Does Relationship Status Impact Your Marketing on Veterans Day?

Without passing judgment one way or another, I can predict with almost 100% certainty the marketing strategies proposed by you or your organization correlate directly with the relationship status and objectives of the marketer. Put another way, how your marketer sees the world, defines their imagination.

Case in point a young 23-year-old single guy who spends most of his time looking to add another notch to his bed is going to propose ideas and strategies founded on achieving quick sales with minimal consideration for the development of long term customer loyalty (aka hot girl marketing). A great example of this is the dichotomy of Mel Gibson‘s character in the movie What Women Want. Mel Gibson’s character was known in the industry for a very particular set of ideas.

Yet another 23-year-old single guy looking to find a long-term relationship with a woman whom he would like to marry and have a family with is going to propose a completely different marketing strategy for a product.

Conversely when it comes to marketing and dating, the Machiavellian saying, “the ends justify the means” changes to become, “the ends and means determine one another.”

You will not find a long-term loyal customer or long-term loving relationship by using one night stand or a quick sales tactics. Again none of this is said with judgment in mind it is merely stating facts. It all comes down to what are your objectives. If your company‘s business model is about short term sales then that is what you should do.

However if your company wants to develop long-term relationships with repeat customers than the tactics used need to match that goal. Therefore, the most important thing above all is for each group to know and realize that you cannot and will not be able to achieve your objectives with the other group’s tactics. Any believe in the contrary is delusional at best and more aptly described as horrific business practices for which the person should be fired for trying to put it into practice.

Almost every marketing strategy comes down to one distinction do you act like a teenage boy trying to get the attention of a hot chick or are you a grown man trying to develop a relationship with a breathtaking woman?

Hot chick marketing (HCM) as I noted previously are those strategies and tactics whose sole intent is to achieve a one night stand, aka quick short term sale. At it’s core HCM is product/company focused, not customer focused and thus selfish in nature. Each “sale” is celebrated as another check in the box against an actual or perceived quota.

Breath-taking marketing (BTM) is the opposite a HCM. With BTM, the focus becomes the other person; the consumer. The applicable strategies and tactics of BTM focus on understanding the other person; their desires, their interest, their needs. Instead of mimicking a peacock trying to garner attention, BTM aims to position you, aka your product, as the clear choice to match the desires, interests and needs of your prospect.  To achieve such positioning, BTM focuses on developing an understanding of the prospect and then appropriately utilizing the knowledge.

I’ve asked this question countless times and received the same answer every single time. The question posed to women is this, “would you prefer to be called the hot chick or a breathtaking woman by someone interested in developing a relationship?”.

The answer is an unequivocal without hesitation breathtaking woman every time.

So knowing this; are you marketing to achieve a quick one night stand equivalent sale or are you looking to develop a long-term relationship that’s mutually beneficial with you and the prospect? 

Let’s use my absolute favorite holiday as a test.

On Veterans Day are you looking to treat military veterans as a quick one night stand or develop a long-term loyalty through your tactics? To make things easier, if all you are going to offer is small discount or free appetizer; then you’re treating veterans like a cheap date.

To develop a BTM strategy for Veteran’s Day, I am not proposing you offer a larger discount or more free stuff. Instead, develop a greater understanding of the people with whom you are trying to develop a relationship, aka the military community.  For instance if you have a location near a military facility, learn a little bit about any of those groups.  Surprisingly and perhaps a touch disturbingly, if you just learn the difference between the different branches (i.e. Navy, Army, Marine Corps, Air Force & Coast Guard) you will already be far ahead of most of your competition.

Chances are on Veterans Day, you and your competition are preparing to say “thank you for your service,” here is your freebie…and that is completely fine. However the next day when I’m trying to decide what establishment to visit or service to use I am not going to remember or care that once a year you said or did something nice (twice a year if you do the same thing on Memorial Day…please DO NOT SAY Happy Memorial Day, if you do not know why not…as a veteran!).

However, if your Veterans Day plan is about doing something just a little bit outside of the normal status quo, (a.k.a. a discount and a quick “thank you for your service”) then you are exhibiting Breath-Taking Marketing, and on the right path to differentiating yourself among veterans and creating a long-term, loyal customers for life.

If you would like some pro-bono ideas on how to develop your own BTM strategy/tactics for Veteran's Day DM or email me [email protected]. One of the ways I support my brother and sister on Veteran's Day, is by helping companies see them as consumers to be valued and pursued, not just a cause to be supported twice a year.