Across the country, Americans are spending hundreds of dollars on Valentine's Day goodies to please that special someone. But for the hundreds and thousands of U.S. servicemen and servicewomen deployed in Iraq, Valentine's Day is yet another holiday spent away from loved ones. That's where these three companies come in. Not only have they all figured out ways for Americans to reach out to loved ones away at war, but they have each done so with the help of Google AdWords. Here's a look at each company, what they're contributing to American soliders and how they're spreading the message:
-
Cards4Heroes--This Michigan-based online greeting card retailer specializes in greeting cards and stationery for troops, veterans and families. Company founder Donna Nakagiri launched the website after realizing she couldn't find patriotic or military-themed cards to send to deployed military men and women. Nakagiri says AdWords helps her adapt her ad text and keywords to reflect seasonal holidays like Valentine's Day.
-
Soldiers Angels--This Southern California company was founded by Patti Patton-Bader, the mother of a former solider. Though Patton-Bader sent care packages to her son every day, plenty of other soliders weren't receiving any mail or support from home. So, Soldiers Angels helps cheer up troops by sending care packages, letters and other forms of support. Patton-Bader says 78 percent of her unique users and 75 percent of her pageviews come from Google.
-
FlowerShop.com--Arizona-based FlowersShop.com, a flower and gift basket retailer, specifically markets military care packages full of food, games and stuffed animals. Since the company began using Google AdWords to advertise their special packages, they've seen a vast increase in the number of orders.