By: Casey Berner, Multimedia/Infographics

What are the steps necessary to create a successful happy hour and how do you keep yourself in the green?

Thanks to sites like Groupon.com and Living Social.com, the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market basically lives off specials and happy hour deals because of their low income and low resistance to try new places. But it’s not as easy as offering bottles of Pabst Blue Ribbon for a dollar and calling it a day. Follow these steps for a successful and profitable happy hour:

Step 1: Research

Imitation is the best form of flattery. Look into existing food and drink specials at popular bars and restaurants to ensure you’re offering something new—and better.

Step 2: Time

Many bars host happy hours during down periods. It’s important to also consider times that coincide with major events like sports. Late night specials are incredibly important if you are trying to attract evening patrons heading out for a few drinks.

Step 3: Money

Decide what you are going to offer for a discount. Consider items with high profit margins, as this is the only way you are going to stay in the green. You can also feature special items only offered during this time to create a demand based on limited availability.

Step 4: Signs

Create a separate menu or display sign to show happy hour times and specials to patrons. Use display cards in your restaurant to list specials or have a chalkboard with that evening’s deals.

Step 5: Advertise

You should be making a profit on your specials even during happy hour so you’ll make more profit by having more people in your establishment. Reach out to your normal customer base first. Then get the word out on social media or other low cost options. Try non-traditional channels.

Step 6: Track Progress

Maximize profits earned during happy hours by rising prices on items that do well to reap additional profits and lower the price on low-selling specials to encourage sales.

Sources: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/build-happy-hour-bar-25373.html

http://www.masterplans.com/business-plan-articles/happy-hour-business-plan

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By Megan Kamitsuka, SEO Specialist

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what’s the value of your video?

If you’re a marketer, you know creating a sought-after YouTube sensation like the Harlem Shake or the new Dove Real Beauty Sketches campaign is akin to finding the Holy Grail. But, you also know that content is king, and viral videos get shared more than anything else on the internet—crucial to keeping your brand a relevant part of the conversation, especially in the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market.

So, how do you get past the writer’s—or, videographer’s—block?

There is no fail-proof formula, of course, but here are some common threads you’ll see in YAYAs’ favorite viral videos. Best of luck… and if all else fails, go for cats, babies, or attractive men (but only choose one—see lesson two).

Lesson 1: Know your audience. Create something you know they will want to share. You can’t just throw something out there and hope it sticks – you’ve got to do your homework.

Lesson 2: Decide your trigger. What feeling do you want the audience to walk away with after seeing your viral video?

Lesson 3: Take your trigger and turn it up to the max. Once you’ve got your trigger, focus in on it. Don’t try to achieve too many things at once. As Dan Best, Planning Director at Unruly says, “If humor is your trigger, you’ll need a pay-off that’s worthy of a belly laugh.”

Speaking of Unruly, they’ve come up with an algorithm that can predict the “shareability” of an ad before it launches.

The three lessons listed above are a good place to start, but also keep in mind these other tips. Invite industry leaders to participate in your video so they can share their expert knowledge and opinions. To get the video shared, use a direct call to action.

I leave you with the only appropriate way to sign off a post about viral videos: Gangnam Style.

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By Derek Hickey, Editor

There is a significant difference between communicating with brands and communicating with friends on social media.

Brands are actively trying to lose their corporate image and connect on personal levels with the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market.

Easier said than done.

These connections take time. Especially for a generation that’s infamous for having low attention spans.

If millennials do not spend extensive time personally communicating with one another, i.e. friends and followers, how can brands, where there is little personal connection, compete?

Many companies are foregoing the “long-term relationships” and are instead opting for the quantity over quality approach. However, the over-saturation leads to more negative than positive impressions.

The YAYA market responds to authenticity. To make an authentic connection requires genuine interactions.

Pure and simple, corporate voice is hard to lose.

According to Mashable.com, there’s a phenomenon in linguistics known as “code switching.” This involves people switching back and forth between multiple languages in a single conversation.

Similarly in everyday life, a person’s thought process changes from different mindsets, depending on whether or not he/she is in “professional-mode.”

From a brand’s standpoint, speaking to the millennial generation still needs some work. However, now that marketers are aware of code switching, there’s a greater opportunity to engage with the Millennial Generation outside of a professional setting. Tapping into their interests, hobbies, and overall outlook.

Guest Blog Post By Mike Hilgeman

Mike Hilgeman is a millennial college student as well as a Client & Promotional Specialist for The Remarkables, a start-up company built upon spreading knowledge through modern technology.

Let’s face it: most Youth and Young Adults (YAYAs) are broke.  Yes, most of us don’t succumb to the “Ramen noodle every night” diet, but there’s a reason why we love the specials at happy hour. And this trend continues when we land in the real world.  After the excitement that is our first paycheck passes (“watch out mall, here I come!”), and the rent, cable, and grocery bills are paid for, we realize our new salary stretches about as well as our arthritic grandma.

But that doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy fancy things.  We love a night out, ordering steak instead of a side salad and cocktails without asking the price.  So, as a restaurant, how do you get YAYAs in your door?  Follow these four simple steps:

1. Be Social: If you don’t have your own website or social media profiles on Twitter and Facebook, you probably aren’t worth a visit.  Lack of a digital presence tells us two things: you either don’t cater to our generation, or don’t care about your customers. Both of which will have us going to that new spot advertised down the street. (Bonus points if you post on Vine)
2. Be Savvy: The best way to get YAYAs to dine at your restaurant is to help them find you easily. YAYAs are programmed to use an app or the Internet whenever researching something new, so use it to your advantage.  Having profiles on Yelp and Urbanspoon are the best places to start.
3. Offer “Specials”: When we decide to hit the town and indulge in meals reserved for special occasions, we still want to think we are saving money.  That $5 domestic beer we know cost you $0.25: offer it for a dollar or two off to make us feel better about splurging.  If offering specials isn’t typically your thing, only offer them through social media sources (see #2) so YAYAs feel savvy with an exclusive offer.
4. Have a Unique Atmosphere: If you aren’t a mass chain restaurant, don’t decorate like it.  Be modern, be innovative, have a theme… it doesn’t matter how you create a distinct atmosphere, but if you want us to remember you, offer a unique ambiance.  We want to at least feel trendy when dipping into our recently created savings account for a $40 meal.

For more information regarding the YAYA market’s dining preferences, come see Save, Splurge, Share: Dining out with Youth and Young Adults on May 2 from 3-4pm RSVP for the presentation here.

By Kendra Mitchell, PR Events

It’s no secret that Instagram has become the newest obsession of amateur millennial photographers and marketers are taking note. A study by social analytics firm, Simply Measured, showed that 59% of brands have adopted Instagram for marketing.

This visual network gives the old adage, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words,’ new meaning, especially for restaurants.

1. Post quality pictures

They don’t have to be professional photos, but make sure they look visually appealing. Don’t feel obligated to limit your pictures to food either. Get creative by taking pictures of customers enjoying meals, restaurant events, staff and the chefs cooking. Also, it’s important to be active and consistent when posting pictures to maintain interest.

2. Use relevant #hashtags

Similar to Twitter, hashtags are used on Instagram to group keywords and can make your photos easily searchable. Start with a hashtag of your restaurant’s name and expand to others, such as a signature dish. Encourage other users to add your hashtags to photos they take in your restaurant to get maximum exposure.

3. Engage with others in your industry

Users are more likely to follow a page that has many followers. A great way to gain followers is by interacting within the community. Like pictures, leave comments and follow other users who are in the restaurant industry. To get an initial follower base invite friends from your other social network accounts to follow you.

With 100 million active monthly users, and 40 million photos added per day, Instagram has the potential to expose your business to a world of new followers.

For more information regarding restaurants, come see Save, Splurge, Share: Dining out with Youth and Young Adults on May 2 from 3-4pm.

RSVP for the presentation here.

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By: Kelly K. Walsh, Copy Editor

While it is becoming more challenging, daily, to get on Facebook without finding a YAYA (Youth and Young Adult) couple announcing their engagement or sharing wedding photos, it may become even more common to find photos of their newly purchased home, prior to their walk down the aisle.

It is no surprise considering the Millennial Generation is taking longer than previous generations to commit to marriage.  According to the Coldwell Banker Real Estate survey, it is becoming more and more common for millennial couples to purchase a house together before they take their wedding vows. It also stated that nearly a quarter of married homeowners, ages 18 to 34, purchased a home together before they were married compared with the 14% aged 45 and older.

This is good news for the struggling housing industry and for couples. Purchasing a home is making a huge commitment and shows maturity in a relationship. It is a large financial decision that nearly two-thirds of all couples have made (prior to marriage) and with the current low mortgage rates on the market, why not take advantage? And an added bonus includes equal ownership rather than joint ownership until the couple is married. Living together certainly changes a lot of aspects of a relationship, but since 50% of marriages end in divorce, what is the harm of getting to know one another in a mortgage commitment? After all, you need a house to build a home.

Do you believe purchasing a house with a significant other is a good idea and can positively affect the housing market? How can marketers tap into this large demographic and convince millennial couples to take this big step?

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By: Bailey Kitchell, Graphic Designer

It’s been a week since Facebook revealed their much-anticipated secret. But what most expected to be a Facebook phone was nothing more than “Facebook Home,” essentially an operating system that takes over your mobile device. Users had better be really into Facebook, because it appears that is all it does.

1. If you want Facebook Home for your iPhone, you’re out of luck. It works exclusively on Android phones (only four currently). They really want you to buy the HTC First, a $99 smartphone with Facebook Home pre-loaded. Facebook didn’t create this phone, but they certainly control it.

2. Facebook notifications are all that you see. On the “HTC First”, all notifications come through Facebook Home, so any competing notifications, like Twitter, are likely to get buried. The notification system stays on your screen via floating heads of friends who want to chat and photos waiting to be liked. As Mashable puts it, this may get your attention, but it’s basically just a “really nice screensaver.”

3. Facebook Home is trying to target the YAYA (Youth and Young Adult) market. Facebook is losing the teen demographic more rapidly, so naturally, its trying to gain those users back. But for a demo that changes its mind more frequently than its clothes, this may not be the best plan of action for Facebook. When they tire of the system quickly, the phone becomes virtually useless.

After just a week, 44% of users gave it a measly one star out of five. It may be safe to say that unless you’re one of those people who can’t seem to tear themselves away from social media, you’re better off sticking with your iPhone and basic Facebook app. But we’ll let you decide that.

By KT Heins, Copy Writer/Editor

There are few things more valuable to the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market than having honest, authentic interactions with brands on their websites. Here are a few brands successfully addressing those needs:

1. Capitol Couture

Capitol Couture became film producers’ clever way of way of engaging their main audience online.  The Hunger Games book series swept the tumblrverse in the last year. Tags like ‘thg’ and ‘hunger games’ are really popular on the site. Capitol Couture focuses on the fashion from the film.

Teenagers and post-grads love Tumblr because they don’t have to face a barrage of advertisements. Capitol Couture reads more like an extended part of the novel. The brand recognizes the age of their audience, the gender (millennial females) and actively engages them online.

2. Ben & Jerry’s

Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream has always been attractive to consumers due to colorful labels and unique titles. They strive to share their love of ice cream in person and online.

The blog is purely visual, only featuring photography and graphics of the product. Tumblr users subconsciously incorporate branding images into their identity, because their blog identity is essentially who they are on the Internet.

3. Modcloth

Tumblr is about interaction. Modcloth consistently remains consumer smart by using their ‘ask box’ option, where consumers can send questions to Modcloth’s Tumblr account for ‘stylist questions.’ They like their followers’ photos featuring mostly Modcloth products. They also link directly to their site and have their twitter stream alongside an infinite scroll.

This kind of two-way engagement is incredible. Their consumers know that Modcloth cares about how their customers look. Their posts accumulate consistent attention in the ‘fashion’ tag on Tumblr, producing a high click-through rate to their site.

4. NPR

National Public Radio is a world news organization that prides itself on being versatile. News outlets fall into the trap of being too severe on Tumblr. Most users access Tumblr after work or during lunch, meaning that they are looking to escape the monotony of the day rather than read the heavy stories. NPR keeps it light and interesting, adding a unique personality to its news organization.

If your company doesn’t have a Tumblr page, take a reblog from one of these companies. With the correct writers and content creators, you can create a dialogue with an audience that might be interested in your company in five years or in five minutes.

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More often than not, millennials are given a bad rap, portrayed in a negative light in regards to their work ethic and overall attitude. However, the majority of young adults today will prove those perceptions false. The Millennial Generation is filled with hard-working, eager individuals looking to help out the community and advance themselves in the workplace. Chelsea Clinton shares her experience at the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU) and debunks some of the myths that surround our generation.

Four Myths about Millennials

By Chelsea Clinton

Millennials are often portrayed as apathetic, disinterested, tuned out and selfish. None of those adjectives describe the Millennials I’ve been privileged to meet and work with.

Fresh from Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) 2013, my father and I just spent the weekend with more than 1,000 college and university students — Millennials — from around the world at Washington University in St. Louis. Every student who attended made what we at CGI U call ‘commitments’ — specific pledges to tackle a specific challenge, whether on their campus or a continent away. Attendees came from more than 300 colleges and universities, all 50 states and over 75 countries and their commitments ranged across equally diverse areas, including education, climate change, gender inequality, poverty alleviation and public health. CGI U left me both exhilarated and exhausted, but above all, inspired. I left St. Louis incredibly optimistic about our future.

It’s not that the young people I met aren’t aware of the negative stereotypes of them out there. Some of the critiques against them do contain insight. But Millennials are actually remixing their generation’s vices into virtues that are informing their ambitions, their work and helping make the world a better place. Here’s how:

1. They’re All about the Money

It’s a widely-held belief that Millennials are obsessed with money. And it’s also wildly true. Just don’t mistake it for a fixation with getting rich. After all, a survey of university graduates by consulting firm PwC shows that flexible hours and job development trump cash in their ideal workplace. The young people I met and listened to at CGI U were focused on money in the sense of getting back to real growth in the developed world, ensuring that prosperity is more widely shared in the developed and developing world, and for the United States, fixing our long-term fiscal challenges (there was even a fierce competition to see which students led the best campaigns to raise Millennials’ awareness of the soaring national debt).

Take CGI U participant Derrius Quarles. He grew up in the foster care system on the South Side of Chicago, but managed to graduate from high school with a million dollars in scholarship offers. As a student at Morehouse College, Derrius set up Million Dollar Scholar to connect traditionally marginalized Millennials with funds for college, in addition to making a CGI U commitment to boost financial literacy in young people (meaning people his age and even younger!). Through Million Dollar Scholar, students have received over $950,000 in scholarships and grants to date. Derrius is focused on money because he knows, whether fair or not, it is often necessary to help unlock opportunity.

 

2. They’re Mobile Maniacs

Millennials regularly draw ire for their cell phone usage. They’re mobile natives, having come of age when landlines were well on their way out and payphones had gone the way of dinosaurs. Because of their native fluency, Millennials recognize mobile phones can do a whole lot more than make calls, enable texting between friends or tweeting.

 

In fact, three Washington University in St. Louis students are leveraging SMS technology to support survivors of gender-based violence in South Africa. Emily Santos, Krupa Desai and Henry Osman made a commitment at CGI U 2013 to develop the KHE Project, a text-message-based hotline that connects rape and sexual assault survivors with critical resources while preserving their anonymity.

Smart phones can also reconnect and keep track of refugees on a whole different continent. Duke student Patrick Oathout came to CGI U in 2012 and committed to create Uhuru Mobile, a free mobile app that allows users in Jordanian refugee camps to communicate with aid workers and each other in local languages.

 

3. They’re Social Media-Obsessed

Caricatured as navel-gazers, Millennials are said to live for their ‘likes’ and status updates. But the young people I know often leverage social media in selfless ways.

At CGI U 2012, Moussa Hassoun of Bentley College committed to promote LGBT discourse in the Arab diaspora with the aid of online forums, Twitter and other virtual platforms. At CGI U 2013, Brown University student Drew Heckman committed to expanding the accessibility of his grassroots organization, Queer Nebraska Youth Networks, by creating a website that digitally maps, in a mobile-friendly way, queer-friendly opportunities and events throughout the socially conservative Cornhusker State. These are just two of the Millennials all over the world engaging web 2.0 for society’s benefit rather than self-indulgence.

4. They’re Awfully Impatient

My husband and I frequently reflect on the adage that ‘patience is a virtue but impatience gets things done.’  Sometimes, Millennials get grief for their impatience, for not waiting their turn, not understanding that sometimes progress takes time. That’s true — sometimes progress does take time, but often progress has been too long in coming, from advancing women’s rights around the world to ameliorating the continued high death rates of young children of age-old challenges like diarrhea or malaria. That’s why, in full disclosure, I find the Millennials’ impatience so exciting. It’s urgency not arrogance that drives their impatience, their frustration with the status quo. They understand that these are urgent times, and that access to higher education, gender-based violence, climate change and equal rights for all, regardless of sex or sexual orientation, country of residence or country of origin are all areas of urgent concern. Millennials are eager to get started in addressing global challenges long before they line up to walk across the stage to get their college diploma. While some call that impatient, I call that perfect. The world can’t afford for them to wait.

Read more: http://ideas.time.com/2013/04/12/four-myths-about-millennials/#ixzz2QYx7nEW0

By Kendra Mitchell, PR Events

When it comes to dining, food trucks are winning over the Youth and Young Adult (YAYA) market. According to Ypulse research, “Nearly half of millennials (47 percent) have eaten at a food truck before.” So why have millennials embraced this trend?

1. Inexpensive, convenient

The average meal at a food truck costs between $5-8, and that is often for an ample amount of food. Millennials on low budgets can fill up with money left over to spare. Quick, grab-n-go food also matches millennials’ on-the-go lifestyles.

2. Interesting variety of food

Some mobile kitchens offer innovative, specialty cuisine, while others offer twists on classic comfort meals. Whether they serve Asian-inspired street food or gourmet chicken & waffles, there is always something to satisfy the adventurous palates of millennials. Also, many food trucks use locally sourced, fresh ingredients, a big step up from McDonalds.

3. Social media presence

Food trucks rely heavily on social media to keep consumers updated. The YAYA market loves this because they can easily stay connected to and communicate with their favorite trucks by following them online.

4. Fun, social experience

Dining is a social activity for the YAYA market and food trucks present the perfect opportunity to cultivate that by providing an informal gathering place. For millennials, of whom 45% are uncomfortable eating alone, sharing the experience of trying new cuisines with friends is something they value.

5. Personal interactions

The small nature of these businesses allow for greater interaction and a higher chance to build personal relationships with consumers. Building a deep, personal connection with millennials can also assist in creating brand loyalty.

According to a study by Technomic, food trucks are no passing fad. 91 percent of consumers familiar with them say they are here to stay.

What are your thoughts on the food truck craze? Do they appeal to you?

For more information regarding the YAYA market’s dining preferences, come see Save, Splurge, Share: Dining out with Youth and Young Adults on May 2 from 3-4pm

RSVP for the presentation here.

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