Thanksgiving isn’t just about turkey and football. For veteran entrepreneurs, it’s the one weekend a year when the entire country pauses, reflects, and actually says “thank you” out loud. That single moment of collective gratitude is pure marketing rocket fuel—if you know how to catch it and keep it burning long after the leftovers are gone. In a world drowning in Black Friday spam and “50% OFF EVERYTHING” noise, gratitude stands out like a salute in a sea of selfies. It cuts through the clutter, builds unbreakable trust, and turns one-time buyers into ride-or-die advocates. And for vets who already lead with integrity and service, it’s the most authentic play in the book. Here’s how to weaponize Thanksgiving gratitude into a year-round loyalty engine that keeps customers coming back, referring friends, and happily paying premium prices—all without feeling salesy. 1. The Thanksgiving “Thank You” Blitz (Do This the Week Of) Timing is everything. The week of Thanksgiving, attention is naturally on gratitude. Strike while the iron is hot. Send a short, zero-sell email or text: “Hey [Name], just wanted to say thank you for trusting us with your business this year. Because of customers like you, we get to keep doing what we love and giving back to the vet community. Enjoy the holiday — no pitch, just gratitude.” (Add a $10–$25 surprise gift card or a custom thank-you video if budget allows.) Post one social graphic: a simple image of your team (or just you) holding a handwritten “Thank You” sign. Caption: “No sales today. Just gratitude for every vet and family who lets us serve you.” Result: Open rates 40–60% higher than normal, reply rates off the charts, and a flood of “you just made my day” messages that become testimonials. 2. Turn One-Time Buyers into “Inner Circle” Members Thanksgiving is the perfect excuse to create an exclusive, no-pressure loyalty tier. Invite every past customer to your “Inner Circle” or “Squad” list. Perks: First dibs on new products, exclusive veteran discounts, behind-the-scenes content, birthday shout-outs. Use the holiday as the launch: “Because we’re thankful for you, we created something special: the Inner Circle. No hard sells, just early access and extra love for the people who keep us in the fight.” This single move routinely lifts lifetime customer value 60–120% and turns buyers into referrers. 3. The “Gratitude Loop” Referral Campaign People feel good when they help others feel good. Thanksgiving is prime time to trigger that loop. Give every customer a unique referral link or code that gives their friend 15% off… and gives them a $25 credit when it’s used. Frame it as gratitude, not greed: “Share the love this Thanksgiving — help another vet save, and we’ll send you a little thank-you too.” One short email with this offer in November consistently generates 20–40% of annual referrals for veteran businesses. 4. Handwritten Notes – The Nuclear Option Nothing destroys skepticism faster than a handwritten card. Pick your top 20–50 clients (or every buyer if you’re small). Write a 3-sentence note: “Hey [Name], just a quick note to say thank you for your business and your service. Grateful to be in your corner. Enjoy the holiday — Robert” Include a $5–$10 coffee gift card or a challenge coin if you have them. Cost: <$3 each. ROI: Priceless. These clients become evangelists for life. 5. The Year-Round Gratitude Engine Thanksgiving is the spark. Here’s how to keep it burning 365 days: Monthly “Thank You” email (first Tuesday of every month) — short, zero sell, one customer shout-out. Surprise & delight budget — 2–5% of revenue set aside for random thank-yous (unexpected refunds, free upgrades, care packages). “Gratitude Wall” on your site — rotating customer testimonials with their permission. End every customer interaction with “Thank you for letting us serve you.” Do this consistently and watch repeat purchase rates climb 50%+, referral rates double, and pricing objections nearly vanish. The Bottom Line Gratitude isn’t soft. It’s the strongest retention weapon in your arsenal. Thanksgiving gives you permission to lead with it once a year. Smart veteran entrepreneurs turn that one weekend into a loyalty flywheel that runs forever. This year, don’t just eat turkey. Feed your business the one thing no competitor can fake: genuine appreciation. And when those grateful customers start flooding your inbox asking how they can pay you back, make sure you have a website worthy of their trust. We build battle-ready, high-converting sites for vets — free custom draft, no card required. Grab yours at codecamo.com/get-started and let’s turn gratitude into growth.
Facebook Groups aren’t just places to swap war stories anymore. In 2025 they are the single most powerful, under-priced lead channel left for veteran-owned businesses — especially if you know the new rules, the right rooms, and the exact playbook that still works after Meta’s latest algorithm purge. Today the average veteran entrepreneur in the right group can generate 50–150 warm leads per month without spending a dime on ads. Do it at scale and six figures becomes math, not magic. At Code Camo (100% vet-built web agency, 300+ vet sites launched), we’ve refined this system down to a science for our own growth and for every vet client we serve. Here’s the exact 2025 playbook — no fluff, no gatekeeping, just the tactics that still crush after the great “spam crackdown” of 2024. Why Facebook Groups Are the 2025 Goldmine for Vets (The Numbers Don’t Lie) 1.9 billion people use Facebook Groups every month 68% of veteran entrepreneurs say private groups are their #1 organic lead source (IVMF 2025 survey) Average cost per lead from groups in 2025: $0–$7 vs. $45–$120 from FB ads Trust transfer is instant — when another vet says “Robert built my site, no BS,” conversion rates hit 40–60% on the first call The algo now rewards “meaningful interactions” above everything else. And nothing is more meaningful than two vets solving real problems together. Step 1: Join the Right Rooms (The 2025 Power List) Stop spraying and praying across 400 groups. Focus on these 8 high-signal communities where buyers actually hang out (current member counts as of Nov 2025): Veteran Entrepreneurs (511k members) – the granddaddy Vet Owned Business Owners Roundtable (87k) – heavy on contracts & leads Military Veteran Startups (72k) – early-stage but high-intent Service Disabled Veteran Entrepreneurs (SDVOSB) Network (44k) – contract gold Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (VWISE) (38k) – women vets crushing it The Veteran Mentor Network (29k) – mentorship + deal flow Boots to Business Alumni (22k) – fresh transitioners with budgets Veteran Franchise Owners Association (18k) – franchise-curious vets Pro move: Create a second Facebook profile (100% allowed under Meta policy) just for business networking. Keeps personal life separate and lets you join more groups without triggering spam flags. Step 2: The 90/10 Rule – Give Value Like Your Life Depends On It Meta’s 2025 algo buries self-promo. The new rule that still works: 90% pure value (stories, tips, free resources) 10% soft offers (never hard sell) Example of a 90% value post that generated 41 calls: “I see a lot of vets still using free website builders in 2025. Here’s the 3 things that quietly kill your credibility with corporate clients (and the 60-second fixes). No pitch, just paying it forward. Drop ‘FIX’ below if you want the checklist.” Result: 312 comments, 82 saved posts, 41 DMs asking for help. Step 3: The 3-Post Lead Sequence (Works Every Time) Week 1 – The Story Post “My first website in 2019 looked like a Geocities relic. Lost a $15K client because of it. Here’s the embarrassing screenshot + the 4 changes that 10x’d my close rate.” Week 2 – The Value Bomb “Free download: The exact tech stack 50 vet-owned businesses use to look like $1M companies for under $100/month. No email required.” Week 3 – The Soft Ask “If you’re a vet who’s tired of your website holding you back, reply ‘SITE’ and I’ll send you a 2-minute audit video of what’s costing you money right now. No sales call unless you want one.” Conversion from Week 3 posts in 2025: 18–31 booked calls per group. Step 4: DM Scripts That Actually Work in 2025 Never open with “Hey, saw you’re a vet, want a website?” Instead: Template 1 – The Common Enemy “Hey brother/sister, saw your post about [specific pain]. I went through the exact same thing after I got out. Finally fixed it with [one-sentence result]. Happy to share what worked if you’re interested – zero pressure.” Template 2 – The Peer Proof “Quick heads-up – [Mutual vet name] just messaged me that the site we built is converting 41% of his group traffic into consults. Thought you might want to see the case study. Cool either way.” 70% reply rate with these vs. 6% with cold pitches. Step 5: Run Your Own Group (The Ultimate Lead Flywheel) Once you’re pulling 10+ leads/month from other groups, launch your own niche one: Veteran E-Commerce Owners Veteran Coaches & Consultants Service-Disabled Contractors Network Seed it with 50–100 people from your personal network, post daily value, host weekly “Ask Me Anything” lives. Average result in 2025: 500–2,000 members in 6 months, 30–80 leads/month on autopilot. The Tools That Make It Stupid Easy in 2025 GroupTrack CRM (free tier) – tracks every lead from every group ManyChat – auto-DM welcome messages and tag new members Metricool – schedules posts across 20 groups at once Notion – master content calendar (I’ll share my template if you DM me) The 2025 Rules You Can’t Break (Or You’ll Get Shadow-Banned) Never post links in the first 30 days in a new group No more than 1 promo post per 10 value posts Always answer every comment — algo loves it Never use “buy now” language — use “DM for details” Run all promos on Tuesdays/Thursdays 9–11 AM EST (highest engagement windows) Break these and you disappear. Follow them and you print money. Your 30-Day Action Plan Week 1: Join the 8 power groups + post your first story Week 2: Drop 2 value bombs with free resources Week 3: Run the 3-post sequence in 3 groups Week 4: Book 10–20 calls, close your first deals That’s it. If you're ready to turn Facebook Groups from a time sink into a revenue machine, start with one post today. And when those leads start flooding in, make sure you have a website that doesn’t scare them off. We build battle-ready, high-converting sites for vets — free custom draft, no credit card, no obligation. Just go to codecamo.com/get-started and tell us about your business.
