If you had to guess, how many ads do you think you’re exposed to each day? 10? 20? 100? Try an estimated 5,000! From digital to print, ads are everywhere and almost everything is an ad. At some point, the human brain starts to unconsciously filter the information we are exposed to — leaving most of these ads forgotten or completely unnoticed.

The legendary “Rule of 7” states that consumers need to hear or see a message seven times before they will take action. It’s pretty clear that advertising isn’t so easy. In a congested market, countless businesses and organizations are fighting for attention. With money being dumped into digital ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, do print ads still work?

Yes.

There is a lot of data out there to support why print advertising is still a smart and successful investment. For example, studies suggest that print converts more customers compared to digital ads. Print can also work side-by-side with digital ads to help reinforce and elevate a message. However, most importantly, people engage differently with print compared to digital. Research shows that print advertising better stimulates parts of the brain that are responsible for desire and valuation. Studies on the same topic also suggest that print ads provide greater ease for understanding and longer attention periods compared to their digital counterparts.

So, yes, print isn’t dead. But how do you still stand out amongst the competition? We’ve compiled three ways you can enhance your print signage for better engagement and reach with your target audience.

1. Less is More

 A busy sign, is a forgotten sign. When signage tries to accomplish too much, consumer focus is lost. This leads to a disjointed message and an advertisement that gets lost in the shuffle.

A good way to get your print ads to stand out is to use fewer words and less design. Sounds crazy, but the brain likes simplicity. Try cutting out elements that are unnecessary or only further exacerbate the point you’re trying to make. The use of negative space can make an ad catch attention in ways that creative design cannot.

There is a famous quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery that states: “A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”

2. Creative Graphics Pop

Not enough print signage features enticing visual aids. Stock photos and reuseable iconography are overused and predictable. Consumers are all too familiar with these images being used across businesses and industries. Therefore, little interest is paid.

It’s time to start investing in creative custom graphics to fit your narrative and advertisements. New and innovative imagery excites and captivates consumers in ways that repetitive imagery doesn’t. Hiring a good graphic designer or using your in-house design team to create unique, eye-popping visuals will help push your ads to the forefront.

3. Font Readability

One of the biggest issues with ads is readability. Marketers have about one second to catch the attention of a consumer before they move on. Not being able to quickly understand or read the display message is a major reason ads don’t make positive impressions.

While it’s certainly okay to mix it up and go outside the box, fonts need to be clear, evenly spaced, and readable from a variety of angles and distances. Stick to straight lettering, avoid script writing, and always do a field test with your ads before mass printing. A successful message isn’t found in the sophistication of the font, but in the attraction of the meaning.

Printing security probably isn’t one of the first things you think about when it comes to digital security. Today, so much business happens online. From payment transactions to the sharing of private credentials, and more – nearly every business is reliant on the internet. However, as with most things, downsides exist.

IT security isn’t something that everyone prioritizes or even thinks about – until a breach or intrusion happens. Many businesses have poor IT security practices, both from a software standpoint, but also from unsafe employee habits. Printing is an area that is often taken for granted in regards to digital security. Yet, valuable information can rather easily be hacked when certain safeguards or malfunctions are ignored.

How Printing Can Be Dangerous

Every day, sensitive information is passed through a printer, and just like any other device on your business network, if the device or network is not properly protected – major information breaches can occur. The security of an in-house printing device normally isn’t the first thought when it comes to securing a network and all the related devices. However, printer vulnerabilities have proven to be a legitimate access point for hackers. Here are a few ways in-house printing can leave your business open to attack:

• Outdated firmware enables credentials to become more easily compromised.
• When multiple print and mobile devices are connected, data can often be lost in motion. As a result, the vulnerability to access unauthorized data also increases posing greater threats to the business.
• Poor employee/user management can leave a printer vulnerable through things like phishing scams or poor password protection.

How to Practice Printing Security

The necessity to print isn’t going anywhere, therefore, businesses need to implement the right safety measures, or take their printing needs somewhere that can provide the right level of security – ABG Print does that.

We take every client’s printing needs seriously. Their information security is always top of mind, regardless if confidential or sensitive information plays a part. There are several ways we mitigate printing breaches and information leaking.

User Controls & Access

One of the biggest threats to any network or device is the number of hands that touch it. When you come to us for your printing needs, we limit the flow of traffic to ensure only your people are around while printing information is being created. With appointment only service and key card access required, we ensure that your information is only being shared and printed by our team and you.

Highly Trained Team

To help with your printing needs, we employ a team of knowledgeable and highly experienced printing professionals that are well versed in printing security. Our team is contractually bound to keep all sensitive information safe and confidential. We have worked with countless businesses and individuals to regularly produce their print projects, all while keeping their business’s private information safe from outside threats.

Enhanced Security Protocols & Corporate Printing Portal

Our regularly monitored print network takes every possible step to prevent a breach of both the software and the human error side. The transmission of files without encryption is risky behavior that many businesses engage in. Sending information via email is not 100 percent secure, and is never recommended for sharing documents or media containing confidential information. Corporate print portals offer a safe, secure, and personalized environment for businesses to communicate with print shops, like us here at ABG Print.

These custom portals enable encrypted file sharing, direct payment ability, asset storage, on-the-spot pricing, and quick project ordering. This portal system provides the safest and simplest way for businesses to outsource their printing needs – keeping their business safe from breaches, all while getting their project done efficiently.

The age of e-commerce and digital marketing has led to an over-reliance on digital ads. It has also resulted in business owners neglecting print advertising and marketing. Contrary to what people think, print advertising still plays a crucial role in e-commerce and improving brand awareness.

Why print advertising still matters.

Print adverts give a more wholesome experience than digital ads. The physical nature of print ads engages more of their senses and has a longer-lasting effect on them. A well-placed ad in the right magazine will be more relevant to your audience and have more impact.

People trust print ads more than digital ads; some may find it hard to believe, but it is true. A survey carried out by marketingsherpa revealed that people trusted print ads more than other forms of advertising.

When we surf the web, we scan through pages and articles in different tabs of our browsers. People pay less attention to the content they read, and the same rule applies to digital ads, which can be annoying sometimes. On the contrary, print ads tend to be less distracting, and readers and your customers focus more on your ad.

Another advantage of print advertising is that they last longer. Magazines, postcards, flyers, and catalogs can last for a long time, moving from hand to hand. Print ads can last for months and even years, doing their jobs long after being printed. They return value over an extended period, but they are a worthwhile investment.

Maximizing print advertising.

Featuring your ads on newspapers, billboards and magazine cost money, and you have to make sure every dime is well spent. You have to optimize your ad to send a clear message to your target audience. It is crucial for getting your brand out there and encourage sales on your site.

Add value to your audience with your ads. You can do this by giving them relevant information about your goods and services. Another great way to add value and incentivize your audience is to use limited coupons.

Lastly, pay attention to colors and design. Vibrant colors and good designs draw attention better than dull looking ads. A good idea would be to let the colors match that of your logo.

Product catalogs.

Catalogs and brochures are a great way of bringing your products/services or your brand a little closer to your audience. Many e-commerce businesses mail catalogs to their customers.

Catalogs have proven to be very useful even in modern times like These. While customers are not in front of a screen or on their phones, they can conveniently scroll through a few pages containing your products.

You can insert catalogs and brochures with your direct mail campaign or when you ship a product to them. They do not have to be bulky. You can choose to include all your products or only the high-selling ones. You should give your potential and existing customers the best experience, and the quality of images and the design says a lot. That is why you need to employ the services of a reputable printing company.

Floor decals.

Floor decals are a cost-effective advertising solution, and they can be used on almost any surface. They adhere to almost all surfaces, wood, concrete, flooring, tiles, etc.

While people walk, it is only natural that they look at the ground. When used in the right places, floor decals or floor graphics can significantly bolster e-commerce and increase your brand awareness.

Depending on how you use them, they can make a bold impression and direct people to your funnels or subtly advertise your brand. They can be made to exactly match your brand or company logo, but you can also get creative with them. Floor decals are also quite durable, and they can last for months, which increases exposure and awareness for longer periods.

AR, QR, and Purls.

A fantastic way to bolster your e-commerce and your brand is through A, QR, and Purls. Leverage augmented reality in your print media to change how people engage with your print ads. It is a fun and more engaging way to get people to know your products or your brand. By simply scanning an image, your brochures, or catalogs, people can watch videos, receive emails, play games, or go to your site to make an order.

QR codes also grant people access to your site to drive sales or improve brand awareness. You can use them in billboards, magazines, newspapers, and any other medium. You can include Personalized URLs when sending direct mails to your customers so they can have a better online experience. You can use Purls and QR codes on print ads to see how well they perform.

We’ve all seen retractable banner stands. Just attend one trade show, and you’ll have seen enough for a lifetime. These advertising pieces are often undervalued and lack true creative inspiration. However, retractable banner stands do provide businesses with multiple benefits that open the door to new innovative ways in which they can be leveraged in everyday use.

First, why is a retractable banner stand worth the investment price?

• Ease of use – They only take seconds to set up and tear down!
• Versatility – Interchangeable banners allow for the reuse of the stand. Over and over and over again.
• Portability – Lightweight and easy to move from place to place.
• Longevity – These retractable banner stands are made to withstand constant and repeated use for years to come.
• Customizable – Sizes and graphics can be adjusted to fit your specific needs!

If you have a retractable banner stand or you are curious about using them for your business, here are four creative ways on how to best utilize them.

Photo Backdrop

In the era of social media, everyone is always looking for the right aesthetic for their photos. Using a retractable banner stand as a photo backdrop is a great way to generate buzz surrounding your business or location. It also serves as a secondary means of advertising your brand or mission. A photo backdrop is meant to be interacted with, helping give your banner stand more facetime with consumers.

Wayfinders

Sometimes a business needs to be blunt and consumers need to be pointed in the right direction. Using your retractable banner stand as a direction guide is a unique way to move foot traffic through your storefront or event space. A wayfinder banner stand provides a deeper-level to the customer experience and helps deliver a new optical presence for that isn’t often seen in print advertising.

Room Dividers

Sometimes it is important to section off areas or create new spaces within an already existing space. A banner stand is a cost-effective and alternative method for achieving this. These stands can feature graphics that pertain to that specific place or section of the store — increasing the information value brought to the consumer.

Telling a Story

We love a good story, and often people buy products or goods because they can relate to or support a narrative they enjoy. Using a series of retractable banner stands is a creative way to grab attention and relay an important message to the viewer. The use of large-scale imagery is a more effective way to get your story to stick with your target audience compared to a flyer or postcard.

Need Retractable Banner Graphics?

ABG Print is able to help identify your retractable banner graphic needs, in addition to sparking innovative ideas on how to best leverage the materials for your business or event. Contact us to learn how to get started.

Have you ever heard of a corporate printing portal? If not, you’re not alone. Up until recently, when businesses were in need of print materials they would find a print shop and call them to inquire about services and pricing. From there, the business would work with the print shop via phone and email to place an order. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this process (we love talking with our customers!), we know that there is a faster and easier way to handle regular printing needs.

A corporate printing portal is a custom online database that allows businesses to have direct access to their print-ready materials. This portal gives businesses the ability to order materials at the press of a button, adjust orders without having to contact the print shop, save design assets, get instant pricing, track the order status, and more.

More and more businesses are opting to have a custom printing portal set up in order to save time and associated costs. A corporate printing portal works for any type of business in any industry, and helps best serve clients who are in regular need of new print materials for their internal and external purposes. Some of these business types include hotels, retail stores, and restaurants.

Why You Should Use a Corporate Print Portal

The simple answer is — it makes your life easier. A corporate printing portal is fully customizable and scalable to your specific business needs. Here are four major ways a printing portal can better your business:

“No Surprise” Pricing

The use of a printing portal enables the print shop to eliminate some supply chain costs that are built into traditional print orders. This results in pricing being more cost-effective and consistent for businesses that are in a constant printing cycle.

Waste Reduction

Buying in bulk has most often been an offering to cut costs. However, when printed materials are ordered in large sums in an effort to save money, quantities of printed materials may become outdated and unusable. With a printing portal, businesses can order materials in the necessary sizes without incurring paper waste and possible money loss.

User Convenience

Today’s digital world is fast-paced. Businesses are looking for ways to increase productivity and save time. A corporate printing portal provides 24/7 access for the business, instant pricing, on-demand print ordering, á la carte order selection, and more.

Consumer Control

The use of a printing portal puts the power of printing in the hands of the business. With the option of access controls to delegate viewing and ordering responsibilities among team members, ordering materials can be done by as many or as few people as necessary. A printing portal enables businesses to house their creative assets, upload new documents, and have full control over their material needs on a day-to-day basis.

You Should Use a Corporate Printing Portal

Printing portals are quickly becoming an industry standard, as both print shops and clients mutually benefit. ABG Print is able to set up a custom portal for your business and give you a new level of convenience and transparency with all your printing needs. Contact us to learn how to get started.

Branded corporate printing portals are growing increasingly popular for many businesses in a variety of industries. The concept is deceptively simple. Instead of operating an in-house print department with the attendant hassle and investment, companies instead outsource all of their printing needs to print shops that specialize in delivering high-quality printed products in a timely manner.

Many of the leading print shops around the country have made this process even easier by creating dedicated, branded printing portals where all you need is an internet connection to be able to print. The portals ensure brand consistency as templates and logos can be saved and used over and over again no matter who is printing.

There are several other reasons businesses are switching to corporate printing portals including cost savings, the ability to track how much a company is printing and how much it is spending, and because of the flexible, decentralized nature of the portals.

1. Cost Savings 

Owning, operating, and maintaining your printers can be extremely costly. In order to do it well, you have to dedicate valuable real estate, manpower, and other resources to your print department. Repairs, security, and other costs can be astronomical and make in-house print shops untenable in today’s market.

Conversely, corporate printing portals offer as much printing as you need (and not one page more) at a fraction of the cost. These portals take care of maintaining the machines, web hosting, security, and everything else. And by offering the expertise of whole teams of digital printing specialists, you end up getting a better product for less money.

Businesses that have switched to corporate printing portals have seen an uptick in quality coupled with significant cost savings.

2. Track How Much You Print and What You Spend

Implementing a corporate printing portal also allows you to track who is printing what and how much it is costing you. Portals are a data-rich service meaning you can mine your company’s printing habits to find even more cost savings.

If your marketing department is sending too much or not enough to the portal, it will be tracked and ready to be analyzed in real-time. Tracking the printing habits and needs of your company will keep your business nimble and able to make changes quickly.

3. Decentralized Printing Services

Where people actually do their work has changed greatly over the last few years and is likely to continue to do so. With employees working from home, the beach, and around the world, having one in-house printing department isn’t always the most logical configuration.

With corporate printing portals, all employees can send documents to the portal no matter where they are. All they need is an internet connection. This ensures brand consistency even for companies with multiple brick and mortar locations.

Corporate Printing Portals

There is little doubt that corporate printing portals will become even more popular in the coming years. Because portals offer:

• Significant cost savings
• The ability to track your printing habits, and
• Offer decentralized printing services

They are the perfect printing solution for modern businesses, and with many print shops already offering easy to use corporate printing portals, now is the perfect time for any company to get started.

 

Picture this. You have a big presentation coming up, you’ve employed a custom printing company’s services for your paperwork and have gotten custom presentation designs. Doing these things will help with the presentation, but have you thought of the delivery?

Doing research and gathering all the data is only half of the presentation. You have to keep it engaging for the whole time. This will increase your audience’s retentiveness and pass your message clearly and easily.

The following tips will help you get all their attention.

Practice, practice, practice.

A good thing to do before you make a presentation is to visualize. Visualize how you want to move, talk, and interact with your audience. The next thing to do is to put your thoughts into action. Practicing will ensure your delivery is smooth and flawless. You can do this in front of a mirror, with your friends, or in any other way you choose.

Project confidence.

Human beings subconsciously assess body language, tone, and behavior. If you make a presentation looking timid, the audience may not take you seriously. To those who are bold and lack stage fright, we salute you. You need to have an assertive stance while presenting. This may be hard to do for some, but with a little practice before the show, you can nail it. As the saying goes, ”fake it till you make it.”

Jokes aside, adopting a confident body language will also boost your confidence. Infect them with your enthusiasm. (You do not want to overdo this, though). Stand tall, keep your head straight, do not mumble words, use open gestures, and smile when you need to. It is not what you do, but how you do it. You will hit the ball right out of the park.

Tell a story

Stories sell. They do. Facts are vital too, but you do not want to sound like a robot while giving your presentation. This will bore your audience in a flash. Tell an engaging story that relates to the topic you are giving. It is important to keep the story short. A good story will arouse their curiosity and keep them involved during your presentation.

Engage the audience

To grab and hold attention in a presentation, you have to keep them on your toes. You need to engage them right from the beginning. Interact with them, take polls, think out loud (no silly thoughts, it should be in line with the presentation topic.) Ask questions once in a while. The goal is to get their rapt attention. They do not have to answer; just throw it out to them. Doing this will make them focus on the topic and keep them thinking.

Use humor

Humor is a useful tool for communication. It helps to create a stronger bond between you and your audience. They will subconsciously anticipate the next moment you lighten the mood, which will keep them attentive. When you use humor, you need to incorporate it naturally in your presentation. You also need to tailor it to your audience and make it relevant to the story. Comedy is great, but you also want your audience to take you seriously. You may miss the mark if you overuse comedy. You are not a comedian.

Awaken their senses.

Some people pick up on visual cues much faster than auditory cues. You can take advantage of this. Tell them to imagine different scenarios. You can also use props to help illustrate better. Let them see the potential and reward of following a plan or using a particular strategy. How does that sound? Sounds fantastic, right?. Asking questions like this will make your audience think, this will keep them engaged and more interested in your presentation. Add a little flair.

One of the developments of the global pandemic that is sure to persist into the post-COVID world is how businesses can use floor graphics to increase sales. While it might sound crass, companies around the country inadvertently conditioned customers to look at the floor for direction and guidelines on how to shop safely. 

Obviously, during the pandemic the primary use of floor graphics has been to demarcate where individuals should stand while waiting to checkout. But there have been other creative uses as well and some of those uses can even increase sales. Now that people will be looking at the floor when they shop for the foreseeable future, business owners and retailers might as well take advantage of the opportunity and use floor graphics to their advantage. Here are three ways to do that.

1. Always Brand Your Floor Graphics

The first thing you need to do in order to increase sales via floor graphics is to make sure you include your brand’s logo in the graphic. Not only will this increase brand awareness but it will help your customers associate your brand with the message of the floor graphic (safety, creativity, philanthropy, etc.). 

A well placed floor graphic with your company’s logo next to a strong message can do wonders.

2. Use Floor Graphics to Showcase Your Latest Promotions and Deals

Another thing you can do with floor graphics to increase sales is use them to showcase your current promotions and sales. There is plenty of evidence that shows a significant percentage of purchases aren’t decided upon until actually inside the store. A well-crafted and well-placed floor graphic can easily convert another customer. 

Floor graphics are a relatively inexpensive way to communicate with your customers. If done well, floor graphics can also be durable and last a long time. There are very few uses of precious marketing dollars that will outperform floor graphics that highlight the products you want to move.

3. Direct Your Customers to the Products You Want them to Buy

Because people are already accustomed to let floor graphics direct them where to go and where to stand, your business can do the same and actually use floor graphics to direct customers to the products you want them to buy. 

Whether it be arrows, foot prints, or a trail leading to the section or aisle where the product is located, you can cue your customers in to where the good stuff is. 

The Future is Floor Graphics

Floor graphics aren’t going anywhere and can be a fun and easy way to communicate a variety of things to your customers. If you want floor graphics to help increase your sales make sure to:

• Include your brand’s logo
• Showcase your latest promotions and deals
• Direct your customers to the products you want them to buy

All of this can be done for a reasonable price compared to other marketing products, and with people used to looking at floor graphics, you know they will be effective. 

The first thing to remember is that simply put, no one is perfect. There are always going to be ways that someone can improve and be better. The interesting and exciting part of a sales job, or career, is that you can always find ways to improve yourself. 

There are plenty of different characteristics that help to propel someone to be a better salesman or saleswoman. Some may be better at closing, some may excel in building rapport, while some may be strong at cold calling. Everyone has a strength, but better yet, everyone has something that they can improve on!

Here are 5 different things that anyone can do to be better at sales, in no particular order.

1. Improve your listening.

This is one of the simplest tools that any salesperson can have. Listen to the customer or client that you are trying to sell to. Hear their rejections and understand what they are truly saying to you. If you are selling something that everyone can benefit from, listen to their reasons why they don’t want your product and understand why they believe they don’t. 

If you hear someone explaining why they don’t need your product, while giving you specific examples of why that may mean that they are knowledgable enough to know that they don’t need it. If they are simply saying “no” just because, they may need a little push along. Use your ears to understand what their objections are truly saying. It’s something simple you should be doing anyway!

2. Be early to everything.

This is something that everyone should not have to be taught. 

Being early is being on time and being on time is late. 

This is one of the few things that we can control almost all of the time. Granted, there are going to be truly extenuating circumstances, but 99.9% of the time, we control our own destiny when it comes to being early. Whether you need to fly, take a bus, train, or drive, always allow yourself time to get there early.

3. Know your product.

Whether you are selling shampoo or cloud-based computer systems, you have to know your product. I can’t stress that enough. You need to know everything about your product, the ins and outs, the strengths, and the potential weaknesses. There is nothing more detrimental to a salesperson than not being able to answer any and all questions about your product. Who wants to buy from someone that doesn’t know everything about it? Not me.

4. Put your customer first.

Congratulations, you made a sale. Now, do you want to benefit from that sale year after year? Make sure that you put your customer first and listen to their needs and wants. You will always come into contact with the overbearing customer, but you will always have the hands-off customer too. Making sure that you are putting the needs of your customer first, you will help to increase your chances of having a lifelong customer. 

5. Be prepared.

Yes, this is somewhat similar to knowing your product, but being prepared revolves around all of that. You not only have to know your product, but you have to know your customer. Know their demographic, know their business, and know their industry. Knowledge is power, and that power will translate to a sale! This information is something that can very easily be found by web searches. Understanding all aspects of both your own business, and your potential customers’ business will never guarantee a sale, but it will make sure that you are in front of the rest!

Know yourself!

All of these tools are simple, and on top of that…FREE! It doesn’t cost you anything to listen, be early, be prepared, put your customer first, or know your product. All that costs is time. If you put in the work and the effort to make sure that you have these tools covered before your sales meeting, you will have a leg up on your competition.

Sales aren’t about driving the fancy car, having an expensive suit, or wearing the fancy watch. Sales are all about being able to connect with your potential customer, and finding ways to help them benefit from your product. Using these free tools will help to push your sales goals to another level. 

We’re slowly yet quickly working our way towards the country’s culture-changing over from the “boomers” to the “millennials” and it is very apparent. The improvement of technology in the world in the past 10 years will undoubtedly make this period of time in our future children’s history books be known as the Technology Era. And for good reason. 

Think about the last time you needed something small. Did you hop in your car and head to Target? No, you probably opened your new iPhone and went to the Amazon app. If you aren’t a Prime member, you might have gone straight to the website of whatever you needed. This is honestly just the time period that we’re living in. With that shift in how the world works, so does the way we need to keep the millennial generation engaged since that is the pushing factor in our current way of life. 

There is a common statement, so to speak, that the millennial generation is lazy. When you dig a little bit deeper, you can quickly find out that it really isn’t. Ordering from Amazon instead of going to the store isn’t what you can necessarily call lazy, but proactive. If you could do the same task, yet simpler, wouldn’t you? 

Millennials are constantly moving. They are constantly on the run, and constantly using technology to help them move place to place. Even the simplest routines, like watching television come with the use of an app and more technology than a cable box. 

Here are a few ways that can help to keep a millennial engaged.

Have, and promote flexibility.

The old days of an office space working in a 9-5, Monday through Friday capacity seems all but done.

Take this for example. You are 29, already have a company computer, and have 2 weeks to finish projections on sales numbers through the end of quarter 1. You have no meetings between Tuesday and Thursday because of this deadline. You also live a 35-minute drive away from the office into a busy city with tons of rush hour traffic and have to be there at 8:30 am. If you aren’t interacting with anyone in the office, and need to get this work done, why go? 

Working remotely, or from home is becoming a trend that millennials are thriving with. Providing that flexibility to be able to work remotely is something to keep millennials engaged. The production levels have actually increased because they aren’t felt to drag out work, because of the clock. 

Keep in mind, this helps a company’s bottom line! Less in-office workers cut down on certain costs related to the housing of a full-time employee. 

Minimizing the necessity for the typical “9-5”

Piggy-backing off of the previous section, flexibility, minimizing the typical 9-5 work hours has pushed millennials to work harder, and more efficiently. Let’s think about technology in this scenario. If I, as a 29-year-old, can navigate a computer and phone like second nature and am able to put together a presentation that is exactly the same as someone of the older generations, what reason would there be for me to sit in the office for 6 hours if I can be done in 2? That entire thought process runs through a majority of millennials today. The quality of work is the exact same, but the time used is significantly less. 

It’s 2 pm on a Wednesday, and it’s 70 degrees, no clouds, and no humidity. Wouldn’t you rather be on a golf course? Well, what’s holding you back? That 9-5 monotony. If you can provide 40 hours of HIGH-QUALITY work throughout the week, why shouldn’t you be able to utilize that time to enjoy yourself? These are the little aspects that will help someone make a millennial engaged, happy, and excited to be with that organization. 

Institution of More Technology

We are currently living in the Apple generation. iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, Apple TV, Apple Watch, everything is Apple. Everything is intertwined, and almost everyone uses it. There are still your outliers that prefer Samsung, or some other type of Droid device, but those are few and far between. 

The increase in technology and utilization puts millennials in the driver seat. They are able to help the older generations navigate the world of technology while learning about the nuances of the “un-teachables” within a certain industry. There is a give and take that allows a millennial to feel engaged because they are learning and teaching at the same time. 

Everything millennial use is most likely an app on their cell phone. Ordering food, ordering an Uber, plane tickets, dinner reservations, tickets to a sports game. Everything is on their cell phone. Instituting this in the workplace helps to include their everyday actions to the office.

The Use of Appreciation and Reaffirmation

Yes, everyone loves to be recognized for great work. In 1975, if you went over the top and worked 65 hours every week to make up for time lost because of people missing work, being sick, or there was a big project that you really helped to put together you could be considered the employee of the month. This would come with a nice picture up on the wall for you and your co-workers to see. 

Think about 2020, and what a picture on the wall of a company with 20 employees means for you. It means the other 19 employees recognize your great work. Now picture what a LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram post means for someone who went above and beyond their daily duties. It means that hundreds of thousands of people will be able to see what you did to go above and beyond. 

That use of technology will make them work harder so that they stand out more. Being the focus of a LinkedIn appreciation post is more appealing and rewarding to a millennial than a picture on a wall. 

Adjust, Overcome and Adapt

Yes, business and the world outside have thrived for centuries in the United States maintaining course, and changing due to technology. The business hasn’t changed for the difference in generations quite like it has today. The millennials of the United States will quickly become the leaders and power players of our country and the time to adapt is now. 

Forcing a 50-year-old company policy on someone that has different ideals will ensure the lowest production possible. 

Making sure that millennials are engaged, willing, and ready to work is one of the most important aspects of today’s culture and the success of the world around them.