Don’t Forget the Baby Boomers

One of the largest misconceptions revolving around social media today is how old the majority of users are. Most people that you ask will say that social media is most widely consumed by the younger generation. While that may have been true a decade-or-so ago, the tables have undoubtedly turned and Baby Boomers have shown to be online more then they ever have been before. As the Baby Boomers are beginning to retire, people age 50+ are driving more online traffic then most people account them for. Within the last year, social media use of people 50+ has grown by 100 percent, but what has caused the enormous spike in user growth?

One common answer: the want to reconnect. With the development and growth of Twitter and Facebook only surfacing within the past ten years, Baby Boomers are realizing the power that they now have to connect. Long lost high school friends and college colleagues are among the many online trolling Facebook looking to revive those lost connections. Baby Boomers are not just using the Internet to reconnect; another common use is to stay up-to-date with their “distant” children and grandchildren. Social media sites now allow these mature and magnificent people to view pictures and communicate with their kin who may be an hour away, or even halfway around the world.

Although Facebook may be one of the most common social media sites for people age 50+ to visit, Boomers also make up the greater percentage of Twitter users and contribute to its growth just as must as any other age group. With many companies adding social media to their marketing plan, they must be aware of the important markets to target. These Baby Boomers have the largest amount of disposable income and have the time and money to research and buy many of the newer products. It is important for businesses to realize that this is an important market segment and it may be worthwhile to spend a larger amount of their social media marketing directed toward this generation. Sites such as ThirdAge, http://www.thirdage.com/, are specifically design to target the Baby Boomer generation.

While the Baby Boomers were slower to adapt to the new technologies available on the Internet in the beginning, they are now embracing the social media world more then ever before. Market channels that were once an uncommon route for people age 50+ are now becoming one of the best ways to connect and put out information.