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If you have ignored the older population in your online marketing efforts you may want to rethink your strategy, particularly if you know your product or service appeals to that segment in the *off-line* world.

Older Americans are going online at a faster rate than any other age group, according to an August, 1999 Greenfield Online study conducted among 1,265 Web users age 55 and older. Seniors are using e-mail to communicate with family and friends, accessing chat rooms, playing games and surfing the Web to find information and make purchases. A separate study indicates there are more Internet users 50 and older than there are 20 and under.

It is understandable that the senior population wasn't the first segment to grasp the Internet, but neither is it hard to fathom why they are now coming to it in droves. They have acclimated well to the fast-changing 20th Century, adapting to the advent of transistor radios, television, 8-tracks, cassettes, CDs, fast food, cell phones and now, the computer.

Their interests are as diverse as any other age group, according to experts on older Americans. You would certainly expect them to seek information on topics like health and finances, but they are also into travel, nature, science, nutrition, history, entertainment, games, self-help and many other areas.

Seniors are also using the Internet to shop, according to the study. Most seniors who use the Web are comfortable making purchases over the Internet and have the household income to be significant players in the e-commerce arena. The study found that 78% of Web users in that age group have made a purchase online.

Here are some tips for marketing to a mature online audience:

Keep your site simple and easy to navigate. Equally important, make it easy to read, using slightly larger type sizes than you otherwise would. Offer clean, crisp page design. Lean toward high-contrast (black type on white background). Provide plenty of relevant information with links to additional sources of information rather than a brief summary. Provide toll-free numbers for convenient communication. Don't assume that seniors know the "jargon" of your site. Explain terms or labels relating to your product, service or industry. Idea: offer a glossary or provide a link to definitions of unfamiliar terms. They're used to receiving special treatment from most companies, usually in the form of discounts, because of their purchasing power. Consider a special offer for seniors.

Where do you reach them? Simply type in "seniors" into a search engine and you'll likely come up with sites like:

http://seniors-site.com/ http://www.seniornet.org/ http://www.ageofreason.com/

They aren't all that fond of banner ads, but don't ignore placing ads on sites like these. Consider placing classified ads, advertising in senior-focused e-zines and be sure to register with senior search engines like http://www.seniorssearch.com/

About the author: Mr. Beach is a marketing veteran (although not a senior...yet) and webmaster of award-winning BUSINESS-OPP.COM, featuring a unique Three-Step Process to make money on the internet. All opportunities carry a money-back guarantee. Free marketing reports, resources and an excellent e-zine as well, all at http://www.business-opp.com/