Marketing age-related nutrition products

Baby Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials are key consumer target groups for marketers, and with three different sets of needs and buying propensities, it’s important that brands define their unique selling propositions.

Born between 1946 and 1964, Baby Boomers have the largest disposable income. Eighty-five percent of Baby Boomers spend time browsing and shopping online, with 66% of over-50s in the United States routinely making an online purchase, according to Immersion Active. For marketers looking to target Baby Boomers with age-related nutrition ingredients, techniques like email marketing are particularly effective. But the tried-and-tested traditional forms of marketing, like direct mail and couponing, are also appealing, with older consumers responding well to promotions and money-saving offers.

By comparison, Gen X consumers were born in the 1960s and 1970s, and contribute to 29% of U.S. spending, according to American Express. They possess a high level of spending power and importantly for brands, are financially stable. Tech-savvy, Gen X consumers are particularly attracted to video content and use Facebook to communicate online, according to eMarketer.

Millennials are many times the opposite in their health needs and levels of digital literacy. With a Millennial spending 25 hours online a week, according to Advertising Age, and 68% of this group influenced by their friends’ social media posts, according to eMarketer, it’s vital that a brand creates content that is both engaging and shareable. Marketers targeting Millennials should embrace the power of user-generated content, and create marketing and advertising campaigns that perform well on mobile devices. Additionally, investing in influencer marketing and working with bloggers and popular social media personalities is a particularly effective way for brands to promote their products.

Learn more about marketing age-related nutrition products to consumers of different demographics in the Age-related nutrition – digital magazine.

Lindsey Carnett is CEO and president of Marketing Maven, an Entrepreneur 360 company and integrated marketing firm ranked nationally in the healthcare category by third-party ranking company O’Dwyer’s PR. She is a FOLIO Magazine 2015 Top Women in Media Honoree and is noted for helping to launch consumer brands with substantiated ingredients.