Moving Beyond iGen: Influencer Marketing for Older Generations

When we say influencer the image building in your mind is of a person most likely Snap-ing or Gram-ing. But these people — Gen Y and Gen Z — are only a fraction of the people spending time on social media.

Gen X and Baby Boomers are in there too. In fact, Generation X spends 2 hours on social platforms every day!

So, why do brands (and creators) tend to forget this? When you use influencer marketing, the smart thing to do is to connect to people of every age!

Yes, an influencer campaign that goes viral among 20-year olds will not appeal to the older generations. However, that doesn’t signify that you can’t reach those born before 1985 with the right influencer marketing strategy.

And that’s the topic du jour — how do you connect with the older generations online through influencer marketing.

How to Use Influencer Marketing on Older Generations?

Campaign where they are.

Research says that the older generations are most active on Facebook. 60% of people who crossed the 50-mark are on Facebook.

This really doesn’t come as a surprise to you, does it? We all have that one elder family member who has embarrassed you to high hell on the platform.

What it means is that influencer marketing works best on Gen X when it is targeted through Facebook.

Alter the content to their liking.

Did you know Baby Boomers are 19% more likely to share content more than any other generation? Of course, with the caveat that they like it. In influencer marketing terms, it means changing the campaign to their taste.

Don’t run the same influencer campaign you would for a millennial. Alter it.

To what, you ask? Written content or video.

Why, you ask? Because blogs and YouTube are the two other online platforms, older generations are glued to.

They watch videos not just for entertainment (like Millennials) but also to learn new things. They read blogs to gain more information before they make a purchase.

Find the right influencer for them.

Even a bespoke influencer campaign run on Facebook will fail if you don’t find the right creator. Unlike digital natives, older generations trust very few people. Either they rely on traditional influencers (read: celebrities) or someone in their very, very limited circle (read: micro-influencers).

Finding that crop of influencers that Gen X and Baby Boomers rely on is hard. But when you do strike gold, the engagement and traffic you earn will be through the roof.

The trick is to take your time to figure out which creators have the pulse of the older generations or you could simply use Do Your Thng (yes, that’s our shameless plug) to get in touch with creators who work with this demographic.

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Add a bit of nostalgia.

You’ve got the platform right; you’ve got the medium right, and you’ve got the influencer right. Next is the campaign.

When you create an influencer marketing campaign for people above 35, you need to bring in a touch of nostalgic remembrance. That’s what studies prove. Gen X is not only attracted to content that is reminiscent of times past, but it also prompts them to spend more!

So, that’s your cue — use the influencer campaign to relive old, fond memories.

But the winds of change come.

Although the majority of the older generations stick to Facebook, there have been the winds of change in recent times. A few of them are becoming comfortable with Instagram. They make only a small percentage of the total demographic, but they do come with an advantage.

Those between 45 to 54 years and 65 to 74 years search a product/ service more after they see it on Instagram. For you, it means they are particularly receptive to influencer marketing!

Bringing a Thought Change in Influencer Marketing for Older Generations

As a brand (or creator), you have to stop thinking of it as TikTok or Instagram influencer marketing. It is more than that. When you create this thought change, you’ll be able to reach older audiences more effectively.

Rather your influencer marketing efforts will bear more fruit for two reasons. One, the older demographic is less saturated space when it comes to influencers. Two, Gen X is one of the most influential generations currently. They hold not only the key to their own wallets but also that of the younger and older generation!