Building Business Requires a Digital Strategy

Marina marketing is an art form, and mastering it requires strategy and savvy. For some companies, it is a constantly evolving process that involves everything from building strong electronic newsletters to amping up social media posts.

Just ask Sam Claitor, who leads Hammer and Nail Marketing – a 2017-founded “boutique marina marketing agency” that is staffed with web developers, copywriters and video producers who are implementing innovative techniques to promote marinas. From offering immersive 3-D virtual facility tours to launching targeted digital campaigns, Hammer and Nail is ahead of the marina marketing curve.

“Our vision is to bring marine knowledge, high-quality video production and mastery of digital strategies to the small-to-mid-sized marinas that have all the right pieces but need help amplifying them,” Claitor said. “When it comes to small marinas, it’s important to be a visible, engaged piece of your community and the marine industry network. A lot of the opportunities that help a small marina grow exist in personal relationships. Host a tournament, sponsor a little league team or sponsor a local nonprofit that you appreciate.”

Claitor suggested attending the Docks Expo and Marina Conference and the Association of Marina Industries Conference and being curious about what other managers are proficiently undertaking in the marketing sphere. Connect with local chambers of commerce, tourism boards and lake publications that bring dollars to the community.

The Power of a Newsletter
Digitally, publish a consistent newsletter through a budget- and user-friendly service like Mailchimp. Take advantage of building all the free marina-specific profiles that boaters engage with, such as Marinas.com, ActiveCaptain,

Marinalife and Snag-A-Slip. Most importantly, create an up-to-date, user-friendly website that gives boaters a clear view of the company’s amenities and allows them to conveniently book reservations.

“Your website is the funnel to real-world traffic and represents the face and personality of your business. As a team that provides an email marketing (newsletter) service for marinas, we develop a content outline for the entire year ahead,” Claitor said. “The goal is not to be wooden or salesy; we want to connect with the boaters who choose this marina and show them that the marina is passionate about what they do.”

Hammer and Nail Marketing typically sends out newsletters monthly or bi-monthly, depending on the client’s needs. Email lists can be grown by putting QR codes in the marina’s restaurants or ship stores or by adding “calls to action” on the marina’s slip reservation leases for people to consider subscribing.

When it comes to social media, Claitor said, “We utilize our own social media as a playground for content that interests marina managers, owners and dockhands – anyone who works on a shoreline.”

Marina managers who struggle to gain traction on their own can reach out to the larger social media entities in their communities. “Maybe the tourism board is hosting a ‘fireworks on the water’ event; they may be very open to a collaboration with the local marina that would bring spectators to the marina’s waterfront,” Claitor said. “Engagement is key for social media. When creating posts, you can maximize this by collaborating with other businesses, local micro-influencers and your marina’s regulars. It’s called ‘social’ media for a reason, so try and keep it interactive.”

Budgeting for Content
For David Tonne, the owner of Mariner’s Landing Marina on the Ohio River, just west of Cincinnati, Ohio, marketing on a budget is key. The family-owned marina stores 125 boats on trailers over the summer and offers a valet launching service. Tonne said the marina has operated a boat and trailer service department for years, as well as brokering boats and buying boats at auction for resale. “I’ve advertised on Facebook and spent money on Google Ads,” he said. “I’ve also advertised used boats on Craigslist and used tools within Facebook and Google Ads to limit the reach to the local area. With our size and the amount of money I can spend, it’s hard to figure out how to reach my target.”

Macy Jones, the marketing manager for Ocean Havens, which owns and operates several marinas in the Boston and New England area, understands this dilemma for smaller marinas like Mariner’s Landing. “I would encourage small marinas to start small,” Jones said. “Growing your platform takes time and consistency, so do not be discouraged if your social media posts do not go viral.” It often doesn’t take a ton of time or money to make a splash on social media, Jones said.

“Many of us have smartphones with great cameras built in, so next time you’re walking the docks, stop and take some photos. Social media is a great way to highlight the amenities and offerings at your marina,” Jones said. “Using hashtags, location check-ins and alt text is a great way to reach new audiences. Consistently posting photos and videos will grow your account over time, even when you are not spending money.”

Jones uses social media platforms to announce promotions, events happening at the marina, snippets of blog posts and photos from around the marina that highlight aspects of the facility.

“Most of our posts are just organic, but occasionally we will boost posts or create an ad if there is a certain sale we wish to promote more heavily to really drive reservations. We pay to advertise in several industry and local publications, as well as on social media,” Jones said. “Coming up with new ideas for social posts, blog articles and events is challenging. Keeping an eye on what is trending in the media in general helps; last summer, for example, we hopped on the ‘Barbie’ bandwagon with some fun social posts.”

The company collects email addresses on its website; each page has an opt-in link at the bottom for people who want to stay informed. Jones sends a newsletter bi-weekly on Mondays to more than 11,000 subscribers – a resource that includes news and discounts from the marinas, blog posts related to boating and the area and a “photo spotlight” where subscribers can send in their own photos to be featured.

“It’s important that I create value within the newsletter. I find that people grow tired of emails that are strictly advertisements over and over again,” Jones said. “In addition to encouraging boaters to stay with us, they’ll also learn about the best waterfront restaurants, where to see the best foliage in the fall and what concerts are coming to town. Boaters say to me all the time, ‘I love that you compile all the events going on,’ and they look forward to the newsletter every time it hits their inbox. It’s a great way of creating something people are eager to open and read.”