According to recent Pew surveys, the number of online seniors jumped by 47% between 2000 and 2004. This means there are close to 8 million “silver surfers” at the age of 65 or older using the world wide web. About 58% of Americans age 50-64 say they’re hooked up to the net. 69% of wired baby boomers go online during your typical day, and that’s compared with only 56% of all internet users. So why are they online?

• To stay current with news and events
• To research health and medical information
• To stay in touch with family and friends
• To use e-mail
• To send online greeting cards
• To check on stocks and investments
• To research products or services to purchase offline
• To make online shopping purchases

That’s right—to make online shopping purchases. The 50 plus market has over $1.6 trillion in spending power and a net worth that’s nearly twice the U.S. average. In fact, baby boomers are the most affluent market there is. Those aged 50 or better are, and will become even more, a market, social and political force to be reckoned with and hence a very attractive community to a wide range of advertising and marketing sponsors.

With these powerful statistics, companies interested in targeting the baby boomer market must consider online lead generation. The real challenge is to position high-value products and services that match with the 50 plus market internet usage with your company’s sales and marketing process to generate the most qualified leads.

The most profitable online lead generation programs understand it’s a balancing act. Companies must realize they must strike the right balance between attracting interest and qualifying those baby boomer prospects who are most likely to purchase. If the process is too simple, you get an abundance of unqualified leads and an awful conversion rate. If the process is too difficult, the cost per lead will be prohibitive.

According to research conducted by Brand Strategy Journal, Hispanics are currently the largest minority group in America and, if growth continues at the present rate, Hispanics will soon account for one out of every five American residents. As the population grows, so does its purchasing power. Though the median income for all American households increased just 6 percent from 1996 to 2001 (from $39,869 to $42,228), median income of Hispanics was up 20 percent, from $27,977 to $33,565. Companies who fail to market to this vital segment do so at their own peril.

As their household incomes increase, Hispanics are entering cyberspace more quickly than any other ethnic group in the United States. New York-based eMarketer projects a 7.4 percent jump in Hispanic Internet usage in 2004, with 13.3 million Hispanics online by the end of 2004. Internet usage by Hispanics grew 8 percent in 2003, to 12.4 million users. Hispanic households are still likely to be less wealthy than some others, but evidence suggests that as later generations become more educated, income will rise.

Hispanics spend almost 5.5 hours per week online, usually from a computer at home, according to a study conducted by the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. More than three-quarters of survey respondents use the Internet for e-mail, 60 percent to get the news, 54 percent to listen to music and 43 percent to chat. Univision.com was the most popular Spanish-language Web site for the second year in a row among United States Hispanic users, according to a 2002 Nielson Media Research study. Other Spanish-language Web sites in the top five were Yahoo! En Espanol, Terra, Yupi and StarMedia.