Mrktg to seniors

Delivering Success

Direct Mail for the Senior Market

You and I sort your mail over the trash can seeking to toss out as much as possible. We don't have time and don't want to be bothered with any mail that does not demand our attention. We just came home from a long day at the office.

Not so with seniors. They take time to look at their mail and consider each piece. They open huge amounts of junk mail and are reluctant to throw out anything. When I practiced as a financial advisor, it was common for an older person to come to a meeting with a trash bag of financial junk mail they had saved up and ask me, "Is any of this important?"

According to Jim Warren of Warren Direct, "Many segments of the mature audience enjoy receiving direct mail and are the most likely demographic to read it. This medium lets them read at their own pace, absorb information, review the facts and make leisurely, qualified decisions. According to The Customer Focus 2002 survey by Vertis Inc., seniors are most likely to open a direct mail piece that has their name on the envelope, meets a timely need, is visually interesting and appears important."

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SENIOR MARKET SOARS VERSUS REST OF ADULT MARKET

Do the math: Between 2005 and 2030, the senior market (age 60 and over) will grow by 81%, while the remaining adult market (18-59 years of age) will grow by only 7%. Not until after 2030, does the under 60 market begin to show some life. If we also include the 55-59 age group in the senior market, it will add 16.5 to 20.5 million more consumers during the period, pushing the growth disparity even further.

The potential of the senior market is huge and growing rapidly. If we include adults age 55 and over, the senior market is projected to exceed 75,000,000 by the year 2010, based on U.S. Census data. This has significant bearing on both for-profit and non-profit marketing efforts.

The Baby Boomer Boom!

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Statistical Abstract of the United States

Those who plan now by building the best marketing strategy will reap the greatest benefit from the senior market. Senior focused relationship selling, combined with active networking and partnering goals, will provide ample opportunities for growth and profit.

Application of basic sales principles to the senior market should play a key role in a thorough marketing plan with the greatest potential for success.