Offering customer discounts is a tried-and-true strategy to show appreciation to your customers, to drive sales, and to improve brand loyalty. We know that customer discounts are an effective marketing strategy. But offering targeted customer discounts to the military community multiply those benefits, show appreciation to the military community, and drive brand loyalty.
Has your brand considered implementing an evergreen military discount or running a seasonal campaign? Here’s why offering a military discount is a win for your brand, how you can easily track your discounts, and how you can reach the military audience to promote your new discount.
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The who, the what, and the why of marketing to the military
The military is a very special community, made up of 42 million military personnel worldwide and wielding $1.2T in spending power. And we know that military discounts shape the shopping habits of members of the military community. According to our Military Explorer SeriesTM, the military community is 22% more likely to support brands that offer military discounts, and 26% more likely to show support to brands that are equally supportive of the military community.
The military community is looking for personalized offers, and your brand can rise above the noise by offering military discounts. According to a recent study, 95% of military personnel say they are more likely to shop from a retailer who offers a military discount and 94% say they have a positive impression of brands that they notice supporting the military.
So you’re sold — military discounts appeal to the military community and serve as an effective tool to build brand loyalty and drive sales. Now what?
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How to implement a military discount
There are two kinds of military discounts you can offer. The first is an evergreen military discount that applies to members of the military community throughout the calendar year. The second is a seasonal military discount, like a Military Appreciation Month discount that applies during the month of May, for example.
It used to be challenging to offer a military discount due to the complexities of identifying members of the military community. Often military personnel used had to call a service representative to verify their military affiliation, which created friction in the sales process. Now that process is exceedingly simple. Solutions like SheerID provide an in-brand, frictionless experience that ensures military personnel receive their military discounts easily.
How to reach the military audience
Now, you’ve implemented your military discount and you’re waiting for the sales to pour in. Except… there aren’t any. The military community doesn’t know that your brand is offering a brand new military discount!
Your final step is learning how to reach the military community. Marketing to the military community is not as straightforward as it sounds because the military community is multi-generational, multicultural, and live both on and off base all over the world. Active duty military have entirely different lifestyles than veterans do, and Gen Z military personnel consume media completely differently than their Gen X counterparts. The military community is nuanced — and marketing strategy should be, too.
So what are the best ways to ensure your military advertising reaches the military community? The best military advertising strategy includes a mix of detailed consumer data sets, targeted media placements, customized creatives, research, and partnership leverage that can help your message make an impact. Here are a few effective media and marketing strategies when trying to reach the military:
- Digital and social media
- On-base Out-of-Home — Digital and print OOH are important vehicles for the military departments to communicate to on-base personnel throughout the bases, and through Refuel Agency, also provide a way for brands to deliver up-to-date brand messages
- MilitaryscapesTM — These customized, large-scale, high-impact media placements are a key part of an effective military marketing campaign, and generate high interest
- Off-base media — Garner the attention of military personnel as the move through the community with billboards, bus ads, and more
At Refuel Agency, we’ve specialized in military advertising for over 30 years, and we can create a personalized, targeted media plan to get your military discount in front of the military audience. Learn more about our military marketing solutions, or contact us for your customized media and marketing plan.
