How to Grow Your Business on ScubaBoard

[The Chairman]

Welcome to the Trade/Consumer Show that never ends...

I know that this is new to a lot of people, so I decided to share a few of my thoughts for how to be successful not only on ScubaBoard, but on any Social Networking Site. Feel free to ask questions or make your own insights: NO ONE has all the answers.

First and foremost: Become a part of the Tribe. Before you make your first offer, go and play on the site for a few weeks. Devote 20-60 minutes a day participating in the various forums and especially in the forums you want to have an impact in. Don't try to be the newest Know-It-All, and come across as the ONLY person with the right answers, but do answer questions with respect, courtesy and honesty. The most important aspect of this is to HAVE FUN. Users and lurkers are looking to have have fun and will gravitate to those who are having fun as well. We have a five post minimum before you can post a link... so don't try! Just have fun and get to know the Tribe as it gets to know YOU.

Second: Utilize your signature! In your User CP, you will find an Edit Signature link. Use it often or just click on the link I just provided you! Be clear with what you want to promote and don't clutter it! For most, you want your REAL name, a phone number and your e-mail addy. A pithy statement will do well to make people remember you.

Third: LIMIT YOUR SOLICITATIONS!!! No body likes a cyber spammer! The Tribe does not come to ScubaBoard to read a lot of unsolicited posts! They are a community: a Tribe! They expect you to do more than just push your agenda and products.

• Limit them to the proper place (Trips and MarketPlace or your private forum) or as an answer to a specific question. Limit their frequency.
• Limit their frequency. This means both time and number. I would suggest posting something every day and mentioning your place of business at most once for every ten posts.
• Limit their breadth. Be concise and don't offer the whole store in one post.
• Limit your competitiveness. If Joe's Dive Shack offers two masks for one, offer something OTHER than a mask!

Finally: HAVE SOME FUN! Yes it's been mentioned already, but it bears repeating. The Tribe is attracted to FUN. They love to read about people having fun (safe fun) and more importantly they want to get in on the action! Post a funny video from U-Tube, a funny thing that happened on a dive and BE SURE to post lots and lots of pics in our picture gallery. Show those happy, happy faces having a really good time in your place, and you can be sure that you will have others come in trying to repeat that.

 

[The Chairman]

This post was forwarded to me, and so I quote it in full. Click on the

to get to that discussion in situ.

Well, there's some free advertising to be had here but you have to play the game right.

1. Pimp your user profile. Make sure you have a business related avatar, profile picture, biography, homepage etc..
2. Put your web site in your signature. Make it easy for prospective guests to visit your site.
3. Sign up for an Instructor badge (if you are one). It will be displayed on your profile page, giving you more credibility.
4. Make sure you can be found in the BuddyMatrix (SB's Buddy Finder). It also serves as a shop/instructor finder.
5. Post your pictures in your SB Gallery.
6. Ask the dive professionals on your staff to sign up as well and request an Instructor/DM badge. Their profile/signature can also link to your web site ensuring a better visibility for your operation.
7. Ask the dive professionals on your staff to post site descriptions (including pictures) on SB. Again, more publicity for your operation and more promotion for your area.
8. Do not shove your company down a member's throat when replying to a post. Instead, give quality information. If you have pimped your profile, our members will know what you are and know that you are here to promote yourself. They won't mind as they will also see that your posts contain excellent information.
9. Ask your guests (past, present and future) to post their stories on SB. Not just the hallelujah stories but a good and thorough review of their dives with you.

The natives are serious about you being a part of the Tribe and not just representing your own business interests! As for this statement:

• Ask your guests (past, present and future) to post their stories on SB. Not just the hallelujah stories but a good and thorough review of their dives with you.

The ScubaBoard store is about to open. You will be able to purchase a 24"X10" sticker which will say:

Go ahead: Talk about us on...

The World's Largest Diving Community!​

You will also be able to buy tank stickers in bulk to give to your clients to help them to remember to post on ScubaBoard.

 

[Doug Krause]

Pete - you posted a question on linkedin a year or so ago - I thought that it would be relevant here:

I lurked on scubaboard and other similar sites for years prior to jumping in. I found it to be a great resource/barometer for consumer feedback on our own and competitive products.

The largest concerns that we had going in:
1. Liability. Saying the wrong thing in a public forum can be disastrous - even if you're not making life-support gear.
2. Who do you trust? I'm the official "voice" of the company on the forum - what I say, or don't say, is a direct, and very visible reflection on the company.
3. Time. Going in, this was one of my biggest concerns - who has the time to add yet another responsibility to their list? I make the time - and more importantly, I am realizing more and more the importance of having motivated users ready to help out.
4. Expectations. Once you jump in - should you decide that it was a mistake, or that you just don't have the time - or you lost your "trusted voice" - dropping it just isn't a good option.
5. What do you have to say? If you have issues or topics that you're not willing to discuss with your customers our partners face to face - doing so in an open forum is not very attractive.

Thanks for the plug Pete -

Question Details:
--------------------
How many of you use forums for your customer service?

There are thousands of forums out there covering everything from sports to politics. Many of these forums cater to a niche audience and supported by their very own niche manufacturers. Scuba Diving is one such sport and ScubaBoard - Scuba Forums, Articles, Dive Buddies, Social Network - Equipment and Travel is a forum that is dedicated to discussing our niche sport.

One of the best things I ever did was to create a "Manufacturer's Question and Answer Forum" where my users can directly interact with the service arm of many of their favorite Scuba Manufacturer's. We offer private forums for such people for free and one company had the (IMHO) foresight to work their customer service right out of it. It's moderated for friendliness and content by my staff as well as the company's staff. Heck, the company, Oceanic, even puts a link on their website which brings people with questions and comments straight to their private forum. You can find them at Oceanic Worldwide - Research and Compare the latest Scuba Diving Equipment and Snorkeling Gear

So my question, and I did have one, is WHY don't more businesses utilize these kinds of forums in this manner? Is it a fear of the unknown? Time constraints? What?

 

[The Chairman]

Pete - you posted a question on linkedin a year or so ago - I thought that it would be relevant here:

Internet discussions: The gift that keeps on giving!

I lurked on scubaboard and other similar sites for years prior to jumping in. I found it to be a great resource/barometer for consumer feedback on our own and competitive products.

I remember the contest naming your eensy tiny reg! That was fun!

The largest concerns that we had going in:
1. Liability. Saying the wrong thing in a public forum can be disastrous - even if you're not making life-support gear.
2. Who do you trust? I'm the official "voice" of the company on the forum - what I say, or don't say, is a direct, and very visible reflection on the company.
3. Time. Going in, this was one of my biggest concerns - who has the time to add yet another responsibility to their list? I make the time - and more importantly, I am realizing more and more the importance of having motivated users ready to help out.
4. Expectations. Once you jump in - should you decide that it was a mistake, or that you just don't have the time - or you lost your "trusted voice" - dropping it just isn't a good option.
5. What do you have to say? If you have issues or topics that you're not willing to discuss with your customers our partners face to face - doing so in an open forum is not very attractive.

Can you answer your concerns here? I know this is coming purely from a manufacturer's view point, but most would find merit in what you say.

Thanks for the plug Pete -

Mi casa, Su casa, amigo!

Question Details:
--------------------
How many of you use forums for your customer service?

There are thousands of forums out there covering everything from sports to politics. Many of these forums cater to a niche audience and supported by their very own niche manufacturers. Scuba Diving is one such sport and ScubaBoard - Scuba Forums, Articles, Dive Buddies, Social Network - Equipment and Travel is a forum that is dedicated to discussing our niche sport.

One of the best things I ever did was to create a "Manufacturer's Question and Answer Forum" where my users can directly interact with the service arm of many of their favorite Scuba Manufacturer's. We offer private forums for such people for free and one company had the (IMHO) foresight to work their customer service right out of it. It's moderated for friendliness and content by my staff as well as the company's staff. Heck, the company, Oceanic, even puts a link on their website which brings people with questions and comments straight to their private forum. You can find them at Oceanic Worldwide - Research and Compare the latest Scuba Diving Equipment and Snorkeling Gear

So my question, and I did have one, is WHY don't more businesses utilize these kinds of forums in this manner? Is it a fear of the unknown? Time constraints? What?

ScubaBoard is proud to develop new initiatives within our industry. The private Manufacturer's forums came about from discussions with Doug and cerich. None of us are sure who had the first concept, though we all claim it. That's one of the beauties of the Internet. Collaboration only INCREASES your potential sales. Competition from is no longer a limiting factor and you find that you can work more closely with your competitors and BOTH of you will produce more.

 

[Doug Krause]

None of us are sure who had the first concept

Just keep telling yourself that Pete!

 

[Doug Krause]

To address the concerns from my list above:
1. Liability. It makes no difference whether you're participating in a forum. I learned a long time ago to imagine saying what I'm about to say in a court of law - or having it read back to me. I wouldn't say anything in the forum that I wouldn't say face to face, on the phone or in an email. If you don't trust your staff to talk to your customers here in the forums... how can you possibly think that it's OK to have them on the phone or answering email?
2. Who do you trust? Refer to #1. I've heard a slightly different take on this as well as it applies to social marketing... similar to what many may have heard about dive retailers and dive clubs. I've heard from many store owners that they no longer run a club out of their store because the person that ran it ended up opening their own store and taking all of the customers with him. A club (or tribe) fosters tremendous loyalty - it's a double-edged sword. The question is - are you willing to give up the positive benefits to ensure that the negatives never happen?
3. Time. What are you going to do? You can't make more of it - you've got to prioritize - and in my mind, listening and talking directly to our customers is pretty high on my list. It's taken a while to learn the lesson, but the key is to build your tribe - and let them do the heavy lifting for you. Obama pulled off an amazing social marketing coup - he didn't do it by spending 18 hours a day on his facebook page or uploading youtube videos... his tribe did it for him. It wasn't magic... (sorry to break it to some of you) it was strategy... you need one too.
4. Expectations. I think what I meant when I wrote this, was our customer's expectations. The fear that I had going in, is that if I decided that this little experiment didn't work - or I got tired of it - or someone shut it down because of something that I said... it would be more damaging than just not doing it in the first place. Going back to number 3 - there are simply times that I don't have the time - or energy to keep up - and I pay for it. Our customer's have come to expect a level of service in the forum. For you to be successful at this - you're going to need to deliver a high level of service and attention - and it can't let up. Your customers expect you to be there. My suggestion? Get help. Get your dealers to help. Get your instructors to help. Get your fans to help.
5. What do you have to say? If you're not willing to stand up in front of your staff or a group of your customers and discuss what it is that you do - what you have to offer - why you do what you do - potentially, things that you've done wrong... this is no different. You're going to have a really hard time keeping negative word of mouth under the radar... and in the online world? Multiply the rate that it spreads by, well, a lot.

Hope this helps. And, one more suggestion... buy Seth Godin's book "Tribes" - Amazon.com: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us (9781591842330): Seth Godin: Books

 

[JackConnick]

Pete;

Thanks for this thread, some good tips. I wish there was a way for us Diving Retailers (as opposed to non-diving, who sell dive gear) to have forums, probably doesn't make sense, but maybe there's a way.

I really appreciate the openness the board shows to those of us who've maybe tried to start a side business which now seems to be taking over their world ;-).

Jack

 

[The Chairman]

5. What do you have to say? If you're not willing to stand up in front of your staff or a group of your customers and discuss what it is that you do - what you have to offer - why you do what you do - potentially, things that you've done wrong... this is no different. You're going to have a really hard time keeping negative word of mouth under the radar... and in the online world? Multiply the rate that it spreads by, well, a lot.[/url]

The more you try to keep something secret, the more it will BLOW UP IN YOUR FACE! People can accept you far more easily if you are dead honest with them. I remember a product issue (recall?) that Oceanic had. Rather than cover it up, they launched it right here on ScubaBoard. Wow... for most consumers, honesty among the manufacturers is tough to find. They simply loved Oceanic for being so up front.

 

[The Chairman]

Pete;

Thanks for this thread, some good tips. I wish there was a way for us Diving Retailers (as opposed to non-diving, who sell dive gear) to have forums, probably doesn't make sense, but maybe there's a way.

I really appreciate the openness the board shows to those of us who've maybe tried to start a side business which now seems to be taking over their world ;-).

Jack

Hey Jack,

Sponsor a local dive club. Please don't overly promote the shop, but the club sponsor should be no secret. These are also free and there are a number of them to look at.

 

[HowardE]

I am also available with any questions or if you need advice on how to maximize the use of ScubaBoard.com - please feel free to e-mail me - howarde 'at' scubaboard.com

Sometimes, I'm working "on assignment" so I may not always answer right away; but you - the business members are important to us.