Is Your Small Business Website Forgetting This Important Demographic?

You’re a savvy small business that knows how to use the Internet for all of your needs; customer interaction, social media, IP communications such as VoIP, and even mobile messaging. A lot of the tools associated with the Internet communications cater towards a younger, more digitally-conscious group, however, just because these technologies are in the here and now doesn’t mean they’re just for those growing up in generation tech.

Users aged 50 and up spend about five hours a day online. This is according to the folks over at McAfee who did a recent poll on Internet users. This demographic – baby boomers and seniors – is a perfectly good target market that many businesses could be missing out on. How so?

Despite Internet usage, certain websites – maybe your small business – might not be suited for this demographic.  “Suited” here refers to a few characteristics that would make it easier for the boomers to use your website, whether it’s to shop, browse or just read. According to business cloud communications provider Nextiva, there are a few key points businesses can follow to ensure that all demographics can enjoy, use and patron your business. Using larger fonts, keeping it simple, and offering easy ways for customers to call a representative can ensure a positive experience when using a website without compromising the technology for the more mobile-minded and savvy younger audiences.

A simple design is not only good practice for a specific demographic, it’s good for all demographics. When it comes to presentation, less is more. As customers flock to websites for information, points of contact and FAQs, the last thing anyone wants is flashy graphics prohibiting them from getting what they need and want.

The baby boomer market is an extremely desirable market because of its sheer size. While niche marketing is almost a rule for small business success, it makes sense, too, to try and target a niche as large and moneyed as possible - and the huge baby boomer market is full of niche opportunities that can be extremely profitable.

Due to the generation’s size and wide variety of interests, baby boomers’ desires to offset the aging process has created opportunities for lenders, investors, entrepreneurs and others in a wide variety of industries.

Is your website speaking to them? While it is true that teenagers and young adults are often the first to adopt new technology and online platforms, the baby boomer and senior generations are never far behind.