It’s hard to believe that, not long ago, the only people who used the Internet were a relatively small handful of academics. Today, the web is for everyone; no matter what community you’re trying to reach, you know they’re online somewhere.
So the question isn’t finding the community you’re targeting, it’s reaching them in an effective and engaging way.
Take seniors. As of last year, more than half of all senior citizens surf the Internet and use email in the US. Which is good news if you’re a blogger who targets seniors, because you already have a huge potential audience.
But how do you reach seniors specifically? Here are four tips for your senior-oriented blog.
1. Design for seniors
Generally, seniors prefer websites that are clean, clear, and well-organized. Don’t flood your site with tons of menus, videos, and other superfluous material. Keep the navigation clean and simple.
Use a simple font, and keep your type a bit on the large side and make sure you have plenty of spacing between rows of text. Seniors are more interested in gathering information than looking at cutting-edge design ideas.
2. Provide the news seniors want
If someone is visiting a senior blog, it’s most likely because he or she wants a senior’s perspective. Almost any general interest-topic can be viewed through a senior’s perspective, but some of the more popular topics include health care, retirement finances, and politics.
Of course there’s a wide world of senior hobbies you can blog about, too. Remember: You don’t have to be a senior citizen to run a senior blog; you just have to always think of the senior perspective.
3. Provide senior connections
In any online community, members enjoy talking to other members. For most blogs, this means enabling a comments section. It can also include a forum.
Another useful service is that you, the owner, provide appropriate comment moderation. Generally, seniors don’t want to interact with the harsher, more “anything goes” aspects of Internet culture, so it’s up to you to keep the comment section civil and “troll-free.”
4. Showcase products seniors want
Like everyone else, seniors use the Internet to shop. While your blog might not sell products itself, you can certainly attract an audience by providing information about products seniors may want to buy. Additionally, try to find products which, in addition to appealing to seniors, will also draw in a wide range of readers.
For instance, Getaway Grey is a vitamin supplement that eliminates gray hair by restoring your hair’s natural color. With the proper use of search engine optimization, you can target both seniors searching for nutritional supplements and seniors searching for ways to look younger.
This technique, in which you target multiple audiences simultaneously, is a great way to draw in more readers.
