Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/264625
March 2014 | Boating Industry | 25 [ Crafting a marketing plan ] www.BoatingIndustry.com CONTINUOUS LOOP DVD FOR VIDEO DISPLAYS CONTINUOUS LOOP DVD FOR VIDEO DISPLAYS travel and leisure category. Posts include photos, videos, cartoons, guides and more that promote the boating lifestyle. "We have a very ambitious social media cam- paign, and there we have the ability to use boaters and those who are interested in boating to be our evangelists," Blackwell said. He recommends dealers use Discover Boating's Facebook page not only for shar- able content, but also to tap into the already- gathered boating audience. If dealers are buying Facebook keywords as part of their marketing campaign, he suggests they consider adding "Discover Boating" to that list in order to reach local Discover Boating fans. In addition to the resources Discover Boating provides, it also leads customers to dealerships by driving consumers from DiscoverBoating.com to manufacturer sites, which in turn bring those visi- tors to their dealers. "We get them on our website, and so now we've gotten them aware, and what we strive to do on our website is to get them off our website and get them onto the manufacturers' [websites]," Blackwell explained. In 2013, 2.6 million people visited Discover Boating's websites. The organization draws audi- ences there through targeted marketing efforts of its own, promoting the brand through online video ads and at movie theaters, along with other adver- tising media. "We're able to go out there and target, pinpoint target, the type of consumers we want to reach," Blackwell said. In 2014, Discover Boating plans to shift its marketing to deliver more in-depth messages. For example, it plans to pay for more sponsored stories rather than traditional banner ads. And an effort is being made to collect boaters' personal stories via video to share with its audience. "We'll be able to tell our story through the mouths of consumers that have lived and expe- rienced it, so that's going to be, in my opinion, a heck of a lot more impact than me doing it or somebody that's paid doing it," Blackwell said. All of Discover Boating's efforts are made with a focus on increasing awareness and participation in the sport for the betterment of the entire industry. "People don't wake up one morning and buy a boat," Blackwell said of the need for an organization like Discover Boating. "They have to see the value, or they have to see the fun or the rewards of boating." P20x25-BI14MAR-MarketingPlan.indd 25 2/7/14 10:52 AM