AI is increasingly used as a marketing tool. And there are certain things to bear in mind when using it in later life marketing for your over 50s audience.
What’s real and what isn’t?
They’re a demographic that are very sensitive to authenticity. With limited tolerance for anything that feels fake. And one of the worst culprits is the use of AI-generated personas. People that look like real people, talk like real people but that are digitally generated. Especially when they’re used to give customer testimonials or reviews. It’s far better to have a simple written review than one that’s voiced by an AI avatar.
The train of thought is that if the person speaking the words isn’t real, then what they’re saying isn’t real either. It can often breed mistrust and it’s important to think about the AI tools that become available. Not just using them because they’re there. But asking if they’re really fit for purpose in your later life marketing.
Human Connection
Real human connection is so important to the older audience. Having a human voice on the other end of the line that can understand and answer specific questions without resorting to multiple choice. And this still needs to remain a part of your business communications. No matter how advanced AI becomes. Marketing content that feels human and real will always resonate best.
Marketing Language
They’re a demographic that are very astute and that are very sensitive to language. There are key tell-tale signs that something has been written by AI. And this older demographic can be far more likely to spot them than a younger audience.
Loose grammar and Americanisms that stand out and are a real annoyance, and correct grammar and spelling is of huge importance. AI content can often be spotted by certain quirks and patterns. Things to watch out for are overuse of certain words and phrases that AI relies on more than human writers would.
Flowery language or an embellished writing style can also be an indicator, as well as sentences which seem unnecessarily complex. A lack of depth and personality is a key indicator in writing style as well. Missing the personal anecdotes and emotional touches that AI struggles to replicate.
Vague statements that erode trust are a really big one to watch out for as well. Phrases like ‘Industry experts say’ or ‘Some critics say’ are so generic. It’s far better to use real examples of the people who are saying these things, or just not to reference them at all.
Useful AI in later life marketing
But despite all this, AI can still be extremely useful. It can help with collating research for your later life marketing. Giving you a framework to draw from when you’re creating your marketing messaging and choosing your marketing channels. And it’s great at generating initial ideas and topics of interest for your communications and campaigns. Saving you hours of initial brainstorming at the drawing board.
A Trusted Brand
One of the most important things to say when it comes to AI, is always be sure to fact check anything it produces. It currently draws from anything and everything that’s on the internet, so every source it uses isn’t always trustworthy. And the last thing you want to be doing is sending out inaccurate information. This is a demographic that has the time to spend on fact checking everything.
And to be a brand that remains a trusted brand, it’s important to maintain your integrity. AI tools will always be useful for your marketing, but what matters most is how you use them.
You can find more support here with marketing for the over 50s demographic.