As every seasoned Charter Fishing Captain will tell you, that phone needs to be ringing to book trips and make money. The challenge facing all of us in this business is how to make it easy for clients to find you and how to do it for little to no marketing cost.
I have experienced great success and found great value in posting videos to social media outlets. You can too.
We Live in a Video Age
Nobody “watches shows” anymore. Everyone “consumes content.” The viewing habits of people the world over have shifted to streaming outlets and viewers seek targeted content and content that is 15 minutes or less. This is a paradigm shift from which you and your charter business can benefit.
You can now post a short video to outlets such as Youtube, Facebook, Instagram and many others. With the advent of mobile devices touting highly-capable cameras, it has never been easier – and cheaper – to place video content in front of potential clients.
You can either capture a trophy catch on your phone and post to an outlet after you get back to the dock or you can “Go Live” via such features as Facebook Live or Instagram’s “Live’ option. What makes going live so powerful is that, as you build your base of “followers,” they will receive notifications that you’ve gone live and will quickly log in to watch your video stream – and it’s FREE.
When it comes to Youtube, posting quality videos to Youtube promotes your business and gets you noticed by potential clients around the world. (Don’t forget to link your website to your Youtube content.) As time goes on, you will find an increasing number of subscribers to your channel, so long as you post quality content that viewers find interesting. The more your content is viewed and the more comments that your content attracts, the positive impact to your search engine results will be immense.
Another benefit to attracting viewers and subscribers is the opportunity to seek advertising revenue, which can only help your charter business’ bottom line. It’s literally “found money.”
Start Simply and Work Your Way Up
As I stated earlier, the only equipment you need to get content in front of viewers is a device that you use each and every day: A mobile phone with a current camera. Simply download and install mobile apps from the outlet of your choosing, such as Instagram or Youtube. This level of integration makes it very easy to post content, whether still photos or video content.
As you get comfortable uploading content and want to take your content to the next level, you can invest in high-quality cameras, lighting and audio equipment. This can prove costly and some equipment may not “enjoy” being exposed to the elements on a frequent basis. The best way to learn how to take your content to the next level is to DO IT. Of course, the next level that some charter guides have embraced is the use of drones. We’ll discuss the use of drones in an upcoming blog post.
Be Consistent and Work At It
Sure, it’s very easy to publish content to your admiring followers and subscribers. However, you need to be sure to provide a steady stream of regular content. Whether it is simply a still photo every day – even if it’s not a shot of a catch – or a video every other day, your viewership will grow with a consistent flow of content. This will result in more bookings – at little to no cost.
When you combine video content with a comprehensive Search Engine Management marketing strategy, your calendar will be overflowing with booked clients!
Let me know what you think by commenting on this blog post.
Tight Lines,
Captain Mike