The Definitive Online SCUBA Marketing Workflow

You are a PADI, SSI, SDI/TDI or NAUI independent instructor, work for a SCUBA certification agency or own your own SCUBA store, the basic work flow for marketing on todays internet will always start the same.*

Step 1: Listen

Like your SCUBA students listen to you during class, you need to listen to your market. We want to know:

• What are they saying about you specifically?
• What are they saying about SCUBA diving?
• What are they saying about what they want to do with their free time?

Not only do we want to know what our market is saying about SCUBA, we want to know EVERYTHING we can about SCUBA. People like working with experts, so be one.

Using tools like Google Alerts, Twitter saved searches, RSS and Backtype connect, we can watch this chatter quickly, easily and effectively.

Step 2: Share

You are THE SOURCE of information, but you also need to share it.

Your web site is your home base, you own it and control it. A blog is a perfect way to pass information.

CONNECT with people using other tools like Twitter and Facebook. Know what social networks are most popular in your country and DOMINATE on them.

DO NOT simply exist and spam your message repeatedly, but connect with people. (I’m going to rant about the incessant spam on Twitter in this industry very soon). If you connect, people will want to buy from you and take your SCUBA classes.

Step 3: Analyze

Use Google Analytics, Clicky, CrazyEgg, WordPress Stats or whatever combination of statistical analysis software you like to see what is working for you and what isn’t. Look at your email newsletter campaign reports.

The idea is to figure out as best you can what your consumers want from you, then give it.

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

I know there are countless tools for each step of this process and I’ll be sharing the ones I recommend, but that is a basic workflow for marketing your SCUBA business online.

Do you have an online marketing workflow established for your SCUBA business or are you just swinging blindly?

*By “always” I mean right at this moment because the internet is constantly evolving. I’ve tried to keep the premise as generic as possible so it will apply into the future, but I’m no Nostradamus.

Photo via MarcelGermain