MAPP Tip of the Month
MAPP Tip of the Month
“Walk a mile in my shoes” is usually used to describe what you should do before you criticize someone. I would like to use it differently to describe what you should do while considering marketing to the military community!
Have you ever walked a mile in a pair of combat boots?! How about the sneakers of a young child who has a parent in Iraq/Afghanistan and fears they might not seem them again? Or the heels of a woman who goes to bed every night without her husband knowing he is flying dangerous missions and she can’t fall asleep without praying for him for an hour? Or wear a husband’s dress shoes while he worries about his wife in a combat zone without him nearby? How about a parent’s work shoes that raised and protected a child and now that child is in combat and they can no longer protect them?
Those “shoes” reflect the military community and what they face day to day and cope quite well with I might add due to community support such as yours! Schools, military programs, the Red Cross, YMCA, etc have all leaned forward to help the military community while it is fighting the nation’s wars and you as a MilitaryAvenue Partner are doing the same! Thank you so much!
Tell your story while you listen to theirs! How do you walk in their combat boots in your ad! A simple “thank you” says a lot! Take the time to make the ad tell your story of support and appreciation. Make the Business Profile and Military Reward have some pzazz! Believe me everyone likes a buck but some times recognition for a sacrifice, job well done, etc. carries a bigger kick when reviewing an ad. Update your ad with a year round MilitaryReward but if there is a special event add a special for the troops coming home, Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day, Armed Forces Week, etc.
Once you make contact with a military community member interested in your services or products; make it stick by showing appreciation for veterans, military members and their families during business hours! Train your front line sales personnel to look for an ID card at the register and tell them about the military specials and say thank you! How do you present yourself as military friendly!
Have you hired a veteran recently, a military family member or the teen age/college age kids of a deployed parent? Do it and then tell the community about it! Show how military friendly you are!
