Millennials are the talk of the marketing world. They have money, they have kids, and they have serious social media influence. Generally pegged as being born from 1981 through 1996, Millennials hold a lot of buying power. The older members of this generation remember a time before CDs and the internet – barely.
By and large, they were the ones teaching their parents how to use the computer, and remain presently tech savvy, which is why it’s little surprise that they took online shopping and social media marketing from a pipedream to must-have.
So, uh, how do you use physical signs to attract an internet generation?
To start, throw away any negative notions you have about Millennials living in their phones and shopping entirely online. They value family, fun, creature comforts, and know a good deal when they find one. While online shopping is easy, there is wide appeal to coming into the store to try a product out, hold it in their hands and examine the features in person, and to talk to customer service reps about the product or service. You have to convince them that your shop or event is exactly the in-person experience they’ve been longing for.
To do that, be honest. This is a generation that’s grown up with email scammers and online identity theft. They’ve taken post-secondary courses on pop culture, advertising, and psychology by the masses. They are worldly, and weary. Show them what makes your business tick, and how you take care of your customers. Green living, clean living, fair trade, and community support is high on the list of priorities.
Design signage that will inspire them to snap a photo and share it online. Be creative! Use eye-catching imagery, be funny, cute, or inspiring. Create your own hashtag and include that on the signs and track that hashtag to find out how people interact with your brand independently.
Appeal to your customers rather than straight-sell your product. How would your product or services enhance their lives? Create your signage campaign around that to turn heads. This concept may very well play right into an unintentional social media campaign.
Speaking of social media, which you may have noticed we have several times already, bring your social media campaigns to your signage, and vice versa. Even if the only repeat is your logo, tagline, or a hashtag, make the online-to-in-store connection easy for your customers to recognize both from the sidewalk and the palm of their hands.
Tell all your friends! Sometimes customers need to be nudged on what to do next. That good ol’ Call To Action is powerful. Design an event or sale around a bring-your-friend or family-friendly.
And most importantly, track your campaigns and feedback. When you find something that works for your Millennial customer base, as with any successful campaign, you want to adapt it for other events, or repeat it again next year. It’s all in the details, so keep track of those!
Grand River Sign Design has ample experience designing motivational signage for your every campaign or event. Creativity is the spice of advertising, and our team can help guide you to a stunning set of signage. Come by our showroom at 25 Struck Court unit 5 or call 519-740-7272 to book your consultation.