Promotion
- Promote products, services, and business features that could be of interest to older adults in your advertising.
- Make your marketing materials more inclusive. Include older adults in ads featuring customers using products/services.
- Information should be provided in numerous ways, including online, print, radio/television
- Make sure your print and web ads reach older adults. Place them in publications and websites older adults are more likely to read
- Provide print materials, such as menus or cost schedules for other services, both online and in print. Some older people don’t have regular access to a computer. Allow for orders to be made by phone or in person.
Websites
- Make key information easy to find for everyone. Repeat your business name, address, hours, and contact information on every page.
- Navigation bars should be prominently placed on each page. Avoid complicated menus or drop-downs.
- Include zoom controls or text resize buttons clearly on every page.
- Design your site with older computers in mind. Be careful about using too much audio/video or flash elements.
Print Materials
- Clearly highlight key information.
- Use simple language that can be understood by the broadest range of consumers.
- Use sans serif type fonts such as Helvetica and Calibri which don’t have small features at the end of their strokes. The decorative strokes can be harder to read in small sizes.
- Always use 12 point font or higher when possible.
- Leave 1 inch margins and white space between lines of texts.
- Use vivid colors, avoid pale pastel shades.
- Create high contract between text and background; avoid using similar colors on text and background as they can blend together when viewed.
- Use simple, clear designs without too much decoration that can detract from key information.