rebellious. They are redefining aging but it still seems like brands are having a hard time recognizing it when it comes to marketing to boomers. You cannot market to baby boomers the same way you market to seniors and you cannot assume that they are extremely loyal to brands. They tend to be as loyal as the younger generation.
Baby boomers love life and they know they are getting older, but don’t call them old! Marketing to baby boomers needs to take into consideration their values, and it is important to talk to them on an emotional level in order to get attention. Tell them about leaving a legacy but don’t pound on fear and diseases. They have been through a lot in life and scare tactics do not work with them.
Yes, baby boomers want to live forever and they want to be healthy. Talk to them about getting healthier but be careful about talking too much about symptoms and diseases. Above all, don’t discard the internet and social media when marketing to boomers. They love technology, they love gadgets and they are online. In fact the majority of Facebook users are over 45. One of the best ways to reach baby boomers is with online videos. Don’t think that YouTube is just for younger people. 30 million users 55+ use social media and 70% of them use YouTube.
Marketing to boomers online requires that you follow some simple guidelines:
1) Connect with their self-empowered identity. They want to be the best they can be in every stage of their lives in all possible ways. Eg., late education, adventure travel, healthy living, etc.
2) Appeal to how they feel in their current life stage. They are grandparents and they want to be cool. They have aging parents and they will do whatever it takes for their parents to have quality of life.
3) Boomers love re-invention. How are they going to reinvent themselves at this point in life?
4) Create the right marketing platform.
5) Use social media and hobby based forums
Hear from the author:
Q: Why is this topic important?
A: “Baby boomers are the new sandwich generation: they are between caregiving and grandparenting; they are decisions makers for their aging parent.”
Q: Why do you think people should attend this presentation?
A:“The HME industry has changed a lot in the last 2 years and many businesses that were focusing on selling to seniors now need to market to boomers.”
Q: What can providers gain by attending this presentation?
A: “They will understand how baby boomers buy, they will hear about case studies of online marketing to baby boomers, and they will learn about the process for engaging boomers and turning them into repeat customers.”
The Session
On October 20, 2014, from 3:15 – 4:30 p.m., Shahar Boyayan, marketing advisor, and Nashlah Boyayan, marketing advisor, Buzzbooster Media, will present a program that addresses these issues.
• Providers who wish to register for Medtrade should CLICK HERE.
• The full link for registration is http://registration.experientevent.com/showmth141/default.aspx?flowcode=att
• Pricing for events can be found here: https://medtrade.com/attendee/pricing.shtml
Exhibitors have already bought 95% of the floor space at the Georgia World Congress Center in anticipation of what could be the most important Medtrade in the event’s long history. For a complete list of exhibitors and/or additional information about the show, visit medtrade.com.