Miami Boat Show: image from The Hull Truth

A week ago today marked opening day of the 68th Miami International Boat Show. It was my 5th Miami show and the first one as an independent public relations  professional. I had planned events and meetings on my schedule but I was also looking forward to the unplanned aspects of the show.

What would the exhibits on the dock look like? How would consumer traffic be at Sea Isle Marina? Would the Convention Center halls look like empty bowling alleys or be jam-packed with buyers? What influence would the economy have on conversations between buyers and sellers? Would the spirit of boating still be alive and well?

Attendance

Sea Isle Marina as far as the docks are concerned looked pretty much the same at first glance. It has a unique horseshoe-shaped center dock arrangement and had mostly full slips all around. Seeing the marina from the causeway, it certainly looked like a boat show. The outer end of the marina, however, normally has several hundred feet of additional docks added to it and this is where I saw the stark contrast from previous years. The extended dock space had been reduced and there were a good handful of boat manufacturers missing from the typically overwhelming trawler section of the show. Miami is without a doubt an expensive show to participate in so it makes sense that some companies might have cut the exhibiting expense from the budget.

Traffic all around was also lighter than in previous years. But what seemed to be missing were the stiletto heels, the gold chains, the hords of baby strollers, and the beer-toting vacationers. My interpretation of this is that serious buyers were still at the show. Attendance was reported down 26 percent from last year but when you see that there were still over 96,000 people checking out boats and gear, the potential for follow-up sales remains strong. The NMMA who runs the show believes attendance was from quality consumers and that those who purchased at the show were pre-financed. For individual dealers, only weeks and months of follow-up will indicate how serious their boat show leads are.

The Conversations

I love talking to people at boat shows because something about being on a dock, in 80-degree weather, surrounded by boats that fulfill people’s dreams creates a common bond. What I love more than talking, is listening. Builders, suppliers, salesmen, marketers, everyone I listened to was talking about the future. They were not dwelling on today’s economy. Today’s poor economy is a reality and everyone has to deal with it as best they can and what I heard was excitement for doing more. I found it encouraging that companies are working on their websites, sending out press releases, creating new display banners, focusing on new ways to promote their product, connecting with their customers, and defining their place in the market. This all sounds very vague, but the circumstances are different for each company in the industry, and I was hearing folks identify their focus. Every little thing counts.

I heard consumers asking questions, seeking education. Sure, there were a few lamenting over financial timing, needing to sell a house or a business before buying a boat, but even these consumers were there with a plan and to learn how to make their dreams happen. At the display of one of my clients, potential buyers were talking with current owners and asking questions about where they’d been, where they’re headed, wanting to know how they’ve used the boat. Potential buyers were putting themselves in the shoes of those out there doing it and learning how to follow in their footsteps. I listened to a couple ask a manufacturer endless questions about batteries, power supply, renewable technology, and hull construction and he was genuinely digesting every answer he received. The conversations I heard were not about the down economy, they were about boating.

I think the buzz that the Miami show created is all about timing. Being on the water is something that people who attend boat shows love whether it is in a kayak, a RIB, a Hobie Cat, performance sailboat, fishing boat, expedition yacht, or trawler. Their passion for being on the water does not crash with the stock market, though that might affect when they move on to the next boat. For most people, it’s not a matter of “if,” it’s a matter of “when.”

And it’s the industry’s job to be ready for them.

Post from: Chesapeake ProCon

Blogging is like any other aspect of social media in that it should be social, interactive, a two-way conversation, which means that you will have to do more than just write; you will also have to promote the blog and invite people to read it. By informing your customers through your ads, your existing website, conversations, marketing materials, and cross-link programs that you have a blog, you will be able to at least attract your existing clients and those you reach through marketing. If you properly optimize your blog, pay attention to writing with keywords, including links to useful resources in your posts, and blog regularly, search engines will find and index your blog which means people who don’t yet know about you can find you as they’re surfing the internet. Take it one step further and include a link to your blog posts on your Twitter account, in your responses to posts on message boards, and get your blog listed in blog catalogs so that you can reach an entirely new audience with your content. Blogging can help you reach your audience because you will be giving them something new to read every time they come to your site, you are inviting them to participate and communicate with you through the blog, and you will be building your brand through content that can be shared indefinitely by yourself and visitors to your site. Once you embrace the idea of blogging as a way of communicating and interacting and decide to integrate it into your marketing and public relations plan, you have to find something to write about.

Writing Ideas

Not everyone likes to write and I can certainly appreciate that the less you like to write the more challenging blogging becomes. If you are thinking about blogging the same way you think about writing copy for your ads, promotional lingo for your marketing collateral, or a press release, the first step is to change your thinking. Blogging is an opportunity to engage an audience by showing a personality, telling a story, giving insight and sharing information beyond what you can normally accomplish in other print or online content. You don’t need to be launching a new boat or introducing a new product just to write a blog. So what should you write about?

A recent post from Online Journalism Blog shared a great list of 12 ideas for blog posts. The author’s ideas easily translate to the marine industry and offer enough starting points for anyone to overcome writer’s block. His ideas are in bold and my interpretation of them follows:

1. Respond to something elsewhere on the web. Do a Google search for your company and find blogs or message boards mentioning your company, brand, or product. Simply copy and paste a significant line (good or bad), quote the source, and respond.
2. Suggest an idea. Your blog begins with something like “We’re thinking about adding a pilothouse design to our existing models. What would you suggest its main features include to fit a hypothetical cruising couple?” Invite editors and buyers to contribute feedback and you have a blog post! Tom Tripp had great success with this on his recent OceanLines series about outfitting a Kadey-Krogen helm station.
3. Interview someone. This could be the CEO of the company, your naval architect, a customer who uses your product, one of your dealers or distributors. Interviews are an opportunity to put a face to your company and a personality to the blog.
4. Blog an event. Boat shows, rendezvous, owners’ meetings, open houses…tons of blog opportunities in our industry.
5. Ask a question. Once you have developed traffic to your blog site, an individual blog could be as simply as asking people about their summer cruising plans. Ask them to send you their stories and photos for inclusion in the blog. Or, take a poll and publish the results as a new blog post.
6. Pick a fight. The suggestion here is to respond to someone else’s blog or an article with which you disagree; maybe it’s a recent editorial or something more broad like the state of the economy and what that means for the marine industry.
7. Reflect on something. Are you celebrating a major company anniversary or the sale of a certain number of units? Talk about why those are good things and what got you to that point. Or, make it personal and reflect on your own experiences that have helped you connect with boaters and the marine industry.
8. Do something visual. Share photos, videos, diagrams. Visuals appeal to the senses of your site visitors and can appeal to their emotions as well as help put your company in perspective. Show them how they can enjoy your product.
9. Review something. While it can be self-serving to review your own products, it can’t hurt to blog in detail about your newest offering. Or, share someone else’s review (with their permission, of course).
10. Make a list. Top 10 places people cruise in your boats. Most creative uses for your product. Top five success stories of your company. 101 reasons to come visit you at the next boat show.
11. Write a how-to. I strongly believe in educating consumers. Rather than tell them why your product is the best, explain to consumers how it works, what problem it solves, and how it relates to other systems on a boat. If you can write a how-to that doesn’t even include your product, even better in my mind because it shows the consumer that you know more about the bigger picture of boating than just your own product.
12. Let someone else post. Otherwise known as guest blogging. Invite one of your customers, a company you partner with, an editor, or even someone else within your own company contribute to your blog.

Or, you can do what I just did and blog about someone else’s blog. At the very least it gives you something to write about and by putting your own twist on it and applying it to your own company, you will give site visitors something new to think about.

Post from: Chesapeake ProCon

My browsing and shopping styles are certainly not the same as everyone’s and I respect the fact that those in sales have quotas and goals to reach which requires engaging a customer, educating them, and giving them a call to action. I also understand that different consumers will react to varying styles of sales pitches. For me, if that pitch does not begin with a smile, you have lost me.

There is no question that spending all day on your feet is exhausting and that talking to hundreds of strangers is draining, but when it comes to boat shows, it’s part of the deal. Each person that walks down the aisle or the dock is an opportunity and I think the offer of a simple smile can be a determining factor in whether or not someone stops to talk to you. If you do not look like you are interested in what you’re doing or in talking with anyone, chances are the consumer will pass you by. Sure, when it gets to be 5p.m. and traffic slows down it can be difficult to stay enthused about your product, but if you have the chance to greet someone with a smile, it certainly can’t hurt.

If you’re having a hard time mustering up a grin, here are some entertaining things to keep in the back of your mind whenever coming up with a smile seems to be a struggle (we are human, after all):

Flight of the Conchords on YouTube

Comedian Jim Gaffigan

Articles on The Onion

Talking Cats on YouTube

Boating Blooper Photos

What keeps you laughing?

Post from: Chesapeake ProCon

• Reciprocation: When you get a lead, what do you automatically send your potential buyer? Brochures, marketing materials, a DVD of how your product is made, maybe a hat or a t-shirt. At boat shows we put out candy and every tchotchke under the sun with our logos emblazoned on them in order to stand out later as consumers sift through their bags of collected items. On a larger scale, you might give a sea trial or a sample product to try out. The author suggests that simply giving something away is enough to make people want to give back, but I would like to take this one step further. Before you start ordering pens, branded water bottles, and blocking off days for sea trials, determine what it is you’d like in return. Giving someone something is certainly a way to help them remember you, but what do you hope to gain from it? An email address, a referral, a sale? I believe the reciprocation technique is only effective if you know what you hope to gain from it.

• Commitment and Consistency: The basic principle here is that if you can get someone to first agree to something small they will be committed to you which then makes it easier to get them to commit to something larger or more often down the road. This is the concept of customer loyalty. How did you attract your initial customers? What have you offered them or asked of them that has made them loyal to you? Do those same things to gain new leads. In the case of a boat purchase, there are not many options for an initial “small purchase” but you may get people to commit to you by having them agree to join you for a sea trial, a boat show, or a rendezvous. Their small investment in doing those things will keep them committed to your brand until they are ready to buy. Once you have owners, offering them service, warranty work, parts, and invitations to company events are regular sales to help create consistency in their purchasing practice with you.

• Social Proof: Rendezvous events are a fantastic example of social proof; they are an audience who already love your product and are the best sales people you could ask for. Inviting prospects to events that feature your product is an opportunity for them to learn from others, see themselves as part of the community, and develop a stronger appreciation for your product without you having to sell them. Advertising campaigns and websites that feature testimonials, photos, or videos of real clients using and enjoying your product are other ways to offer social proof. If you have a good product and you know your clients agree, ask them to share their experience—happy people tend to naturally spread their positive vibe.

• Liking: This is one of those common sense techniques that I think can easily get lost in the “day to day.” If people like you and can relate to you, they will be more inclined to buy from you, remain committed to you, and share their experience with their peers. There are any number of boat show techniques that we use to engage consumers, but it’s critical to remember the simple act of being personable, welcoming, interested in, and understanding of the person you are talking to.

• Authority: The author recommends demonstrating authority on your subject or product with citing awards or presentations to show your credentials. In the boating world this means offering reprints of articles written about you, displaying special ad laminates or awards won at events, and I think, simply knowing your product inside and out. I think having the CEO on board, at the booth, or personally communicating with clients every now and then is impressive and shows the executive’s interest in and commitment to their clients. But I think that having extremely well educated associates and sales staff is much more valuable. If everyone on your team can discuss the history of your company, construction of your product, various uses or applications, and provide resources for more information you will have an advantage over competitors who are less educated on their own product.

• Scarcity: Invoke the fear of losing or missing something by attaching a deadline or “last chance” to what you have to offer. I am optimistic about people and like to believe that they are goal-oriented; you can appeal to those people by making their acquisition of your product something they want to do by a certain date. People are also busy—they use calendars, Outlook, Blackberries to organize life’s “to do list”—become part of their schedule and something they have to do by creating your own date-driven offers. Whether you are offering a discount, a product, a reward, or even a newsletter, try attaching a deadline to it so your client has to act in order to receive.

As I mentioned, many of these triggers are common sense and simple, but require effort to be effective. All of them can relate back to customer service and providing clients and prospects a personal and enjoyable experience from the very first moment they come into contact with your product.

Post from: Chesapeake ProCon

There are very recognizable names like Grand Banks, Kadey-Krogen Yachts, Ocean Alexander, J/Boats, Melges, Hunter, that have remained steadfast through the ups and downs of the economy, the generational changes in the boating community, and the demands of new technology. However, I predict that as we come out of this slump and as we enter a new year, we will find ourselves being introduced to new companies who have been developing under the radar and I’m excited to find out who, and what, they are.

I also think that the folks who are holding steady and keeping their heads above water are using their time wisely. They are researching new marketing avenues, getting in touch with their existing client base, evaluating what has worked and what hasn’t worked for their products, forming strategic partnerships, and putting company development plans in place.

As 2009 unfolds and the U.S. boating market comes back to life, I believe more and more companies will:

• expand into European and other foreign markets;
• find more fuel efficient ways of operating boats and integrate them into yacht design;
• identify cost-saving construction techniques;
• define niche markets in which to promote and become part of those communities;
• create relationships with complimenting lifestyle products;
• invest in video marketing, social media marketing, and online opportunities.

In addition, there is also a new generation of businesspeople as well as a new generation of boaters who are not only going to expect change from the industry, but will help create and implement change. The NMMA began putting forth Grow Boating initiatives five years ago and though they certainly helped increase awareness and interest in boating, by default there is now an even larger population of young adults who are potential boaters—and this is a huge opportunity for boat and product manufacturers as well as related media and event companies.

I don’t expect change to happen overnight or to see inventoried boats suddenly start to sell off showroom floors, but I do think that the combination of new companies forming, existing companies refining their products, a new wave of boaters coming on the scene, and the variety of ways in which companies and consumers can connect creates a good recipe for a healthy uptick in the marine industry.

Thank you 2009, for arriving.

Post from: Chesapeake ProCon