I’ve mentioned on this blog before that contrary to popular belief, baby boomers do participate in Internet activities and they are more tech-savvy than perceived. According to a recent report by Forrester Research, social media are hitting the radar for the majority of boomers who surf the net, from blogs to social networks and online videos. The report indicated that:
- Two-thirds of trailing-edge baby boomers (aged 43 to 52) and 62 percent of older boomers (53 to 63) consumer social media including reading blogs, listening to podcasts, watching user-generating videos, reading forums or reading customer ratings
- This is up from 2007, when 47 percent of younger boomers and 39 percent of older ones made use of social media
- Boomers are likely to be critics rather than content creators, with the proportion of online boomers reacting to content more than doubling to 34 percent in 2008, up from 15 percent in 2007
- Almost 25 percent of younger boomers are active in social communities, up from 15 percent in 2007
Once again, this speaks to segmented marketing for marketers who are interested in reaching this demographic via social media. While you wouldn’t target boomers the same way you do with college students in social marketing, it makes sense to spend part of your boomer-focused budget in social environments that will become more active and productive over time.
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