5 Marketing Segments of the Military Community

Who are your military marketing efforts intended to influence?

Every marketing and brand professional should understand the 5 consumer groups that compose the military community:

Active Duty: Men and women currently serving in uniform. This group includes Reserves and National Guard.

Dependents: Spouses and children of active duty members.

Family & Friends: Immediate (parents & siblings) and extended (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc…) family and friends of BOTH active duty and veterans.

Veterans: Men and women who formerly served in uniform.

Supporters: Those who support the military without a direct personal connection.

Combined the military community is HUGE and worth the few minutes necessary to create differentiating marketing messaging. Regardless of your product or service, being branded as, or more importantly actually being pro-military will create a disproportional return on investment beyond that of any other consumer segment. 

To help set you apart, consider the following tips for each group:

Active Duty - Location & Copy. Each branch geographic hubs around the country (and around the world). Consider the branches of the military like a sports team, match copy to the appropriate areas. I strongly suspect you would never appeal to Ohio State fans by promoting your product with “Go Blue” copy. Instead, you would match the copy to the area and stick with “Go Blue” in Wolverine country…not in Columbus.

Dependents - Recognition. VERY few companies recognize and appeal to military dependents, the mere act of acknowledging them will set you apart instantly. Any and every active duty appeal (such as the stereotypical discount) should include dependents. For bonus points, put Military Spouse Appreciation Day on your calendar!

Family & Friends: Support. Appealing to this group is relatively easy, just so long as you do right by the military member and their dependents.

Veterans: Inclusion & Thanks. Connect with veterans first by direct inclusion in events. Similar to dependents, be sure to include them in discounts and other events whenever possible. For most veterans, a simple “thank you for your service” will set you apart.

Supporters: Copy and Connection. Although they may not have a direct personal connection, many military supporters are like die-hard sport fans…they know everything! As a result, companies need to get the copy (and other details) right. Although active duty members, veterans, dependents and others may be forgiving of simple errors, many supporters will call you out…publicly (aka on social media). Help this group connect and support the military in an authentic way and you will win the sale.

The number one thing to remember when marketing to the military community is… MARKET TO THE MILITARY COMMUNITY!!! Few companies do anything with the military community in mind and even fewer get it right. As with all things, anything worth doing…is worth doing right!