At first glance, marine marketing may seem like a confined space. High price points and geographical limitations may constrain your consumer base, but that shouldn’t stunt the reach of your marketing.
In fact, if you submerge yourself in the opportunities available to marketers in this industry, you’ll find a world of untapped potential.
If you haven’t incorporated these angles into your marketing content, you’re only skimming the surface of what is possible.
Nationwide Accessibility
Aside from price, location can be a large hurdle for first-time marine buyers. If you aren’t lucky enough to own property near a major body of water, what’s the point? As a retailer, you have to dispel the notion that marine ownership is only for coastal residents.
Consider this – the inland United States alone contains over 10,000 miles of navigable water stretching from the far west to the heartland. Arizona’s myriad desert waterways, Missouri’s Ozark lakes, and Tennessee’s Chickamauga Lake are all quintessential boating destinations that don’t involve a drop of saltwater.
And that’s not even counting the Great Lakes, which touch eight states that are far more affordable than certain seaside locales.
Boating and water sports invite countless freedoms and possibilities, so make sure your marketing reflects that these opportunities are more accessible than most people might assume.
Natural Exploration
The average age of first-time watercraft buyers is the youngest it’s been in a decade, with sales rocketing during the pandemic. But the same marketing strategy that earned you a loyal consumer base of baby boomers won’t get you as far with millennials.
The new generation of buyers prioritize cultivating life experiences as much if not more than amassing material goods. Pivot some of your content to highlight the outdoor experience younger customers crave.
A maritime vehicle means a front-row seat to the beauty of nature and the joy of the great outdoors. One trip to the Great Lakes can expose visitors to well over 3,000 different species of plants and animals, including nearly 200 distinct varieties of fish.
Just as national parks have enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, you can position your aquatic vehicles as a gateway to a seemingly endless expanse of our country’s vibrant, teeming ecosystems.
Empowering both the Chill and the Thrill
What is your default mental image when you think of a watercraft buyer? Is it a content, older gentleman casting a fishing rod or a devil-may-care youth cutting through waves on a surfboard. Perhaps the more important question is, why can’t it be both?
A quick perusal of a list of water sports reveals every maritime activity from simple fly fishing to extreme jet skiing, and your business can offer avenues to almost all of them.
Don’t just anchor your sales pitch to the vehicle itself: illuminate the diverse activities made instantly accessible by marine ownership. As your demographics skew younger, you can draw on new hobbies and secondary interests that motivate customers to pull the trigger on a watercraft.
Whether your audience is on the lookout for a relaxing day on the water or an adrenaline rush, reel them in with the different experiences marine ownership enables.
Looking to the Horizon
You might think your sales performance is dependent on a very small, wealthy segment, but you’ll never attract a wider audience if you don’t cater to their needs and desires. Recent years have reshaped the average marine consumer, and it’s time you reshape your marketing as well.
A marine vehicle is so much more than a vessel – if that’s all it was, there wouldn’t be such an instantly recognizable lifestyle centered around boating. Once you center your content around the unique experiences marine ownership offers and how those experiences don’t have to be oceans away, you’ll see customers you’d never considered before showing up in waves.
