A Guide to Veterans Day Marketing for Travel Agents

Sticking solely to your designated niche is wonderful, but sometimes expanding your reach is vital to your overall marketing success – and you’ll want to keep that in mind this Veterans Day. 

If you have not targeted your amazing military community, you are missing out. Did you know that there are 1.3 million active-duty members with an annual household income of $74,500 in our nation? Additionally, there are 20 million veterans in the U.S., and the veteran community alone is projected to spend $43.6 billion annually. Nearly 450,000 reservists and national guards earn high wages, and there are over 1 million military spouses covering a wide age range and spending $51 billion annually. With that in mind, if you’re not reaching out to this exclusive community, you may want to start doing so. To “win over” these loyal clients, there is a specific approach to use when marketing for Veterans Day.

Here are a few tactics that may be helpful as you consider your Veterans Day marketing:

1. Keep it real. Many military members are straightforward kind of people. Fluffing up your marketing with “cutesy” copy isn’t going to cut it. They want to see your grit before you’ll see their cash.

2. Do your research. This should be a given, but even the images you choose for your military marketing materials need to be “spot on.” Military members can point out incorrect uniforms and haircuts from a mile away.

3. And, speaking of haircuts… Why not offer a free haircut when they book with you? 

4. Support VSOs (Veterans Service Organizations) year-round – not just when you want their business. “Research from the Military Explorer Series™ shows that 33% of active-duty military are loyal to brands that support VSOs and take notice when your brand is invested in them long-term.”

5. Consider featuring veterans from your local community in your social media marketing. Military members want to make sure you know that it’s not “all about you.” They don’t really want to hear your story – they want to hear stories from their own (and then, how you helped them achieve their travel goals)!

If you can keep these marketing techniques in mind, you will stand apart from your competitors. And, if you can figure out a way to connect your potential military clients to your former military clients, you will certainly win their hearts – and land some added benefits for yourself in the process.

This November, consider offering perks to military prospects in honor of Military Family Appreciation Month. And, just as an extra tip: remember the travel industry is a great career path for veterans. They already have the determination needed to become successful entrepreneurs, so don’t be afraid to add them to your agency/team!