This document summarizes a panel discussion on engaging millennials in business. It discusses 7 key topics: 1) millennials seek authenticity and transparency, 2) millennials live through mobile devices, 3) millennials embrace frequent personal engagement, 4) millennials love to co-create products and experiences, 5) millennials are price sensitive but will pay for value, 6) millennials speak a new language, and 7) millennials follow brands that give back. For each topic, the document provides strategies and examples for businesses to communicate authentically with millennials through social media, mobile apps, frequent engagement, co-creation, and philanthropic efforts.

1. #NCBShow17
Session Title
Speaker Name(s)

2. #NCBShow17
RMD Group Introduction…
• Nightlife and Restaurant Development,
Management, and Consulting
• San Diego based with 10+ businesses
• 500+ employees, large employer
• National and local awards and
accolades

3. #NCBShow17
Panel Format…
• 7 Key Topics
• Infographic Take-away
• Questions and Answers
• Complimentary Content
Calendar and
Presentation Download:
rmdgroup.com/consulting

4. #NCBShow17
Panel Introduction…

5. #NCBShow17
T1: Millennials Seek
Authenticity and Transparency
• Accounting for ¼ the population, millennials
are 77 million strong.
• They are self-reliant and value companies
that are authentic and transparent in their
message and belief system.
• How can you position your business to be
authentic and transparent to capture what
will account for the largest demographic
by 2018?
• Speaker: Tami Hughes, RMD Group

6. #NCBShow17
T1: Millennials Seek
Authenticity and Transparency
• Millennials don’t trust advertisements and won’t be sold by them. In
fact, in a recent poll, only 1% of millennials claim that a compelling
ad influenced their purchasing decision. They want to know they are
dealing with real humans, not faceless businesses. They want
authenticity and transparency.
• How can you be more authentic? Start by communicating.
– Live in the moment, even on social media. Don’t be afraid to show your
business’ personality and who you are. And don’t be afraid to take a
little risk.
– There are many programs out there that will allow you to schedule out
your social media posts. Even though these programs may seem
efficient and time saving, they are causing more harm than good. Focus
posting more “live” and “un-polished” content.
– Posts should feel topical and in the moment.
– Each post should be engaging and true to your brand. So think more
about telling a story than providing information.
– If you try to being something you aren’t, Millennials will be put off. So be
yourself.

7. #NCBShow17
T1: Millennials Seek
Authenticity and Transparency
– Be transparent. Show people how you do biz.
• Open your business up a little by removing the curtain and
show what’s happening behind the scenes.
– Be relevant and avoid static or re-used
messaging.
• Produce content that lines up with their needs, wants and
goals. And with what’s trending and cool in their social
circles.
– Care about community and worldly issues.
• Find a cause to believe in, even if it’s yourself and your
product to start.
• Team up with charitable events and organizations. Think
philanthropically.
– But don’t partake in charities or other events you don’t actual
believe in. Millennials crave transparency and being fake will only
drive them out the door.

8. #NCBShow17
T1: Millennials Seek
Authenticity and Transparency
– The result will be grand.
• Increased loyalty, encouraging friends and peers to
also visit your venue.
• Sharing your message and content with friends
and family via social media and other
communication mediums.
• Drive more great customer reviews for sharing that
showcases your business.

9. #NCBShow17
T2: Millennials Live Through
Their Mobile Devices
• Millennials have grown up utilizing smart
phones.
• Studies suggest 89% of millennials use
mobile devices to connect to the internet and
check these devices more than 45 times per
day.
• What can you do to ensure your business
is mobile friendly and you are a mobile
forward thinker?
• Speaker: Wayne Partello, San Diego Padres

10. #NCBShow17
T2: Millennials Live Through
Their Mobile Devices
• How do we connect thru mobile:
– Working with the MLB we have developed an app experience
that allows fans to manage their tickets, enter the ballpark and
purchase at concessions all with their phone. We have also
worked to increase our social storytelling to engage
with millennials where they are most, on their phones.
• Steps to success:
– Ensure your website is mobile friendly.
– Proper implementation is important, create less clicks and
crossover, and make it easy for them. Mobile applications for
business must work.
– Provide regular offers and drive those offers by telling a story.
– Utilize social media campaigning and other mobile apps that
allow you to communicate more visually and directly with your
this audience.

11. #NCBShow17
T2: Millennials Live Through
Their Mobile Devices
• What is the result:
– Increase spending at concessions.
– Increased engagement on all social platforms.
– Brand weighted with greater value and
importance in marketplace. 29th in MLB on
twitter 3 years ago, now #5.

12. #NCBShow17
T3: Millennials Embrace Frequent
and Personal Engagement
• 62% of millennials say that if a brand
engages them via social platforms, they are
more likely to become a loyal customer to
that brand.
• As business owners and operators we must
work diligently to engage millennials and
have real conversations.
• So how can we execute this level of daily
interaction and engagement with our
millennial audience?
• Speaker: Aaron Wellman, RMD Group

13. #NCBShow17
T3: Millennials Embrace Frequent
and Personal Engagement
• Most importantly, don’t cut corners and try and schedule all
posts. Gary Vanyerchuk said it best when asked about
engaging millennials; you just need to do the work or dedicate
a resource to do it. And remember friendship goes both ways.
• 70% of millennials are influenced by the posts of friends on
social sites when it comes to making purchase decisions.
Don’t just make small talk with your customers. Passive
conversations will cause them to walk away.
• Use push notifications as a reminder or to-do list.
– In addition to following a posting schedule, turn on "push
notifications" for all social media platforms to alert you in
the same fashion as a text or phone call. You can even
push these notifications to the "home" or "lock" screen,
which will make it easier to filter through all
the engagement and reply back to your followers.

14. #NCBShow17
T3: Millennials Embrace Frequent
and Personal Engagement
• With push notifications anytime a customer
comments, likes or shares your post you'll be
notified when that happens in "real time". It is very
important to engage immediately while the content is
fresh in that customers mind. When you react
immediately the customer knows that you appreciate
them and care what they think and say.
• On the contrary, we need to stay away from one-
way social media relationships or followers will start
to stray. Do not post content that pitches your
followers to come into your venue, then neglect to
engage with them when they like, comment or
share. Tell a story they will connect with, then
engage them.

15. #NCBShow17
T3: Millennials Embrace Frequent
and Personal Engagement
• For example, at RMD Group we have dedicated
employees that manage each of our RMD
accounts, including our venues' accounts. With
over 10+ brands, with multiple social platforms to
manage, these notifications make it easier to
monitor posts, and most importantly engage with
our customers comments.
• As a project, try adding your top 10 engagers on
Instagram, turn on push notifications for their
accounts, and react to the posts and interactions
they're making (not just ours) to build a stronger
relationship and help create more loyal brand
ambassadors.

16. #NCBShow17
T4: Millennials Love to Co-create
Products and Experiences
• Millennials love co-create services, products,
and brands.
• Creating these cross channel experiences
are crucial, and if done properly will create
community sharing and influence to drive
sales.
• How can we devise co-created campaigns
to connect and engage millennials, and
most importantly influence them to share
these campaigns with their communities?
• Speaker: Tami Hughes, RMD Group

17. #NCBShow17
T4: Millennials Love to Co-create
Products and Experiences
• Simply put, make them love you by involving them.
– “62% of millennials say that if a brand engages with
them on social networks, they are more likely to
become a loyal customer. They expect brands to not
only be on social networks, but to engage them.”
• Millennials want to engage with their audience.
They want to direct the story of their lives, at least
the online version. So many of their experiences
are all about the “gram” and the more relevant and
interesting content you provide them to engage
with their friends/family, the more cross
promotional interaction you will receive. Good for
them, GREAT for you.

18. #NCBShow17
T4: Millennials Love to Co-create
Products and Experiences
– How can you help them, help you?
• Supply your customers with collateral to tell your story.
– Cocktails with an interesting garish or vessel
– Plated food that is as pretty for the eyes as it is for your taste buds
– Interactive signage
– Contests and gimmicks
– Showcase special nights/one-off events (ex. The Woodford Event at
Rustic Root)
• Featuring two cocktails: customers will decide which one makes
the menu.
• POS supplies supplied by vendors because if you are successful
so are they. Utilize these relationships.
• Follow through and repost their posts.
– They showed you love, now you can do the same
– Sharing their image on your social media will further link them to your
brand
• Everyone likes to be acknowledged
• Others in their social community will be encouraged to post their
content and get involved with your brand as well

19. #NCBShow17
T5: Millennials Are Price Sensitive
But Will Pay For Value
• With a year round median income of $33,883,
millennials still account for 1.3 trillion in annual
buying power.
• They have a “I want it now” sense of entitlement.
• They have been conditioned to find what they
want with ease, making buying decisions
comparing price with value.
• So how do we define value in what we sell,
without compromising price integrity and
profitability?
• Speaker: Wayne Partello, San Diego Padres

20. #NCBShow17
T5: Millennials Are Price Sensitive
But Will Pay For Value
• Focus on “fans” of your business first:
– Most businesses are in the business of trying to
create fans out of their customers. Our business
is inverted, we need to create customers out of our
fans.
– Creating content to engage with
them consistently and then try to convert in the
timeframe that is most comfortable to this generation,
last minute. The surge of single game tickets from 3
days out up until game time is when we convert at the
highest percentage.

21. #NCBShow17
T5: Millennials Are Price Sensitive
But Will Pay For Value
• The perception of value:
– Value is defined though authenticity.
– Purchases made in reviewing blogs from persons
they trust is a big one. Also look to social media for
reviews on products or stories about products. They
want to know the faces behind the business.
Adversely 82% will leave a company after 3 bad
experiences.
– Must have exceptional customer service and be
always be responsive. There is an sense of
entitlements with this generation, so it becomes more
important everyday to have great customer service.

22. #NCBShow17
T5: Millennials Are Price Sensitive
But Will Pay For Value
• What you can expect:
– Brand loyalty to start. 60% will purchase again
from brands they most recently purchased
from. The sooner you connect with them and
encourage purchases, the longer they’ll be
with you.
– ROI that can be recognized through
engagement rather than direct of digital
advertising.

23. #NCBShow17
T6: Millennials Speak A
New Language
• 70% of millennials are influenced by posts on social media
platforms when making purchasing decisions.
• They speak in tweets, texts, Snapchat filters, and Facebook
posts. They use emoji’s, memes, self-generated cartoon
caricatures, and sometimes no words to communicate.
• Their communication language cannot be passive, it must
be real dialogue.
• How do we learn a new language quickly so we can
communicate and build lasting relationships with
millennials?
• Speaker: Aaron Wellman, RMD Group

24. #NCBShow17
T6: Millennials Speak A
New Language
• Be more creative by using pictures, video, and emojis to
tell a story versus actual words. Post multiple times while
shortening the caption of each post. Try using a string of
3 to 4 emojis like a sentence, a single hashtag, a fun
meme, or a short phrase to describe what’s happening in
your post. This will allow the content to tell the story for
you.
• Not only will this help increase the frequency of your
posts over several days, it will keep the customer
engaged for a longer period of time. This will create a
timeline of pictures on your page painting a story
together at the very end.

25. #NCBShow17
T6: Millennials Speak A
New Language
• Creativity, effort and methods like this will cultivate strong
and authentic relationships with millennials leaving them
with an appetite for more. Additionally, they will connect
with you on a deeper level, be more loyal, and recognize
your relevancy as a brand because you communicate
like they do and understand them.
• As an example, during the build out of RMD’s new Italian
Restaurant, Salvucci's, we gave our customers a
glimpse into the process. On selected days we posted
content building out the kitchen, then picking out the
furniture, then setting up the bar. This allowed us to keep
our customers captivated until the opening.
•

26. #NCBShow17
T7: Millennials Follow Brands
That Give Back
• Millennials are tired of corporate greed and are
typically politically progressive.
• 75% say that it’s important for companies to give
back to society rather than focus on profitability.
Local contributions bode well with this generation.
• How can we position our businesses to
exemplify community contribution, and
communicate those contributions and stories
through our brand and social media channels?
• Speaker: Felix Goodson, VAVI

27. #NCBShow17
T7: Millennials Follow Brands
That Give Back
• Positioning your business or venue(s):
– Match a Charity that resonates with your brand and target market.
– Match a Charity that you are passionate about.
– Survey your community to see what causes will impact and motivate
them.
– Pick a Charity that you have a personal connection with.
• The benefits to connecting with charities that give
back:
– Generates a culture of positivity around your brand.
– It can boost employee morale and attract top talent.
– Millennials are 85% more likely to buy a product associated with a
charity.
– Millennial employees want to be a part of a company that gives
back and makes them feel good.
– Millennial clients can relate to a brand through charity, and will stay
loyal because of that connection.

28. #NCBShow17
T7: Millennials Follow Brands
That Give Back
• How do you communicate these charitable stories
through your brand and social media channels?
– Dedicate a page on your website to highlight your chosen
charitable cause.
– Ensure content is relevant and relatable.
– Use creative ways to influence your audience by utilizing
influencers, posting photos and videos, ultimately creating a
buzz worthy movement (e.g. #IceBucketChallenge).
– Hashtags are a great way to connect like-minded people with
your cause.

29. #NCBShow17
T7: Millennials Follow Brands
That Give Back
– Strong brands I connect with through charity:
• #BreastCancerAwareness – NFL
• #HardRockHealsFoundation – Hard Rock
• #BrewingtheAmericanDream – Samuel Adams
• #VodkaforDogPeople – Tito’sVodka
• #OperationSmile – My Mom (a personal connection that is
stronger than any other brand)
• Now Review, Reflect, and Take Action.
– If you connected with any of these bullets, no matter the size of
your company, make giving back a part of your company’s
mission and values. And when Millennials connect with these
actions, engage them back to build lasting and loyal client
relationships. You will benefit in more ways than you know.

30. #NCBShow17
In Summary…
• Connect:
– Frequently
– Honestly
– Authentically
– Purposefully
– Charitably

31. #NCBShow17
Q & A…
Thank You for your time!
Visit us at www.rmdgroupsd.com