Word of mouth advertising goes a long way towards boosting your reputation in the yachting community and sending business your way. If you want a continuous flow of customers, though, you need to reach out to potential clients on as many marketing channels as you can. This includes using social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest to highlight your business and get customers saying “Ahoy there!”

Twitter Marketing Tips

At first glance, Twitter may not seem like a bucket of lobsters, but use it correctly and it can generate a steady stream of sales leads.

1. Find an angle: Most people use Twitter to connect with friends and family, keep up with what’s going on with their favorite celebrities, or get the latest information about their hobbies. Where do you fit in? Are you offering tips on maintaining a yacht, posting sailing information, or helping followers find a good deal on yachts? Find an angle that appeal to your customers.
2. Update regularly: You don’t have to tweet obsessively, but you should update on a regular basis. Even just a few tweets per day will keep you in your potential customers’ mind.
3. Form partnerships: Connect with other people in the industry and cross promote each other. For example, yacht brokers can develop relationships with yacht captains and vice versa.

Facebook Marketing Tips

Despite some recent financial troubles and the rise of new challengers, Facebook still dominates the Internet. Take full advantage of the site’s new timeline to create an interactive place for current and future yacht clients to hang out.

1. Use images: Use a great cover photo on your timeline that represents your brand, and use images to draw attention to your tabs.
2. Pin important content: You now have the ability to pin posts at the top of your Facebook page. Use it to post important or useful information such as the latest yacht deals or weather advisories.
3. Encourage participation: Encourage visitors to participate in the conversation by keeping comments open, posting open-ended questions, linking to interesting content, and calling for use-generated content (e.g. themed boating videos and pictures). This is an excellent way to get to know your Facebook fans and foster a sense of community.

Pinterest Marketing Tips

Launched in March 2010, Pinterest is the new kid on the block and has quickly dominated the schoolyard. Looking for female customers? Then Pinterest is the place to be. At last count, approximately 80% of Pinterest’s users were women.

1. Images, images, everywhere: Pinterest is an image pin board. Be certain to post images in your blog articles so you can post links to them to your pin boards.
2. Focus on lifestyle: Focus on lifestyle boards rather than products. For example, create boards dedicated to sailing around the Caribbean that include beautiful pictures of the sunset on the water.
3. Categorize: Place your boards in the appropriate category and use keywords in your description to tap into the search traffic.

Like the Internet, social media is here to stay. Judicious use of these marketing channels can go a long way towards helping you build your customer base.