How to engage older people on social media

If you don’t already engage with older people on social media, now is a good time to start thinking about it. Research from third sector agency Eden Stanley, published in July 2024, shows there is an opportunity for charities to encourage older people to post about their causes on social media.

The research shows that Baby Boomers want to use social media to raise awareness of issues. Almost two thirds (65%) of those aged between 60 and 78 said they post about social causes to raise awareness of a cause.

Founder and principal of Eden Stanley, Joe Barrell, says that, of this group of people, more than 7 million use online channels on a regular basis but only 14% are sharing the work of charities: “If non-profits can better engage older supporters on social media, there’s huge potential to spread the message to a wider audience and, given this demographic’s political sway, have a greater impact on public policy too.”

So, how can charities motivate older people to talk about them on socials? Barrell says it “requires identifying how best to speak to, engage and mobilise different groups of supporters and that this relies on understanding what really motivates people to act”.

Here are some tips for engaging older people on social media.

Understand your audience

Research your target audience so you understand their interests and what motivates them. This will help you to create and post content that is relevant to them and that they will be interested in.

Speak to people in this age group

If you have some loyal supporters who are in this age group and already engage with you on social media, have a chat with them to find out why they support you.

Ask them why they interact with you on social media and share your posts. They may be able to give you some ideas for how to engage older people and things to avoid.

Identify which channels people use

It’s important to understand what social media platforms older people are using so you are using the right channels to target them.

Research shows that older people tend to use Facebook more than other social networking sites. Seven in 10 (72%) people, aged 56 and above, are using Facebook in the UK. This is followed by WhatsApp (63%) and YouTube (52%).

Use clear language

Think about the language you use. As with all audiences, make sure you use clear and simple copy. The information needs to be easy to understand.

Avoid jargon and technical terms and abbreviations that people may not be familiar with. Also, avoid slang that you may use with a younger audience. Write terms out in full the first time you use them.

Make sure you use inclusive language and don’t make assumptions about people in this age group. For example, about their health and ability to do things.

Be accessible

Make sure your social content is accessible. This includes using image descriptions, camelcase for hashtags, accessible fonts, and video captions.

Choose the right content

NSDesign says to consider posting longer content on social media as Baby Boomers are more used to reading longer-form pieces. This is different to younger generations who are more likely to engage with short, snappier posts. Use subheadings, short paragraphs, bullet points, and images to break up the copy.

Think about the call to action

Make sure you include a clear call to action in your social media posts. Tell people what you want them to do when they’ve read the post. For example, sharing the post.

Use videos

With older people using YouTube, think about sharing links to your charity videos on social media. Keep videos at under two minutes long to get the most engagement.

Using good quality photos in social media posts can also help to engage people.

Make your content shareable

Digital agency NS Design says that “as baby boomers love to share content, you should make your content as visually attractive and shareable as possible”.

You can do this by including social share buttons and including a share link to pages on your website.

Post regularly

Make sure you post regular content on your platforms and reply to people’s comments and messages.