“…enjoying retirement. Playing golf. Joining a quilting club. Having lunch with new friends.” This was part of an ad that I just heard on my radio, targeted to senior citizens who were looking for a retirement community.
I’m in that age bracket, age 67 to be exact BUT this ad didn’t entice me. Instead it got my dander up and is the reason for this post. A few days ago, I made another post about another lady that lived a life of inspiring others until her death at the age of 78. Playing golf? A Quilting Club? Nothing to do all day but have lunch with friends? That’s not living. To me, that is slowly dying. The example set by Eleanor Roosevelt is the kind of retirement that I am living daily and plan to live until the day I die.
Now that I’ve got that rant out of the way, you are probably wondering what in the world does this have to do with the gift business? A lot.
When you run a print ad, a radio ad, or even send out an email, or make a phone call, know your target customers and know them well. This particular radio ad probably did zero in on exactly the type of person who would be interested in spending the final years of their life in a retirement community with planned daily activities. But it failed to entice someone like me, who fits the profile of their target audience.
When you run your ads, it’s good to have in mind a profile of a particular type of customer you want to reach with that ad. But remember that there are all kinds of people and no single profile can be all encompassing. For example, you target the 40 to 50 year old working female. This could be a career woman, who has worked all her life, climbing the ladder of success. It could be a former stay-at-home mom who has returned to work after the kids are older to have some extra money. Or it could be the wife of a man who has lost his job and her income is the only source of support as they struggle to pay their bills and ward off foreclosure. It could be a 40-year-old new Mom or a 40-year-old grandmother.
See what I mean? Be careful how you profile your target market. Make it as broad as you possibly can while zeroing in on the group that would be most likely candidates for your gift baskets or other products.