In a recent phone conversation my mom was complaining about the lack of television programs geared towards older audiences. She’s sick to death of reality television and hates the few dramas the networks do seem to be making. “The population is supposed to be aging,” she complained. “Why aren’t they making television for us?”
She’s right. There are darned few shows geared towards older audiences. And it’s not as if those types of shows can’t be successful. Remember Golden Girls? It was a show geared towards middle-aged women. And yet it was wildly popular. I remember watching it with my parents, and I definitely wasn’t the target demographic. If a similar show were on the air today I’d be more likely to watch it than remakes of Knight Rider or 90210. What’s next? Love Boat 21st Century?
Although the over 50 demographic is so large, network execs are so used to targeting the 18 to 35 group that they’re missing an important audience segment.
It got me thinking. What other industries are missing the boat when it comes to target audience? With the world economy slowing down, perhaps in a recession, businesses, particularly small business, can’t afford to miss entire segments of potential customers. Too often we get into a rut, serving the same people because that’s what we’ve always done.
I’ve been reading The Well-Fed Self-Publisher: How to Turn One Book Into a Full-Time Living
by Peter Bowerman. In this book Bowerman describes how he positioned his first book, The Well-Fed Writer: Financial Self-Sufficiency as a Freelance Writer in Six Months or Less
, differently for different audiences. For writers he positioned it as a way to help them gain better paying writing assignments than what they were currently getting. For moms he promoted his book as a way they could earn a living while staying at home with their children. For baby boomers he promoted it as a way to leverage their lifetime of business skills and contacts into a late career change.
If you’re business is slowing down, or you’re worried it might, maybe its time to do what Bowerman did. Look at your products and services to find ways to reposition or repurpose them for a different market segment. Are there different ways to use your products that could help a different target audience? Are there new products or services you could add that would let you serve a new market? Would bundling products or services make you more attractive to another audience?
While this is a scary time to be in business, not all businesses are floundering, and some are thriving. Make sure you are one of them by ensuring you’re not missing an important segment of the market.
Andrea J. Stenberg
