Merit opportunities: a new and powerful feature for dropzones

As a marketer specializing in the skydiving industry, I’m on the lookout for solutions I can introduce to my DZ clients that solve pain points and bring about a positive return on investment. My qualifiers for any feature needs to satisfy at least one of the following:

• Increase efficiency
• Improve communications with customers
• Reduce costs
• Helps increase sales
• Easy setup

Merit has introduced a new feature to their app known as Merit Opportunities and I’m excited about it because it ticks all of the above boxes.

Merit Opportunities is essentially a communication tool that easily allows manifest or management to communicate with DZ customers who have earned a merit from the DZ (completed a tandem skydive or completed AFF, or earned a license, whatever merit the DZ issues). As an advocate for email marketing (when done well) Merit Opportunities allows us to quickly zip messages out to qualified customers on the fly and for less money as this feature is free.

Here are some uses for Merit Opportunities for both tandems and upjumpers:

• Issue Certificates of Achievement to tandem students (eliminate printing costs)
• Use Merit Opportunities to make post-jump offers to tandem students (for photos or a second tandem)
• Use Merit Opportunities to promote upcoming AFF First Jump Courses
• Open up discounts on gear, tunnel time or lift ticket blocks
• Promote upcoming events like canopy piloting training, coach rating classes and boogies
• Publicize job openings for TIs, AFFIs and even manifest

Merit is being used by Flight-1 to issue certifications for course completion as well as UPT, AXIS Flight School and countless others. To this point, many skydiving based organizations have been using Merit to issue ratings and certifications to licensed skydivers, but I’ve not seen many dropzones issuing certifications to tandem and AFF students. With the introduction of Merit Opportunities, I think DZ’s should consider implementing Merit as Merit Opportunities adds some marketing power by being able to communicate with our customers quickly.

Aside from Merit Opportunities, here are how some DZs are using Merit today:

• Issue merits to AFF students for each completed AFF category
• Append photos and videos of AFF training jumps to each AFF merit
• Append photos and videos to tandem certifications
• Issue merits for any event hosted by the DZ whether it be a FJC or a boogie

What excites me most about Merit Opportunities is what’s coming next as Merit continues to scale. Merit’s use has gone well beyond the skydiving industry and is being used in other sports industries and organizations that issue certifications. This trend will continue as Merit’s funding is allowing them to grow their sales force to allow expansion… everywhere!

So, here’s the potential and how it applies to you: If a dropzone issues an Offer for a tandem discount exclusively at 4:00pm on June 15th, Merits’ app will display this offer to other Merit members involved in other adventure activities (like SCUBA, cycling, whitewater rafting, etc). This feature allows us to market our DZs to others that have not had an experience with our businesses, but would likely be interested in what we sell. This feature opens up marketing opportunities to reach a more targeted audience which, if you’re a marketer, is gold.

In my opinion, the value that Merit Opportunities adds to the Merit platform tips the scales to a point that I think every DZ should be utilizing this tool. As Merit continues to scale being an early adopter will pay dividends.

If you have any questions or would like to start publishing opportunities, please email opportunities@merits.com.

Read more on Merit Opportunities here & learn how to publish them here.

• How Merit Opportunities Works for Organizations
• Introducing Merit Opportunities