The military community is comprised of nearly 30 million consumers with a purchasing power of over $1 trillion annually. This includes active duty, reservists, the National Guard, retirees, military employees, and veterans, plus their spouses and other dependents. With so many deserving consumers in this group, it’s no surprise that many companies try to give exclusive offers to the military community, however, many don’t know how to create a success military discount program that provides value to these special customers.
Working closely with hundreds of clients, we’ve pulled together the 5 proven ways you can create a successful military discount program:
+ – Unfortunately, there are many not-so-honest companies out there trying to take advantage of the military community, and most military members see right through it. Before you launch a military discount, take a look at your company culture. Recognize your employees who have served and get them involved with the campaign. They will be able to give your insight into the military community and a better understanding to create a military-friendly message that is genuine.
Word of mouth
Although marketers have a love/hate relationship with word-of-mouth, there is no way of getting around this powerful tool within the military community. The military community is a tight knit group that trust each other’s opinion. In fact, 76% of the military community say they learn about military discounts from word of mouth – just another reason to create a genuine experience for your military customers from the get-go. It’s important to pay special attention to what is being said about your military discounts so you can make changes based on feedback.
Connect with military communities
While word-of-mouth is an awesome tool, it is also important to connect with the military through other channels. Online military communities are great resources with direct access to the consumers you want to reach and the ability to spread the word about your discount exponentially. Here are just a few websites that have loyal and active communities with mostly military members:
- Army Wife 101
- Military.com
- Military Discount Central
Utilize appreciation days
While Veterans Day, Memorial Day, and 4th of July have become known for great sales, use these days to show a little extra appreciation for those who have served or are currently serving – after all, they are the reason we honor these holidays, right? 86% of military members like companies that offer special military discounts on appreciation days and 56% of them said they would not only shop on these days, but continue to spend money with a company year round because it shows interest and suppose for the work our military does.
Implement eligibility verification
Offering exclusive military discounts in-stores and online is a great way to reach the military market, but exclusive discounts tend to become major targets for fraud. Verification platforms are a great solution in order to make sure that only military members have access to your discounts. They protect your offer, make your offer easier to redeem, and allow you to market your offer widely, which isn’t happening often enough currently.
Memorial Day is just around the corner, so it’s the perfect time to start thinking about how you can exclusively honor the military community. Get in touch with SheerID today and see how we can help you create a successful and exclusive military discount program just for the holiday, or even all year-round.
