When is the Right Time to Ask for Help?

This is Part 1 of our Ultimate Guide to Getting Help with Your SCUBA Marketing.

Help Wanted Sign

As SCUBA diving professionals, we regularly tell people never to dive without adequate training. There are inherent risks, there are pieces of knowledge that can’t just be picked up by trying it and it’s generally a bad idea.

So why are many of us so reluctant to ask for help?

Marketing your SCUBA business has inherent risks, there are pieces of knowledge you can’t just pick up by trying and it can be very expensive if done poorly.

The more open you are to asking for help, the more quickly and painlessly you can reach your goals.

Before I became a SCUBA instructor, I had to ask what student to instructor ratios for Junior Open Water are.

Before I landed a career in marketing, I had to ask my professors about international negotiation techniques.

Before I learned how to setup WordPress Multisite and develop WordPress themes and plugins, I had to attend local WordCamps.

Had I never asked the pertinent questions, I would not have gained the knowledge that allows me to run wildly successful online marketing campaigns as well as train others to do the same.

Why People Don’t Ask for Help

Some people resist asking for help out of pride. Others don’t ask because they’re stubborn.

I think many people in the SCUBA industry simply don’t realize they need help.

It’s too easy to blame slow business on the economy or the overall shrinking of our industry.

Yet there are dive centers in less than ideal markets who are succeeding, even expanding.

If you honestly think you can do everything, you’re crazy. Run your dive shop. Teach your open water students. Keep your shelves filled with inventory and your tanks filled and your compressor running. I can’t maintain a compressor, so I’ll come to you for that.

Do what you’re good at and get help for the other things.

How to Know You Need Help

Here are some basic questions to ask yourself in order to identify if you need help with any aspect of your SCUBA marketing:

  • Does my website look like it was designed in the 90s?
  • Am I using the default Blogger theme for my business website?
  • Have I not updated my website in the last 3 months?
  • Do I not rank in the top 10 in Google searches for “SCUBA + my city”?
  • Does my business email end in @yahoo.com, @hotmail.com or @aol.com? (or really anything other than my website URL?)
  • Am I not on Twitter, at least a little bit?
  • Do I not have a Facebook Page, not just a Profile?
  • Is my email newsletter still not setup?
  • Is my location still unclaimed on Foursquare, Yelp and Google Places? (yes, there are others, but those are the big three)
  • Do I not get an email every time my business name or “SCUBA + my city” shows up on the internet?

If you answered YES to any of the above, you need help.

You can do all of these things on your own. Just like anyone can buy SCUBA gear from Craigslist and go diving.

Some of these things are super simple. Just like removing and replacing a mask, yet people still choke their first time.

After this series, our team will continue to tell you how to do these things and more, but for some things it’s worth your time to ask for help.

Next time we’ll be helping you to identify what areas of your SCUBA marketing are actually worth the time and potential expense to get help with.

Have you asked for help for your SCUBA business?

Similar Posts

  • What's Your Marketing Budget?

    If you’re considering outsourcing web design, search engine optimization, content creation, email marketing, or social media marketing, packages and pricing can be overwhelming. We create custom packages that fit into your marketing budget, but you need to understand what your budget is first.

  • Is Underwater Digital Photography a Gateway Drug?

    This is an article as part of our DEMA Expo 2009 round-up. At DEMA, underwater photography was one of the most popular topics. There were more camera-related booths than any other group. Plus, the SCUBA photography seminars were some of the most interactive I attended. Is Underwater Photography SCUBA’s Savior? Some people I spoke with would…

  • Market your SCUBA classes like an iPhone 4

    Despite the obvious differences in businesses, it is valuable to look at leaders from other industries to gain some additional marketing insights. Apple is one of many companies that has built an almost fanatical customer base that your SCUBA business should be more than happy to emulate.

  • What's Social Media Worth to You?

    It seems like it must be a New Year’s resolution for people in the SCUBA diving industry to finally get in the game with social media, especially Facebook and Twitter.

    I’ve had quite a few people inquire as to hiring me to manage social media for their dive center and the honest truth right now is I’m a little too busy to take anything like that on.

  • Yeah, This Internet Thing is Big

    I still get into chats with people who don’t think all this Internet technology stuff will “catch on”. This is a great video from The Economist that goes over some incredible stats regarding Internet usage that every business owner should really pay attention to. The idea that mobile Internet usage will be the majority method…

  • Testing Facebook Comments

    We’re trying something new here at SCUBA Marketing: Facebook Comments. I’ll cover the pro’s and con’s of this exciting new tool for your SCUBA blog.