Remembrance Day falls on November 11th and is a way for Canadians to honor the men and women who have served Canada in war and conflict. Over the years, more than a hundred thousand Canadians have laid down their lives for their country and they deserve to be acknowledged.
As a Canadian business, there is a lot that you can and should do to support and honor our veterans. Show your customers that you care and integrate with the community by doing something special to commemorate the day.
In this article, we’ve put together a number of strategies you can implement to honor our veterans this Remembrance Day. Take a look below!
Organize a fundraiser for veterans
The best way you can thank our vets for all their sacrifices is by making their lives easier now. These people have done a lot for the country, and it’s important that you use your reach and resources to give back. The money you raise can go towards covering medical costs, pay bills, or support the children of military members.
The most important thing you need to consider is picking the right fundraiser. Here are some fundraiser ideas you can go with:
- Offer an educational course or class – this could include a cooking class with a renowned chef or a painting class with a famous artist
- Organize a marathon – have your community run for a good cause
- Host a potluck fundraiser – this is a chance for community members to showcase their cooking skills by bringing in their favorite dish for everyone to enjoy
Hire vendors and play live music to take your fundraiser up a notch. You can also invite some retired veterans as chief guests and have them tell war stories.
Change your social media layout
Show the world that you care and remind them to do the same by tweaking your online presence to make Remembrance Day the focus. You should do this at least two weeks prior to Remembrance Day.
Here are some creative ways to change your social media layout:
- Add the traditional red remembrance poppy to your logo and update your profile picture on all your accounts
- Remembrance day colors typically include white, black, purple, and red so make sure that all your posts incorporate those colors in some way or another
- Add a hashtag for Remembrance Day to your social media bios so that it’s the first thing people see when they visit your profile
- After every two or three posts, put up a poster to remind people about Remembrance Day – it can be a simple thank you to veterans or a historical fact about the importance of the day
You can make your Remembrance Day posters easily with PosterMyWall. Simply find a template you like, customize it according to your preference and you’re good to go.
Share educational resources with your audience
It’s not enough to just post about Remembrance Day. You need to show people why it’s important. As an influential business, it’s your duty to educate people and let them know why this day is so significant.
On the days leading up to Remembrance Day, share one resource every day that people can read or listen to. A good idea would be to share historical fiction that puts Canadian war efforts at its center. Here are some novels that you can recommend:
- A Poppy Is To Remember – Heather Patterson
- The Unknown Soldier – Linda Granfield
- In Flanders Fields: The Story of the Poem by John McCrae – Linda Granfield
- A Bear In War – Stephanie Innes
Start a dialogue on your page by encouraging people to share their thoughts on each book.
You should also use your platform to give a voice to war vets who have stories of their own. Start a campaign for local war heroes. Interview a local war vet and do a profile piece on them. This way you’ll be able to give these heroes the recognition they deserve.
Offer special discounts to war veterans
Depending on the kind of business you run, offer special discounts to military personnel and veterans. If you’re in the retail business, offer a flat 20 or 30 percent off to all vets on Remembrance Day.
If you run a cafe, perhaps a free cappuccino on Remembrance Day or a special deal on a steak meal would be a good idea. For instance, Larry and Emily, co-owners of Lil Bites Food Truck in Atlanta, routinely offer special discounts on all their food to first responders and military members.
Start advertising your special discount a couple of weeks in advance so that war vets can take full advantage of them. Use social media to promote your discounts.
Final thoughts
Remembrance Day is all about honoring the people who have served the country and sacrificed their lives for so many of us. So this year, keep that in mind and do something special and unique to let your community know that you’re a business that cares.
Engage with the community directly through a fundraiser or through special discounts. Likewise, raise awareness online through dedicated posts and efforts to tell important war stories.
New to PosterMyWall? Use our range of templates and design tools to create impactful promotional content for Remembrance Day this year.
Senior editor at PosterMyWall.
