Marketing: Are we ok, or do we need help?

[The Chairman]

How about the Surf Expo in Orlando? If we all defected at once we could really have a presence AND attract those outside of our sport in a big way. Gene Muchanski is already doing this on a limited scale. The only problem is that it's twice a year. The best part is that it never goes to Vegas. The average age there is about a third of DEMA's.

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[Wookie]

Found everything but booth pricing.... They seem to embrace diving.

 

[cerich]

but because I do far more business on the dance floor than I do the show floor.

In fact I had been meaning to share this video of just that from DEMA last year for some time now...glad you brought it up

http://youtu.be/8Sb_3FpyimU

 

[The Chairman]

Hmnnnn, a bit sexier than our Wookie, but only a bit. '

 

[1bubbleoff]

Who am I...nobody..just a guy who dives...less than 2 years...
After following this thread..in its entirety to this point... I sat back and thought about it abit...and came to this conclusion...

OP...YOUR FREAKIN BRILLIANT!!

I'm working on starting a marketing agency for the scuba industry. I'm curious to see if anyone has feedback for me.

Talk about gathering intel...from the REAL sources....

Thankyou..I learn more each day from this thread..and it benifits me as a diver...and my shop as a SERVICE...provider.

Best wishes

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

What about just doing the smaller consumer shows like Long Beach and the one in the Bay Area plus others around the country? I'd think that you guys would get a hell of a better bang for the buck if you were able to interact with the people who actually use your product or service, not someone who just resells it.
And for you Pete to go to DEMA I don't understand. When People (the divers) want to find a forum they do a search on Google and Scubaboard is the first thing that pops up.
The manufacturers hear about it or see it like a diver doing a search would, and see that it's a good place to hang out.
DEMA had nothing to do with them finding scubaboard.


I used to do the SEMA show in Vegas. It's the automotive equivalent of the DEMA show except there's no godfather.
It's also about 10 times bigger than DEMA (you have no idea how huge the automotive market is!).
This was actually a great show because there's always so much new and exciting stuff in the auto industry.
I was working with a paint manufacturer and was sent there to demo the new products.

The problem I see with a show like DEMA is you see the same crap every year. There's not much change in diving products.
My dive shop quit going years ago because the companies they deal with do new product press releases anyway.

 

[The Chairman]

And for you Pete to go to DEMA I don't understand.

We go to see the people who buy the booths. If they are willing to spend that much money on a booth for DEMA to attract business, then they should be advertising right here on ScubaBoard. Our biggest ad for an entire year will cost lest than just their trip to DEMA and after two days, more people will have seen their add than during all of DEMA. I also go to catch up with friends and fellow conspirators and HowardE and I put on a couple of classes on how to use ScubaBoard as well as to dispel any myths.

 

[Doppler]

Would you find an annual get together of the players in some other sort of fashion to be equally as effective? I go to DEMA because of the parties. Not because I like to party, but because I do far more business on the dance floor than I do the show floor. As I say, BTS is a close second for me, and I do more business at the show than I do at the DEMA show. What would you replace DEMA with?

When we (me and TDI) conducted a survey asking divers what shows they visited and why they went, certainly the social aspect was a high motivator... hardly surprising. To pull an old cliche from under the bookcase here in my office, sales is about chemistry and networking is an effective chemical catalyst.

I'll explain my suggested alternative to exhibiting at trades shows when I see you at BTS. In addition to that strategy, ANY consumer show is going to be more effective for someone selling to consumers! ANY event that offers our customers -- divers, boaters, outdoor enthusiasts, Star Trek freaks, car nuts, whatever -- workshops, seminars, product knowledge AND the ability to BUY is going to be more effective than a straight-up trade event that bars kids (the next generation of divers), non-divers (people thinking about diving), casual divers (qualified leads), and non-professional but avid divers (low-hanging fruit by any definition), is cutting itself off at the knees.

That is just my opinion. I think it's an informed opinion, but I have no current real primary research on which to base it. Perhaps it's time for another survey!?

Anyhow, your situation is a little different in that you sell to clubs, shops, and individual punters. But numbers (money in pocket numbers) don't lie.

 

[RJP]

I was hoping to be able to break off into a different thread... but apparently I can't do that in this forum. I came across this article today, and thought it was somewhat interesting vis-a-vis "buying online"

The Keys to Turning E-Shoppers Into E-Buyers

Yes, it's about e-tailing. No it's not about diving. But I think it's got some interesting information...

In particular the finding of a study at the end of last year that "47% of consumers list 'the internet' as their favorite place to shop." Interesting in that, while that is the number one "favorite place to shop" among survey participants, the internet is listed by LESS THAN HALF of respondents as their "favorite place to shop."

 

[Wookie]

I was hoping to be able to break off into a different thread... but apparently I can't do that in this forum. I came across this article today, and thought it was somewhat interesting vis-a-vis "buying online"

The Keys to Turning E-Shoppers Into E-Buyers

Yes, it's about e-tailing. No it's not about diving. But I think it's got some interesting information...

In particular the finding of a study at the end of last year that "47% of consumers list 'the internet' as their favorite place to shop." Interesting in that, while that is the number one "favorite place to shop" among survey participants, the internet is listed by LESS THAN HALF of respondents as their "favorite place to shop."

I wonder what the autofill ratio is. If I can sign in with google wallet or get it on Amazon or use Paypal (all of which autofill my information), or use a vendor I have an account set up with, I am way more likely to buy online than to fill out the damn information with a new retailer, especially if they have a stupid website. If they ship with fedex, that's absolutely a show stopper. I have nothing against fedex, but fedex in the keys has lost my package a number of times, and damaged it more often. I can track it to the distribution center on Big Pine Key, then it's gone forever.

I spend over $100k per year online for the boat.