Marketing is an Investment

Q: What is a Marketing Strategy?

A: 1)A plan of action designed to promote and sell a product or service. 2)A business’s overall plan designed to reach prospective consumers and turn them into customers.

In preparation: 1st step) This is a process. You can’t be expected to remember everything over time, so document everything as you go… names, dates, cost, descriptions, etc.  You’ll need this information at a later date.

In preparation: 2nd step) Develop a system, a blueprint, and treat everyone the same. Use a systematic approach. When you find something that does or does not work for you and your particular situation, adapt your systematic blueprint.

In preparation: 3rd step) Think PROFESSIONAL! You are going to market yourself as an Expert, a Professional, that’s why you are going into business in the first place. The level of trust in a potential customers mind is very important.

Now let’s get started with your 1st years Ultimate 2022 Fishing Charters & Guide Services Marketing Strategy – ver1.05

A more detailed version of this fishing charters marketing plan is available here.

TOC ◆ Here’s the Game Plan ◆

  1. Research the Market
  2. Research your Competition
  3. Create a (TRUSTED) Professional and Legal Business
  4. Build your Customer’s Persona
  5. Prepare your Unique Selling Proposition(USP).
  6. Prepare your Marketing Copy
  7. Develop your Customer Lifecycle Plan
  8. Prepare your Print Media
  9. Prepare Promotional Merch
  10. Develop a Professional Attitude in the name of your company
  11. Brand yourself as an Expert
  12. Brand your Business Locally / Regionally
  13. Create Partnerships with Top Local Captains
  14. Create a Website – this will be your root sales funnel
  15. Setup Website Analytics (Tracking)
  16. Setup an account on Google My Business
  17. Create Google Local Business Maps Citations
  18. Develop Customer Driven Marketing Campaign
  19. Setup a SEM Marketing Campaign
  20. Setup a SEO Marketing Campaign
  21. Setup a Social Media Marketing Campaign
  22. Setup a E-Mail Marketing Campaign
  23. Setup a Video Content Marketing Campaign
  24. Create a Podcast Marketing Campaign
  25. Begin a Public Relations Campaign
  26. Develop Promotional Giveaways Campaign
  27. Track and Document Everything Possible
  28. Success: You will now sell your over booked leads to other Captains

1) Research the Market

  • What are the current going rates
  • Total Number of Operational Businesses in the Market
  • Total Number of Supporting Services in the Market
  • Are these businesses thriving
  • Are these businesses advertising
  • Is their boat mobile or land(docked) based
  • Is the Market expanding or contracting
  • Are there any surrounding locations that will support additional business
  • Is there a large enough financially qualified customer base
  • Is the financially qualified customer base expanding or contracting

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2) Research your Competition

  • Online Footprint
  • Offline Footprint
  • Marketing Efforts
  • How embedded in with locals are they
  • Pricing Structure
  • Their unique position in the market
  • Years in business
  • Size of their customer base
  • Any unique local partnerships

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3) Create a (TRUSTED) Professional and Legal Business

  • Think Professional: A level of TRUST is perceived here
  • Create Structure: Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, LLC (recommended), Corporation
  • Get your Licensing
    • Captains Licensing
    • Business Licensing
  • Get the Necessary Equipment
    • Boat
    • (land based)Docking
    • (mobile)Vehicle to transport vessel
    • (mobile)Trailer
    • Supporting Equipment
    • Fishing Gear
  • Get applicable Insurance
    • Business Insurance
    • Boat Insurance
    • Vehicle Insurance

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4) Build your Customer’s Persona

  • Who is your ideal customer?
  • What are their pain points?
  • Where can you find them?
  • How do they like to be contacted?
  • What are their demographics?
  • What are their psychographics?

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5) Prepare your Unique Selling Proposition(USP).

  • Put yourself in your customer’s shoes
  • Know what motivates your customers behavior
  • What are the real reasons customers buy your service instead of your competitor’s

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6) Prepare your Marketing Copy

  • Your company message
  • Your voice

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7) Develop your Customer Lifecycle Plan

  • Attract
  • Re-target
  • Convert
  • Fulfill
  • Delight
  • Provide Ethical Parting Gift
  • Touch Point Thank You
  • Drip Marketing

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8) Prepare your Print Media

  • Branding
    • Logo
    • Boat Graphics
    • Boat Wrap
    • Truck Wraps
    • Car Wraps
  • Business Cards
  • Brochures
  • Rack Cards
  • Thank You for your Business Post Cards
  • Signage
  • T-Shirts
  • Stickers
  • Decals

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9) Prepare Promotional Merch

  • Magnets
  • Bumper Stickers
  • Koozies
  • Shopping Bags
  • Hats
  • Keychains
  • Pens
  • Water Bottles
  • Cups
  • Sun Glasses
  • USB Sticks

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10) Develop a Professional Attitude in the name of your company

  • Professional
  • Knowledgeable
  • Sharp
  • Enthusiastic
  • Helpful
  • Caring

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11) Brand yourself as an Expert

  • Builds Authority
  • Builds Trust
  • Communicates Success
  • Establish Credibility

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12) Brand your Business Locally / Regionally

  • Create Partnerships with Local Businesses that support your customers
  • Entice Word of Mouth
  • Visually Communicate with Print Media
  • Setup traction ads in brick & mortar media outlets

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13) Create Partnerships with Top Local Captains

  • You will refer your over bookings to these Captains.
  • Your customers will be fishing with these Captains so make sure they at least have the same customer service goals as you do.

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14) Create a Website – this will be your root sales funnel

  • Create a professional mobile ready website
  • Publish Fishing Reports & Forecast
  • Publish Fishing Articles
  • Publish a Blog
  • Advertise on local related websites
  • SEO the web pages
  • Setup Schema site wide

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15) Setup Website Analytics (Tracking)

  • Setup a Google Analytics Account
  • Setup Google Console
  • Setup any Google Event Tracking
  • Setup any Google Goals
  • Setup any Google UTM Tracking Codes

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16) Setup an account on Google My Business

  • Fill out your profile
  • Add your best photos, videos, media, etc

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17) Create Google Local Business Maps Citations

  • Develop Structured Listings
  • Develop Unstructured Listings
  • Claim any Unclaimed Business Listings

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18) Develop Customer Driven Marketing Campaign

  • Ask for Referrals at strategic points
  • Entice Social Sharing

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19) Setup a SEM Marketing Campaign

  • Google Ads
  • Content Network Ads
  • Track & Re-Target
  • Paid Advertising
  • Landing Pages
  • Bing Ads

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20) Setup a SEO Marketing Campaign

  • On-Page SEO
  • Off-Page SEO
  • Article Content Marketing
  • Backlink outreach program
  • Monitor Keyword Ranking Positions

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21) Setup a Social Media Marketing Campaign

  • Social Posting
  • Re-Targeting Ads
  • Facebook Ads
  • Instagram Ads
  • YouTube Ads

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22) Setup a E-Mail Marketing Campaign

  • Very Important Step, we’ll use this in the near future

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23) Setup a Video Content Marketing Campaign

  • YouTube Channel
  • Live Streaming – Facebook & YouTube

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24) Create a Podcast Marketing Campaign

  • We’ll use this in the near future

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25) Begin a Public Relations Campaign

  • Befriend local reporters and local bloggers
  • You’ll need them them later when we extend your marketing efforts

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26) Develop Promotional Giveaways Campaign

  • I recommend: Giveaway One 1/2 Day Charter to a less fortunate person or hero
  • Giveaway Swag: T-Shirts, Hats, Stickers

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27) Track and Document Everything Possible

  • Measure your ROI (Return on your investment)
  • Find something that doesn’t work, don’t do that.
  • Find something that works, do more of that!

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28) Success: You will now sell your over booked leads to other Captains

  • Eventually you will be overbooked, that’s a good thing
  • Your marketing efforts produced the leads, don’t undervalue these
  • In the customer eyes you’re referring these Captains so make sure they are top notch

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