The charter market has become increasingly competitive in recent years. New charter vessels need a robust marketing strategy to stand out from the crowd and capture the attention of charterers.
With new online yachting marketplaces and increased interest, demand has spiked for yacht charters. According to the IMARC Group, the yacht charter market reached US$7.18 billion in 2021. The group expects the market to reach US$12.12 billion by 2027, a growth rate of 8.50% from 2022-2027. The market’s sheer size can make it increasingly challenging to stand out.
Traditional yacht marketing techniques are currently being challenged; with so many yachts vying for attention, you must have a solid strategy and adopt new marketing techniques to set you apart from the crowd.
Relevance Yacht specialises in working with the world’s leading yacht brokerages, helping to market new charter yachts. Our tailored approach is designed to boost marketing efforts and attract Ultra-High-Net-Worth customers with carefully curated, tried and tested strategies.
Here is a basic yacht marketing 101 blueprint to consider when listing and marketing a new charter yacht.
New yacht charter marketing 101
1 – Identify your audience
To stand out in the charter market, you must know your target clients. Defining the yacht’s niche and unique selling points helps you hone in on your audience.
Review the yacht’s features, amenities, and specifications to determine which types of clients it will appeal to most. For example, a boat with spa and wellness amenities may appeal to clients seeking relaxation on holiday. In contrast, a superyacht with a huge garage full of toys may appeal to a fun-filled family holiday or a group of friends ready for adventure.
Yacht charter marketing relies heavily on competitor research in their niche to see how competitors position themselves in the yachting world. Once you have identified your potential clients, following trends and preferences to have as much data about them as possible is important.
The market constantly adapts, and yachts should be aware of and focus on the changes. Currently, a younger, more environmentally conscious generation is entering the industry, and leading brokerages are now expanding into emerging markets, such as Southeast Asia, and other noteworthy markets, including Japan and Canada. Tapping into these new markets and audiences will help ensure a charter yacht is marketed to the largest, most qualified audience possible.
2 – Provide unique experiences
Second on our yacht marketing 101 guide is providing unique experiences. In such a crowded industry, new charter yachts must offer something original. One way to do this is by providing unique and personalised experiences.
Think beyond the standard watersports and fine-dining offerings, and consider more bespoke and personalised itineraries, special events or even sustainable charters. A stand-out strategy and communicating this key message across all mediums will help attract new clients.
Northrop and Johnson have partnered with EMBARK beyond – a luxury travel advisory company that specialises in curating extraordinary experiences for charter clients. These types of initiatives enabling one-of-a-kind experiences help new charter yachts to stay ahead of the competition.
A unique offering will attract new clients fed up with the norm and encourage repeat business and positive word-of-mouth marketing.
3 – Leverage social influence
Building and maintaining a social presence as a new charter yacht is essential in a rapidly changing marketing and digital world. First, you must create a buzz and excitement about the boat before launching it into the market.
Once in the market, you should put out cohesive messages across all platforms about the yacht, its offerings and its story. Storytelling is a powerful marketing tool and is essential in any strategy. It can stir up emotions in your target audience, which gives them a better sense of engagement and understanding of your values. Storytelling, when marketing a yacht, can shine a light on the experience the client can have from chartering.
You should also collaborate and network with the correct influencers via social channels to showcase the lifestyle you want to portray. Building these relationships with industry influencers will help you reach a wider audience and establish the yacht’s credibility.
An effective social media strategy and leveraging the correct influencers will help heighten the yacht’s visibility and position it in front of the right target clients within the yacht market.
4 – Create engaging and high-quality content
Putting out the right messages about the unique lifestyle you are selling onboard your new yacht charters is vital.
Engaging content can be created through several content channels, such as the yacht brokerage’s website and social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. The content should be captivating and inspiring to draw new clients in. Consistency is also important; fresh content should be released regularly through news articles and newsletters.
This content should be high-quality to provide value to potential clients and position your yacht brand as a thought leader.
To ensure increased quality in search results, Google has rolled out its Helpful Content Update. The search platform’s algorithms will downgrade pages that are deemed unhelpful, meaning it is even more essential to produce high-quality content.
At the end of last year, Google also recently upgraded its EAT concept for rankings with an additional ‘E’ for Experience. The new ‘EEAT’ acronym stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Demonstrating that first-hand experience is increasingly important for search rankings, Google wants to see more content produced by someone with real experience on the topic.
This first-hand, legitimate experience can be the difference in potential charter clients choosing to charter your yacht after reading the first-hand experiences.
Finally, Search Engine Optimisation through publishing high-quality content can help the yacht’s brand visibility appear higher in search engine results and drive more organic traffic to the yacht’s website and social channels.
5 – Use eye-catching visuals
Beautiful visuals are vital as this will be the first time anyone will see the new charter vessel and are an essential 101 yacht marketing strategy. In order to capture the attention of new clients, the yacht must appeal to the eye. Good visuals will help showcase the yacht’s features and amenities in the most positive and appealing light.
You must use high-quality imagery and videography throughout your marketing strategy and sales mediums. Ensure you have a compelling media kit and digital PR brochures to send out to news and brokerage websites to increase your chance of increasing the yacht’s exposure.
You should also utilise newer technology, such as drone footage and virtual tours of the boat. This will set you apart from the many current yachts on the market that are still using the more antiquated still-imagery methods.
Through the use of engaging reels and videos, Silver Star Yachting produces eye-catching visuals of their current charter yachts. They also showcase destinations within their visual content, enabling clients to picture themselves at a charter destination.
6 – Build a reputation
Once a new charter yacht has clients, it is essential to draw from these clients for future marketing efforts. Be sure to have a post-charter process that gathers client information about their charter experience.
Yachts can increase trust and credibility in their offerings by utilising this user-generated content as a helpful tool through customer reviews, testimonials, and social media posts. This type of content is authentic and relatable to clients, with existing clients promoting the yacht with tangible experiences.
A good reputation is significant in the yachting industry, so it is important to highlight positive client feedback to potential clients.
7 – Analyse and monitor
Our final 101 yacht marketing tip is to analyse and monitor. When you have a marketing strategy for a new charter yacht, monitoring its effectiveness and adjusting as necessary is important.
Tracking metrics such as client feedback and testimonials are vital for enhancing your offerings for the future. Through analysing this feedback, you can use it to identify areas for improvement.
As well as the yacht’s clients, it is essential to stay informed about the latest market trends and your competition. Keeping an eye on competitors can help you stay ahead of them. The yachting industry is rapidly developing, so it is essential to adjust your marketing strategy based on these changing times.
Relevance Yacht can help you curate a robust marketing plan and adjust the strategy when necessary.
As an award-winning, full-service luxury digital marketing agency, Relevance Yacht works with the world’s leading luxury yacht brands helping to manage and grow their presence through carefully crafted marketing campaigns designed to resonate with UHNW clients.
To learn more about our marketing services, contact Relevance Yacht.