Today, Millennials are usually centre stage when businesses want to talk about engagement. They’re a growing generation so it’s understandable. However, Baby Boomers are a populous generation with a heftier income, making them extremely valuable for any growing business.
Born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers are the second largest generation numbering 74.9 million to Generation X’s 66 million. Not to mention, “70% of the disposable income in the U.S. is controlled by Baby Boomers, and as they become increasingly social media-savvy, Baby Boomers may become the key to the success of many brands”, according to Nielsen.
It’s evident that Baby Boomers are a generation worth engaging. So, in order to help your efforts, we’ve compiled the top 3 best practices to successfully engage Baby Boomers for your business:
Simplify the process
Baby Boomers expect a simple and non-obtrusive process to receiving their product or service. If they have to work for it, they’ll find it less appealing which can be damaging if you’re attempting to build loyalty.
One way to simplify the process is to make communication easy between brand and customer. Make it easy for Baby Boomers to get a hold of you by allowing them to communicate on any channel of their choice – without asking them to sign up or fill out complicated forms. This way, if they have a question about the food you serve, if a product is in stock, or if they want to book a hotel for a night, it’s an easy process.
With a platform like Loop, communication can be made more simplistic. Instead of having them log into a portal or visit your website to send a message, they can simply pull up their preferred channel (ex. Facebook, Twitter, Texting, etc.) and send you a message. What’s more, all messages will be directed to your team’s Unified Inbox, so they can respond efficiently and effectively.
In addition to making contacting you simple, it is also important to simplify the process of the customer attaining your service or product. The path to receiving what they purchased should never be a challenge. Make sure you provide step by step guidance and let them know you are there for them at any point of the customer journey.
Become Consumer Centric
Baby Boomers appreciate when businesses put in the extra effort to build meaningful relationships and show they care. According to a Gallup News study, “more so than other generations, Baby Boomers respond to managers who make an extra effort to show they care. .. and find ways to communicate interest by inquiring about their work and other important aspects of their lives.”
Showing you care can be as simple as listening to the customer and personalizing their experience. Have your team member ask the customer their favourite beverage at dinner or have your team member use the customers name in conversation. Making small gestures of appreciation or adjusting your service to fit their needs will go a long way towards driving Baby Boomer loyalty.
At Benbria, we use our own Loop platform to communicate with customers, and use it to record customer details. If a team member has an interaction with a customer and finds out something specific they like or dislike, , that team member can record it in the Loop database for future reference. If the customer comes back to visit online, any team member can now see the preference noted from their previous conversation.
Providing a customer centric approach is also valuable in terms of building a solid reputation. Baby Boomers are very mindful of their friends and families opinions; In fact “96% of Baby Boomers participate in word-of-mouth or viral marketing by passing product or service information to friends.” Much more than Millennials who generally gravitate towards online referrals. With Baby Boomers reputation is everything, if someone they know has a bad experience or feels disconnected to an establishment it won’t translate well to their close circle. Providing a consumer centric approach can deter a negative cycle and increase the likelihood of happy and loyal customers – especially in the case of Baby Boomers.
Don’t Underestimate Their Technology Needs
It’s a common misconception that Baby Boomers aren’t technologically savvy, and when compared to the Millennials skill set this may be true. However, Baby Boomers are still active with technology and most of them prefer it as a means of communication. Which means, your business shouldn’t be ignorant to the technological demand.
In a PEW Research study, 46% of Baby Boomers admitted to using smartphones, 80% admitted to being Internet users and 52% admitted to being on social media. Not only are Baby Boomers technologically savvy, but they’re also adapting to evolving technology trends.
This means, your business should be leveraging technology to engage them. A customer facing platform like Loop – as mentioned before – can help you manage real-time communication from a variety of channels within the unified Loop Inbox™. In addition to aiding the process for team members it makes the customers life easier when they can connect on the channel of their choice. If Baby Boomers are active on social channels, including Facebook, Twitter, and more, they can access your services right there. In addition, by implementing technology you can also prompt customers with online surveys or post-visit emails to gage their experience and better tailor your next encounter with them.
Baby Boomers are extremely valuable for any growing business. As a populous generation with a large income, they are a demographic your business shouldn’t ignore.
What are some additional ways you could engage Baby Boomers? Let us know in the comments or on social media: LinkedIn | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram.
Looking to gain real time insight into customer sentiment? Read our blog post: Tips and Tools: Loop®’s Sentiment Measurement Capabilities
