We want young people, you know, the ones who have money to spend and are not stuck in their ways to come to our place.

That was part of the conversation I had with a couple of business owners in their 40’s recently.  Their Mom was in her late 70’s and still active in the family business.

But these two brothers were having a hard time understanding who they should be inviting to spend money with them.

There is a stereotype that Baby Boomers are too old.  Boomers are not going to change their buying habits.  Boomers are looking for cheap stuff and discounts.  Boomers have limited incomes. Boomers are not worth inviting to your business.

This was either said or implied by people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.

They may be right.  But not really.

Over the years I have worked for a few radio stations that played music that catered to Baby Boomers and I’ve worked for radio stations that have a talk format that is also popular with Baby Boomers.  WOWO Radio for example.

When I worked for the music stations catering to Baby Boomers, I met those listeners and many of them fit those stereotypes that I mentioned.

But I’ve also met the WOWO News Talk Radio listeners and the majority of them don’t fit the stereotypes I mentioned.

By the way, Baby Boomers are currently ranging in age from 55 to 75.  More than half are still working full time, and even more are working part time.

Here’s a few more insights from Mediapost on the Baby Boomers that listen to WOWO Radio:

In the United States, Boomers and seniors control more disposable income than the rest of the generations combined. The term disposable income is important.  In our 20’s and 30’s, we may have a decent income, but that money is flying out the back door as quickly as it comes in the front door.  College Debt is at a record high level and young adults are delaying major purchases and starting a family.  Meanwhile, Boomer grandparents are chipping in sometimes because their monthly expenses are lower.  Or they are indulging in buying stuff they couldn’t afford when they were younger.

I have friends who are in their 50’s and 60’s who are buying brand new custom homes, who are taking trips, who are eating out every weekend.  Money is not the issue that it was when they had little kids and teenagers to take care of.

84% of surveyed Boomers prefer to shop in-store. This is great news for local retailers.  Are you inviting Boomers to come to your store or restaurant?  I can help you design a plan for that using WOWO radio.  Boomers will also buy online, but it’s still an alternative, the second option, not the first choice for most Baby Boomers.

Boomers place greater emphasis on convenience than other generations. They want an easy-to-access store, with ample parking and clearly defined return policies. We know what it was like to have real interaction with people when shopping instead of the self check out lanes.  Our generation values truth, honesty and a good buying experience, because we’ve seen that level of service decline over our lifetimes.

Contrary to popular opinions, Boomers aren’t necessarily attached to classic brands. Of the groups surveyed, they were the only generation that didn’t prioritize buying the brands that they identified with from their childhood. For example, every summer, my wife and I visit a new restaurant nearly every week.  I’ve introduced her to nearly all of the local brew pubs and I see a few more opening soon for us to check out.  We may stick to a few items from our youth, but Boomers are living life with a freedom and gusto that we had in our teen to explore this world and all it offers.

Having trust in a retail purchase is also immensely important to Boomers. Internet-based review sites now provide consumers easy access to product testimonials, and Boomers love them. I emphasise to my clients the importance of maintaining a solid reputation online and offer tips on how to do that.

A brand looking to attract and convert sales from Boomers should spend its time and money advertising in the pre-purchase stage. Another way to look at this is you want to create Top Of Mind Awareness.  If my car needs new tires, I am going to go to the first tire store that comes to mind.  I’ll either do that in person, or online. The beauty of radio ads on WOWO Radio is that we create Top Of Mind Awareness for our advertising partners with our listeners.   Want to know how it works?  Ask me.