If you are trying to maximize your boat marketing efforts, social media is a very effective way to do so. Not only does it increase brand awareness, but it allows you to have a two-way conversation with your customers and prospects so you can learn about their experiences.
Social media can be used to announce your upcoming events, highlight your bestselling boat models, introduce your sales team, and even show the history behind your business. You can also promote your business by doing contests and sharing content that is relevant to your followers.
There are many different social media platforms. In this blog, we will discuss the four major ones you should be using in 2020 and beyond. In addition, we will discuss tips on how to use your accounts for a more effective boat marketing strategy.
Which Social Media Profiles Do You Need?
This is a good first place to start. There are many social media platforms out there: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. How do you even know where to begin?
Our first recommendation is to choose your social media profiles wisely. While your first reaction may be to set up a profile on every platform available, we don’t advise doing so unless you plan to manage all the accounts or hire someone to manage all of the accounts.
So, before you sign up, think through what your day-to-day management might look like.
Facebook for Boat Dealers
There are billions of people on Facebook and while you might not be interested in reaching out to a lot of them, Facebook offers you the possibility to market your business to more specific audiences.
In our experience in the boating industry, we’ve found that Facebook has the most engagement. Engagement on Facebook means liking, sharing, or commenting on new content.
Pictures of the water, sunsets, marine life and boating events often have high engagement. Additionally, Facebook is a great platform to advertise boat shows. This wanders into the territory of Facebook Advertising for boat dealers, but for now, we will only talk about the “organic” (unpaid) side of things.
Instagram for Boat Dealers
Have you ever heard the saying “A picture paints a thousand words?”
This is something you should keep in mind when posting on Instagram as it is known for focusing more on the visual aspects of a business. Here is where you should focus your effort to present your boat inventory in professional, compelling pictures.
Boat marketing can be very casual and personable on Instagram. Within the stories, you can bring your followers behind the scenes and show them a lot more about what you do. The content usually lasts 24 hours so it could also be a great tool to give sneak peeks about upcoming events, promotions or new inventory.
Like Facebook, photos of water, sunsets, beaches, etc. have high engagement on Instagram. The total amount of followers will not likely be as high as on Facebook, but when you compare total interactions to total followers, you’ll find that engagement is still above average. (Hint: videos also have high engagement, so make those as often as possible, too!)
Twitter for Boat Dealers
Twitter is another platform where you can show your brand’s personality and hold dialogs with your customers.
Usually, people that follow a business on Twitter visit the company website which can help you bring good quality traffic. Consider this as a customer service channel as it is known for being used to mainly interact with your followers instead of promoting your business.
You can use Twitter to monitors your competitors. Take the time to listen to what people are saying regarding you and them. Use this to your advantage and create a strategy behind your tweets.
YouTube for Boat Dealers
Video is one of the most effective channels to deliver detailed product information. Usually, people retain better the message given in a video compared to text. Because of this, you will get more engagement overall as users are more likely to share videos than images and text. You can use YouTube to deliver detailed information about your boats and other services you provide.
A lot of people usually go to YouTube to search how to do tasks they are not familiar with. Use this to your advantage, create a series of videos giving tips on how to maintain your boats for longer product life. Lastly, but most importantly, use YouTube to share customer testimonials so you can highlight the value you offer.
Social Media Marketing for Boat Dealers
All these social media platforms can help you create a more successful boat marketing plan. They help you increase brand awareness, website traffic, and most importantly, boost your sales.
At Boat Marketing Pros, we can help you consolidate your social media strategy. Let us take care of your accounts so you can concentrate on other important business tasks. Give us a call today at 888-928-4587.
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