Marketing To Baby Boomers

The U.S. population is comprised of approximately 76 million baby boomers between the ages of 44 and 63, and those who are on the upper end of the age group—50 to 60 years old—have more than $1 trillion of annual spending power. Are you cashing in?

If not, you should be. Salon products and services are extremely appealing to baby boomers, who are searching for anything that will help them maintain and improve their health while allowing them to achieve a more youthful appearance. Marketing ancillary services—such as light therapy and hydrotherapy—to this enormous market can add a significant profit center to your business.

However, be aware that marketing to this generation is completely different from marketing to any other demographic. According to Ken Grobach, author of “Common Census: Counterintuitive Guide To Generational Marketing,” boomers appreciate three things: life made easy, time saved and not being ripped off. This is powerful information—and it’s a roadmap to creating an effective advertisement that targets baby boomers.

The first step to crafting a baby boomer-specific advertisement is deciding on what service or product you will focus. If you are targeting hydrotherapy or light therapy equipment, think about the main benefits of the unit and specifically why a boomer might care. For example, boomers probably would be interested in hydrotherapy steam treatments for the benefits of softer skin and a youthful glow. Similarly, they might be excited to try hydomassage equipment after hearing about its ability to ease pain from stiff joints and arthritis. For light therapy, the fact that it can reduce sunspots and soften wrinkles may be very appealing. In addition, you can mention that each of these treatments in the tanning salon is much faster than in a medical or spa setting, which will satisfy that “time-saving” wish.

Once you’ve established the focus, you need to break down the advertisement into segments and approach each segment individually. Here’s a general way to classify the parts of your ad:

Headline. The headline is the driving force of your advertisement. Research shows that a headline is responsible for up to 90 percent of an ad’s effectiveness, so use something that grabs a baby boomer’s attention.