Recently, I did some research on the level of impact that the internet has on sales in the boating industry. What I found was both remarkable and disturbing. It appears that 
the consumers are far more knowledgeable at using the internet as a means of determining the best product and place to buy than the marketers are at using the internet to sell that product. In 2014, 23% more consumers used the internet to select and buy a product than those marketing the product. For the boating industry, the consumer was 40% more active on the internet than the marine industry companies selling to them. This, leaving those marine industry firms which are active on the internet to have a significant competitive edge and share of the marine market.
For years the marine industry has lagged behind in the area of marketing and with the recent explosion of digital marketing supported by the internet it looks like the boating industry is moving further behind. I believe this is compounded with the areas of the marine industry like the recreational boat dealers placing the priority on inventory management system options that are attached to poorly designed websites. This, causing dealers to fail to respond to the boat buyer’s trend of using the internet to gather information prior to buying. Instead, these cluttered sites are absent of useful information and filled with “screaming” text and images. Overall, missing the whole purpose of a website as a means of marketing. Instead, using the website as a platform for inventory management and means of transferring boat pictures to publications so they can be the lead generator. Many dealers simply depend on publications like “Boat Trader” for lead generation rather than the more effective use of content marketing and social media marketing. They seem to be believe that their sales results from these publications represent maximum success. While they may share in the success its certainly does not represent the potential. When I mention social media marketing, I’m talking about a process far more sophisticated than randomly posting an occasionally new or used boat special.
Until the boating industry opens their minds to the forms of marketing that are driving sales figures through the roof in other segments of the economy, they will continue to lag. To be successful the boating industry will have to shift from it current dependency on boat sale magazines bad websites that require little of their time and effort. Instead, they need to get in the marketing ball game. Reach out for the knowledge of how today’s consumer responds and make it happen. The playing field has changed and they’re still outside the stadium.
I’m pleased to say that there is a small, but growing number of marine industry firms grasping this recent and effective marketing trend. As usual, they also seem to the leaders in other areas of the marine industry as well such as overall business management. Go figure?
