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5 Reasons Why Social Media Is The Key To Growth In The Yachting Industry
The way we communicate with each other and how we reach out to potential clients has changed dramatically in recent times. Yachting companies need to be on top of their game if they want to stand out from their competitors and retain their clients. As a provider of Superyacht marketing services, we often hear: “But we don’t have the time!” We understand, considering the industry is so fast-paced! However, as much as you might not want to hear it, if you want your company to continue growing, staying present and consistent on social media is vital.
Think about this… How do you get people to notice your yacht, let alone book a charter? Or how do you get a yacht to choose you as their provisioner, or get an innovative app idea out there? The answer lies in the power of social media. Social media is an effective tool for reaching out to potential customers and establishing brand awareness. It can also help boost sales by providing an outlet for direct customer service. There’s also keeping your clients informed about new services available or pushing certain yachting destinations.
For smaller businesses, hiring a dedicated employee to run their socials is very cost-heavy. But there’s a cheaper, more effective way of doing this – hiring a social media manager! Over the past few months, Superyacht Content has managed social accounts for smaller businesses in the yachting industry, all the way up to social profiles for Superyachts. From the beginning, it was clear that most people coming to us were saying that their social media manager did not understand or speak properly to our audience – because they did not come from the industry. This is why when, you branch out to employ a SMM, they need to understand your business and audience, inside and out!
Below, we’re sharing why an effective social media presence can help you cater to your clients, expand your network, and grow your business.
1. Builds Relationships
To be successful in the yachting industry, you will have to build relationships with your clients, industry peers, and potential clients.
To do this effectively and efficiently requires the use of social media. It’s important that you understand connecting with people (who may not have heard about you previously) can be achieved through a quick follow, LinkedIn search, or a direct message. Putting yourself and your business out there will help create a personal brand on social media and allow you to engage directly with customers and other businesses.
2. Improve SEO Rankings
Links. Links. Links. SEO and social media are a two-way street.
While you may not be able to control the results of your competitors’ content, you can improve your own by using online marketing strategies to boost your social media presence. For example, if you have a website for yacht charters and want to get more traffic from Google searches, then it’s essential that you use social media effectively so that people will link back to your site. This could be through press release posts that lead to the announcement on your website or infographics that link back to your website.
There’s many different ways that you can use social media to build backlinks to your website. Make sure you take advantage of all these opportunities.
Read more SYC: 4 Tips For Managing A Remote Team
3. Brand Awareness
Social media offers a unique opportunity for yachts to build brand awareness and increase their online presence. These platforms allow you to connect with potential customers, engage them in conversations about your yacht or yachting business, and provide valuable information about you. Sharing relevant content can establish you as an expert in the field, demonstrating your knowledge.
When it comes to growing your client base through social media, there are two main strategies that work well:
- growing an audience by building trust
- creating content that resonates with those audiences so they follow you
Then implementing lead generation strategies on that platform drives clients to your website. Creating advertising campaigns targeted at those interested based on their profile interests also works (Facebook has a “Custom Audiences” feature).
4. Targeting Your Audience
Targeting the right audience is a key factor in getting more clients and sales, and social media can be used to your advantage in this regard. What type of person are you trying to reach? Are they millennials? Gen Xers? Boomers?
Even if there’s no specific age group that fits best, it’s okay! For example, there might be someone looking to go to the Bahamas on a yacht, or there’s a shipyard looking at developing their yacht documentation. These demographics can help guide decisions about who should see an ad campaign about your product or service when scrolling through their Facebook or Linkedin feed.
Using this information to directly target your audience and customise your social media ads based on interests will push your content to the right people. That person just might be your next lead!
5. Reputation Management
Reputation management is so important for the yachting industry. Building a digital presence on social media will help you manage your reputation. It’s all about transparency, being friendly and professional, responding to comments, and being consistent. But what if you want a little extra help with that? Well, there are two things that will make your Instagram feed more engaging: being human and authentic!
Be human by showing off your personality. Tell us more about what makes your job so awesome (and maybe show some behind-the-scenes action). Use emojis in moderation (some people love them; others hate them). If you’re looking for authenticity on social media, try posting more than just pictures of boats and sunsets… These are great, but they don’t give people insight into who you and your business are really about.
When we talk about social media and how it can help you, we’re not just talking about selling products or charters. We’re talking about building relationships and networking with industry professionals while growing your business. We hope that you feel more confident in using social media as a tool to achieve your goals!
For more information on our Superyacht marketing services, contact hello@superyachtcontent.com
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