Marine Industry Marketing that Attracts Millennials
The millennial generation is the largest in history. They are also the most social and technologically savvy. Business owners need to approach marketing in a way that gains the attention of younger people and turns them into customers. This applies to those in the marine industry too.
Traditional marketing methods like TV commercials and billboards aren’t as effective today, and they are especially not effective for millennials. The younger age group is rapidly approaching the new age of consumerism.
Millennials participate in boating at a similar rate as their parents. Your boating business needs to adapt its digital marketing to their changing demands & behaviors.
Transparency
The younger generations love to share. If they have an experience with your boating brand, they are extremely likely to share about it, both positive and negative. Social media is the primary source millennials use to share their experiences, this also includes Google reviews.
Dominating these social networks and online communities is crucial. By being active on these platforms, businesses provide more information for consumers to share. Here is a list of things that marine business owners can share to cater to the more social generations:
- Videos – especially short-form content (reels, shorts, etc.)
- Pictures of your business or product in use
- Links to websites, articles, and products
- Contests that encourage cross-channel sharing
- Hosted events
- Unique hashtags
- Email newsletters
Creativity and personality make a brand stand out. Don’t be afraid to tap into creative platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok.
Influencer Age
The millennial generation is largely influenced by their peers. This sounds negative, but from a business perspective, it can be a very useful thing. Just like consumers share their experiences, they also like to learn about them from their peers. Product, service, and business reviews play a huge factor in the decisions of young consumers.
Both negative and positive reviews allow potential customers to see that they can trust your business because you are being transparent. Visible reviews about your marine brand show consumers that you want to help them find the best product and service for them.
Public reviews hold a huge power, so feedback from past customers should be a feature on your marine business website.
Growing Up Surrounded by Technology
The millennial generation grew up with technology rapidly improving. Now, with cell phones, tablets, and laptops, the internet is at their fingertips.
In today’s culture, text message replaces phone calls and search engines replace phone books. The marketing methods used by their parents won’t work for the younger generations & marine businesses need to adapt to the digital age.
If you don’t already have a mobile-friendly website for your marine products and services, you are already behind. Millennials are on the digital move. If you don’t have an entertaining, positive, effective digital presence, your business won’t reach its full potential.
Considering Millennials in Your Marketing Strategy
The frustration of not being able to find information and resources related to your business can deter consumers away from your business and lead them to a competitor.
As a marine business, you need to stay in the loop and up to date with trends in marketing. Continually adapt your strategies to reach new demographics because they are vital to the long-term growth of your business in the boating industry.
Contact us if you need help getting started.
Request a FREE Digital Strategy Session
Boat Marketing Pros is a marine marketing agency that helps marine businesses with their websites and digital marketing. Schedule a FREE strategy session with one of our experts.
