Marketing to the Military Family and Community

New Years Resolution for Your Business

It will soon be a new year and as a business owner I'm sure you are thinking through business plans and how you plan on growing profits during 2012. When you have a passion for the work you do of course you want to let other's know about it. We know about that at MilitaryAvenue.com!

First and foremost, if you are not a MilitaryAvenue Partner yet, why not? You can create a free ad to get the word out to area military-families. Get started right now: http://militaryavenue.com/ListWithUs.aspx

But you can take it another step. With a paid ad you gain much more exposure and it can be dollars well spent! First Class Packages are as little as $5 a month (paid for a year upfront) and puts your ad on top of all the free ads at your military base or post page. Generals Packages and Featured Partner's Packages step it up a notch and then some. You can see examples and read details at the bottom of our List With Us page. It is money well invested into your businesses.

Do you want to see your business throughout your local installation at MilitaryAvenue.com? Featured Partners and Base Sponsors get their face in front of more military families! Featured Partners have a 198x123 banner that is rotated throughout their sponsored installation and Base Sponsors are displayed prominently on every page of their post or base. There are great examples and details at our List With Us page. A little money up front can yield a great return!

We also recently announced National Marketing options. (Marketing to the Military - Nationwide Advertising Opportunities) Banner ads, Tweets, Facebook Sponsorship and so much more! Don't miss these opportunities if you have a broader audience then just around your base or post.

Do you have a network of businesses you could share MilitaryAvenue with? A wedding planner could share us with photographers and caterers; an apartment complex could share us with moving companies and storage units; a restaurant could share us with other small businesses in their network, in their town, on their street. Help promote small-business development in your town. Tell others about MilitaryAvenue.com.

We hope you have a great New Year in 2012! With a little planning, a bit of budgeting and introducing yourself to the military community we know you can prosper.

Military Dates to Remember 2012

The New Year is almost here and we promised to provide updates for our 2012 Military Dates to Remember! Here is the first six months and we will update as the calendar continues to roll!

Your military community will appreciate your knowledge of their events. Show your appreciation with marketing efforts, simple "thank yous" from your sales staff and patriotic window displays or website images/pages. Don't forget your social media efforts too! Nothing like a mention on Facebook or twitter to draw friends, likes and shares! Do you keep up with MilitaryAvenue on Facebook or Twitter? How about our Military Discount Facebook page? We welcome your comments as a partner on Facebook too! A great way to make others aware of your military support!

January

1st New Years Day

16th Martin Luther King Jr Birthday Observance

31st US Launches first satellite in 1958

February

1st National Freedom Day

2nd Ground Hog Day

14th Valentines Day - Did you know? If you know someone in the military you can send them a Valentine's Message via The Stars & Stripes.

20th Presidents' Day

March

11th Daylight Savings

19th Operation Iraqi Freedom begins - 2003

20th First Day of Spring

April

Month of the Military Child!

Celebrate Military Children - Nothing more important than the children of our serving military personnel! Recognition of their sacrifice is a great way to say thank you!

6th Good Friday

8th Easter

12th First Space Shuttle Launch

27th Arbor Day - Plant a tree for the Earth!

30th End of Vietnam War in 1975

May

MilAve_Deborah busy supporting
other military spouses!

National Military Family Appreciation Month

A great opportunity to recognize military families!

2nd 2011 Al Qaeda leader, Osama bin Laden killed by US Navy Seals

11th Military Spouse Appreciation Day (the Friday before Mother's Day) - Some great ideas on how to reach out to Military Spouses on their day! "101 Ways to Thank a Military Spouse"

13th Mother's Day

19th Armed Forces Day (Third Saturday in May)

28th Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)

June

June 14th Flag Day - Fly it Proudly

June 14th US Army Birthday

Thank you for the great support to your military community! Please pass on these dates to business organizations such as your chamber of commerce to insure that they are appropriately recognized! One other quick recommendation is to not just have a sale on days like Veterans Day but include a military discount or some recognition such as a small token of appreciation daily, weekly or monthly! Recognize those serving or who have served in some manner! Be military friendly and the word will spread rapidly! Some great ideas in Tips: Your Military Rewards and How to Win the Hearts of the Military Community

Are you aware of a local event that the military community needs to know about? You can place it directly on MilitaryAvenue! Go to the installation home page in your area and go to the Upcoming Local Events at the bottom center of the page and click on the Let Us Know to tell us about it! We will review and quickly post!

Marketing to the Military - Nationwide Advertising Opportunities

At MilitaryAvenue we pride ourselves in helping local military-families find local businesses that support them. There are unscrupulous businesses out there that are ready to take advantage of the 'new in town folks'. However, our Partners have affirmed our core values, Trust, Value and Service. We know that you will be there for our military families, welcoming them to your neighborhood.

A MilitaryAvenue Partner can have a free ad on MilitaryAvenue.com at their local installation if they offer a military-discount. This is our way of saying 'Thank you!' for giving from your bottom-line back to those who serve. There are other opportunities too: First Class, General and Featured Partner Packages. (Learn more: MilitaryAvenue Partners: You too can be a General) You can even be the exclusive base sponsor, A Market that Rewards the 'Sponsors'. All of these opportunities will put you at the heart of your local military installation.

We also know there are times when businesses want to reach out nationally and we want to give you that opportunity.

Note: We offer a percentage discount for each extra-month you pay for up front. As an example, if you pay for six months up front we will offer a 6% discount on the total cost of advertising. If you want to take advantage of this offer contact us at sales@militaryavenue.com or dale@militaryavenue.com so that we can create a package tailored to your needs.

Newsletter Ad:
Each month we send our newsletter out to our Military Family subscribers. The average subscriber is an Active Duty Family between the ages of 28 and 37. What a great demographic for your business! We can place an image (160 x 600 pixels) in our monthly e-publication for $400. Grab US military-families' attention from around the world for as little as 3-cents per newsletter.

http://www.militaryavenue.com/shoppingcart.aspx
Enter Newsletter Ad to purchase

Facebook Sponsorship:
We will mention your company with your message for $40 on our MilitaryAvenue page (http://Facebook.com/MilitaryAvenue) and Military Discount page as well as on Twitter at @MilitaryAvenue. We want to keep our military families engaged and so this is a rare-opportunity. Here is an example of a Facebook Sponsorship in the past: http://www.facebook.com/MilitaryAvenue/posts/170356336387715.

http://www.militaryavenue.com/shoppingcart.aspx
Enter Facebook Sponsor Ad to purchase

Blog sponsorship:
Place a banner ad on "Our Letters to You", a military family blog, on the right side above our index of blog-posts, http://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com/. This option would be $100 for one month (Image 160 x 600 pixels). Your banner may rotate with up to 4 other banners. Historically, this is approximately five-cents per page view if you are sharing rotation-space, and as our readership grows your cost-per-page view decreases.

http://www.militaryavenue.com/shoppingcart.aspx
Enter Blog Sponsor Ad to purchase

Military Alerts - Local Military Discounts sent directly to our military families:
Once a month we publish Military Alerts to our subscribed Military Families. This monthly email is full of local military discounts but has the opportunity for up to three nationwide banners (250 x 60 pixels). At only $300 per month this opportunity is approximatly two-cents per email.

http://www.militaryavenue.com/shoppingcart.aspx
Enter Alerts Banner to purchase

advertising rates as of 12/7/2011

We can also accept checks for these advertising opportunites. Please contact us at sales@militaryavenue.com or dale@militaryavenue.com if you would like to make payment that way.

Our network trusts us to bring them trustworthy support. All advertisement must be approved by MilitaryAvenue.com. We reserve the right to refust any advertisement that we are not personally comfortable recommending to our military-families.

Thank you for being a part of MilitaryAvenue.com. We look forward to introducing you to our military-families. You may also take a look at our media kit for some more information: http://www.militaryavenue.com/Media.aspx

Quick Summary:

prices as of 12/7/11 and subject to change
http://MilitaryAvenue.com

THE HOME DEPOT’S "GIVE THE GIFT OF GOOD" Contest - A $20,000 Makeover of a Military Family's Home

A Gift from Home Depot for a military family

As a Military Avenue Partner we would like to extend a wonderful opportunity in assisting us with giving away $20,000 to a military family in need. The money may be used in several ways;

* New HVAC (heating and cooling) system
* Accessible bathing, like a new walk-in tub/shower system or Modification of existing tub/shower system to make accessible
* Roofing repair or replacement
* Blown-in Insulation
* Replacement Windows
* Fencing
* Gutters
* or a new Water Heater

We have to act fast, in fact, we have about 72 hours to find this family and submit their name and information. Once we submit their information they will be 1 of 9 candidates to receive the $20,000 in renovations.Your business has been a part of our site by assisting military families with products, services, and military discounts. We felt it only appropriate to give you a chance to point out a family to us.

Here is your next step. We need your entry to MilitaryAvenue no later than this Saturday, the 19th of November at noon EST. Remember, all you have to do is email the name, military affiliation and two or three pictures of the military entrant (family if so desired, is welcome as well). Please email them to photos@MilitaryAvenue.com. Tell us their story or have them send it direct to us by commenting here: http://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com/2011/11/home-depots-give-gift-of-good-contest.html

We will choose our winner and forward to Home Depot at the close of the contest at noon on Saturday.

We appreciate the Home Depot Foundation for selecting us to be a part of this great program. We also can’t thank you enough for being a part of our site, together we have and will continue to assist the military community in many ways.

Home Depot Contest Rules:
http://www.militaryavenue.com/Content.aspx?Name=home_depot_gift_of_good_rules

Military Dates to Remember 2011- 2012

Say "Thank You" on Veterans Day!

We frequently get visits to MilitaryAvenue for folks looking for military important dates! To help, we will again begin placing important dates for the military community for followers to see! Well in advance of the date, so you can reach out and plan to recognize the events appropriately! We will also post on twitter!

We are posting through June 2012 and will update as we gather new or updated information! Some dates may not be particular to the military but think of a deployed service member returning after a deployment and enjoying Thanksgiving with their family. Last year there was an empty chair while they were gone! Or maybe a Valentine's Day reunion for a couple after a lengthy separation! We added a few for just convenience as well.

November

6th Daylight Savings

11th Veterans Day

Some great ideas for year round recognition on MilitaryAvenue's 101 Ways to Thank a Veteran!

24th Thanksgiving

Calendar for one military family with special events written in

December

25th Christmas

31st New Years Eve

A Soldier and his son

January

1st New Years Day

18th Martin Luther King Jr Day

February

1st Freedom Day

2nd Ground Hog Day

14th Valentines Day

15th Presidents' Day

Next month is Veteran's Day and a great chance for you to note their sacrifices and protection of our great country. As a MilitaryAvenue Partner what are you doing to recognize our Military and Families this upcoming Veterans Day? Start preparing now for this day of recognition for those who have frequently given so much for their country. Many military families are operating with a second or third deployment over the holidays! Can you say "again"? Many Military-Veterans didn't get the recognition they so deserved so many years ago. All Veterans and families could use a simple "thank you" from all of us.
Welcoming our Military to your place of business

Here are ideas to jump start your recognition of Veteran's Day. Make it something that makes veterans and their families feel appreciated:

First of all offer a Veterans Day Special, for our veterans. Offer something from the heart that you know your military-veteran customers will appreciate. It is only a small token of what they have done for us!
Hang a "Veterans, Thank You" sign on your door (Something like: http://militarymarketing.militaryavenue.com/2010/05/what-does-your-storefront-or-website.html)
Sponsor or become involved in a Veteran's Day parade and encourage others as well
Add a special event to our Event Calendar so the new military families get the word about the local area (How to place an event on MilitaryAvenue)
Have your sales staff made aware of military customers and task the staff to thank them for their service

Getting the word out

An example of a Military Reward for Veterans Day
(click on image for detail)

First of all, if you are having a Veterans Day Special, log on to your account and update your reward. Do this before November 1st so that it will be included in our monthly-Alerts!
If you are not a MilitaryAvenue Partner yet NOW is the time! A Military Discount year round equals free advertising! (List with us)
If you are offering a remarkable military discount or incentive for our Veterans we will add it to our growing list - Veterans Day 2011 - Military Discounts. Last year's list was circulated by official military-organizations, military-spouse and family groups, and so much more and is STILL looked at every day.

The Reward that you have earned

To show our appreciation for your support to our veterans and their families we are having a "We Thank Veterans Campaign" until November 11th! Make the promise to thank veterans and we will offer you a ten percent (10%) discount on any upgrades with the discount code, "VETERANS". Log in to your account and build your upgrade! During checkout enter the discount code and it will be automatically discounted and your ad year starts again! Thank you!

Supporting the Relocation, Travel and Lifestyle Needs of the American Military Family

Celebrating Military Veterans and Families this Veterans Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Grand Rapids, MI, October 5, 2011 - MilitaryAvenue.com is seeking businesses that value, support and wish to recognize our past and present military members this Veterans Day.

Veterans Day is the perfect opportunity to take part in MilitaryAvenue.com’s ‘Celebrating Veterans Giveaway’. As a business that supports America’s soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines consider donating a national gift-card, Visa Cash Card or merchandise to this giveaway recognizing the sacrifices of our Veterans, Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve service-members. It is a simple way for a business to say “Thank You”.

Businesses that participate in MilitaryAvenue.com’s Veteran’s Day Giveaway will experience increased brand awareness among military families. The giveaway announcement at ‘Our Letters to You’, an award winning military family blog (http://militaryblog.militaryavenue.com) will include a business logo and website link for the participating company for each donated gift. Businesses that play a part in thanking our military veterans through this giveaway can expect to see their company mentioned throughout social media circles including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Past giveaways at MilitaryAvenue.com to military-families have been met with great success. Veterans do not expect to be recognized but they appreciate and support the businesses that do take the time to acknowledge their sacrifices. Read stories of thanks at Marketing to the Military, “Thank You” (http://militarymarketing.militaryavenue.com/2011/08/thank-you.html).

This should be a Veterans Day Military Veterans and families will not soon forget. Please contact a MilitaryAvenue.com team member before October 20, 2011 to donate a gift that a military family can win in a random drawing of entries on November 15, 2011.

About MilitaryAvenue LLC
Founded by a team of military and Internet veterans and based in Grand Rapids, MI, privately held MilitaryAvenue supports the relocation, travel and lifestyle needs of the American military family. MilitaryAvenue.com is a free global and local online guide to goods, services and community information for over 240 military installations in the U.S. and abroad through the nation’s largest database of military discounts, the most comprehensive directory of local base community businesses, and an extensive library of articles and resources for the military family experience.

Contact:
Leanne Kocsis
MilitaryAvenue.com
877-425-9992
Leanne@militaryavenue.com
http://www.militaryavenue.com

# # #

Autoposting on Facebook

I just read an interesting article on SocialMediaToday that I know is quite appropriate for our Business Partners.

On average, Facebook Pages that show posts via a third party app such as HootSuite or TweetDeck, as opposed to linking the old fashioned manual way, receive 70% fewer likes and comments. Linking to your Facebook Page via auto post is a very common and time saving practice and while I have dabbled in it, for the most part I stay clear from it for the simple reason of posting via an auto post just doesn't look as good or as appealing as doing it manually - posting a link directly from your Facebook Page.

- Facebook Autoposting - A Social Media No-No

We have found that third-party apps like TwitterFeed are great for Twitter. Automatic posting makes it very easy to share our latest articles, blogs and even military discounts! Our followers enjoy retweeting them and our readership grows. However, Facebook is a much more personal experience and we at MilitaryAvenue have always steered clear of automatic posting. Instead, we pick a few key articles, an empowering quote for the day, and a general question to engage our military-families.

As for the articles we elect to share, we select a photo to catch our readers' attention and add a comment as to why this article is relevant to them, the military family. Our user experience is much more engaging this way. As a small business owner you too have to find the balance of 'too much information' (which often comes with auto-posting) for your followers as opposed to falling off their radar with not enough posts. You want to share the right amount of engagement, making your business a trusted resource.

Find your balance, share the posts relevant to your fans, and you will be on your way to being a valued resource to your customers. Best of luck!

- Leanne from MilitaryAvenue.com

By the way, if your business does have a Facebook presense be sure to pop over to our MilitaryDiscounts page an introduce yourself: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Military-Discounts/112981725440917. We post new and updated discounts to our Facebook Friends at Military Discounts (over a thousand growing very fast) and love the interaction from our Business Partners as well. What a great opportunity to engage with potential new customers!