The tanners are out there. You are the professional salon they’ve been looking for. All you need to do is make it click — get your message in front of them and make them realize why you’re the best option for their needs. These days, as millennials become a bigger piece of your clientele, it’s getting harder to do that in the “real world,” with coupons, billboards and FM radio ads. You need to be where they are — the digital world. They’re constantly connected. Why wouldn’t you be too?

Let’s face it — we’re no longer eager to check our mailbox for weekly coupons — we’re scoping the net for the exact deals we want. Digital marketing is become a more and more effective and efficient way to connect with current and potential customers. Now making up about one-fourth of the U.S. population, millennials are the Internet generation and the founders of the social media movement. As the younger generations have always been the key to building our businesses, it’s important to meet them at their most convenient point.

Spending on Internet advertising reached $42.8 billion last year. That’s 17 percent more than in 2012, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report. The facts are clear: We’re living during a time where a strong digital presence is crucial to your business’s livelihood. So what if you’re not tech-savvy — you don’t have to be! Your staff likely has millennials whose technological prowess can take the pressure off of you — plus, they enjoy doing it! Harness your staff’s strengths and use that to boost your online presence. Before long, you’ll be amazed at the positive impact it has on your business.

Click here to read the entire article in the latest issue of Smart Tan Magazine online.