Marketing strategies for the superyacht industry are constantly evolving, with new audiences and an acceleration in digital technologies changing the marketing landscape.
Superyacht brands must constantly adapt to remain relevant in an increasingly crowded industry.
Relevance Yacht has been helping influential players in the yachting industry increase their reach and boost sales with custom digital marketing strategies that are ahead of the curve. Here we share our top 10 marketing tips for superyacht brands.
Superyacht marketing tips
1 – Maintain a clear USP
Maintaining a clear, unique selling point can help ensure yachting brands remain successful. A USP should demonstrate what differentiates your brand from its competitors and why a potential client should choose your brand over others. Establishing and maintaining a USP requires a clear understanding of your target audience, your competition, and the industry. Brands must consistently analyse the market to ensure their USP remains relevant and competitive. A superyacht brand’s USP should tap into the fact that the desire of superyacht clients is emotional rather than a real need. Therefore, it is important to foster that emotional connection. Compelling storytelling and voicing the brand’s values across multiple touchpoints can convey a brand’s USP in a way that resonates with a brand’s target audience.
2. Content is king
Good content is the fuel that helps brands build trust and credibility with their target audience. Content should be informative and engaging, consistently reflecting the brand’s values and passions. There are various content mediums, such as interviews with key industry players, in-house publications, editorials, social media, press releases, newsletters and blog posts, which brands can use for content generation. Establishing a content calendar can help a brand stay on track and publish relevant, newsworthy, and timely content that taps into industry news and trends.
3. First impressions count
It may seem simple, but a premium website is needed to reflect a brand. Superyacht marketing has come on leaps and bounds, with brands stepping up their marketing strategies through improved websites. A yachting brand must use its website to sell the superyacht lifestyle and experience, as well as to help generate leads.
Relevance Yacht has helped numerous companies in the yachting industry with bespoke website design and development.
Recent website design and development projects include superyacht brokerage houses Kitson Yachts and Engel & Volkers Yachting.
Our work with Kitson Yachts included a complete rebrand, including a new visual identity and intelligent story. Bespoke website features included social media buttons, seamless integration with the Official Multiple Listing Service and Ultimate SaaS Platform of Yachting service YATCO, and a granular search tool.
Our work with Engel & Volkers involved a global approach, incorporating 15 multilingual templates reflecting the brokerage’s international presence in over 30 countries.
Additionally, a comprehensive SEO strategy and optimisation should be in place to increase website visibility. Specific SEO strategies such as multiple language optimisation and SEO-rich content can help increase visibility on search engines which in turn is likely to capture more business. Relevance Yacht offers cutting-edge SEO solutions as part of our full-service digital services.
4. Find the right platform
Whilst considering current marketing trends, brands must ensure they are on the right platforms for their target clients. From traditional to digital, in-house magazines to social media, there are various avenues brands can follow regarding how and where to market. The most important factors to consider before selecting the platforms are the campaign’s intent, relevance, and target audience.
5. Socially engage
Social media can be a minefield for luxury brands. A good social media strategy requires a clearly defined schedule and quality content that resonates with and engages the target audience. Marketers must research when and where to post for maximum reach and engagement. The active management of social platforms is essential for both new and established brands. By analysing posts to see how they perform, you can determine which content your audience engages with and wants to see and then tailor your strategy accordingly.
In today’s social media landscape, finding relevant influencers to work with is also essential, helping set aside your brand from others. For superyacht marketing, authenticity is necessary, and working with specific ‘genuinfluencers’ can enable this. Genuinfluencers typically have a genuine interest, passion and knowledge in their subject. For superyacht brands, it is important to work with these types of influencers as these thought-leaders add quality content to a brand’s community rather than pushing promotional-type content.
6. Collaboration over competition
Networking is invaluable within superyacht marketing; as a niche industry, word of mouth is crucial for brand awareness. Utilising these industry contacts and collaborations can be a powerful way to maximise your brand’s reach. Marketing initiatives with other brands aligned with your values and ethos and with a similar target audience can be beneficial. Fusing perspectives with like-minded brands can drive awareness and is a practical marketing tip for gaining brand exposure and building credibility.
7. Utilise new technology
Technology is transforming superyacht marketing, making campaigns more personalised and immersive. The generational shift within the industry means brands need to be on top of technological changes to appeal to Generation Z and Millennial target clients. Brands must remain ahead of recent marketing trends found within technology. The metaverse is one example of this, with Non-Fungible Tokens becoming increasingly popular with brands seeking to reach new, younger audiences. Whether NFTs are used to create a deeper connection between client and brand, enhance brand identity or help support causes such as ocean clean-up, they are becoming more prominent in superyacht marketing.
8. Achieve loyalty
Whilst it is crucial to bring in new leads through a premium website with effective SEO and active social media accounts, it is even more so to retain them. Once a new brand has acquired clients, for a successful marketing strategy, it must work to keep them. In superyacht marketing, this isn’t about traditional loyalty programmes but about enhancing exclusivity and fostering connection, for example, through methods such as exclusive, invitation-only brand events. Loyalty marketing is strategic in retaining a brand’s client base.
9. Understand the metrics
How can successful marketing be defined if brands do not know what they want from marketing campaigns? Brands must understand the metrics they need to measure and ensure they are an integral part of their strategy. Deciding how to measure brand success before starting marketing campaigns is vital, and these metrics can then lead as indicators toward the key marketing goals.
10. Show up
Attending a yacht show can be valuable to a yacht company’s marketing strategy. Networking with other key industry players at yacht shows is an opportunity to gauge new trends, meet potential clients, and showcase products and services.
Planning your presence to get the most out of the show is vital for successful marketing, such as encouraging the press and influencers to meet with you and share your brand’s story.
Marketing to the world’s wealthiest audiences is an ever-changing landscape, and yachting brands must constantly adapt to stay relevant and capture their attention.
Relevance Yacht works with key players in the yachting industry, delivering strategic digital marketing strategies that help reach new audiences and boost sales. To learn more about our custom marketing services, contact the team at Relevance Yacht.