5 Reasons Why Online Marketing to Older Donors Matters

in Donors / Marketing

There are literally thousands of charitable organizations around the world, heavily relying on the generosity of strangers to fund day-to-day operations. Last year, more than $335 billion went to nonprofit organizations, nearly a five percent increase from the year before. With competition to receive monetary handouts fierce, marketers must create news ways to reach older adults. Below, we’ve included a list of reasons why reaching out to them online is now more important than ever before:

Older donors. . .

  • Are using the Internet like never before.

If you think for one second baby boomers or seniors are avoiding the Internet like the plague, you are dead wrong. Research actually shows just the opposite.  According to the Pew Research Center, half of American adults ages 65+ are online.  In fact, baby boomers and seniors now spend more time online than they do watching television.

  • They enjoy watching videos online.

Now that many older adults are spending less time in front of the traditional tube, they are using the World Wide Web to get their daily video fix. Over half of older adults watch online video with 82 percent listing YouTube as the preferred place to do so, making online video advertising huge for this segment of the population.

  • They are flocking to social media in droves.

Social media is a great way to reach potential donors, and it’s not just the young crowd addicted to sites like Twitter, Facebook, etc. Sixty percent of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 are on social media while 43 percent of adults 65 and older use it. According to Google, Facebook ranked number one in terms of use.

  • They Like and use e-mail.

Snail mail isn’t the only way older Americans are keeping in touch with the rest of the world. They’re now using email to communicate with other people. Close to 90 percent of people aged 65 and older use email, with 48 percent doing so quite regularly.

  • They are using smartphones to connect online.

For the last several years now, smartphones have made getting online even easier. Approximately 40 percent of baby boomers and seniors now own a smartphone or tablet, and the number is expected to grow.

Until recently, marketing to older Americans online wasn’t the popular thing to do because many people believed that they just weren’t “tech savvy.” However, the research above clearly indicates otherwise. With the right online marketing strategy, charities and advertisers have the ability to increase their revenue like never before. Online marketing to baby boomers and seniors is truly a goldmine of opportunity.

When it comes down to it, older donors are extremely valuable givers—as the reasons above state. Donor seekers should use every resource available to market to this segment of the population because it could make a huge impact on the success or failure of their charitable organization.

What to learn more?  The Epstein Creative Group can help you build a solid strategy. Call, email, or simply fill out this contact form to have Epstein Creative contact you.