Marina Dock Age

In just the last few years, the Internet has exploded in almost every industry, changing the way companies do business and how they market to their customers. The Internet has not only made customers more knowledgeable, it has also given them a voice in the marketing arena.

To take advantage of the Internet’s wide scope and give boaters an easy way to interact with the boating community anywhere at anytime, Karen and Jeff Siegel started ActiveCaptain, an online interactive cruising guidebook. Now, they want to partner with marinas to provide them access to ActiveCaptain’s thousands of boaters and a risk-free, flexible marketing opportunity – called the Co-Op.

Bringing boaters and marinas together

As active boaters, the Siegels know the value of interacting with the boating community and sharing information and experiences. “When we would pull into a marina, we quickly sought information from other cruisers. Boaters are so friendly and open to sharing this type of information,” said Karen Siegel.

Additionally, all the Seigels had out on the water were the many established guidebooks, and they noticed some problems – missing or incorrect information. “Many smaller marinas were left out altogether,” said Karen Siegel.

To find a way to systematically share information with other boaters on the Web, where they can update and interact in real-time, ActiveCaptain was born five years ago. It’s what Siegel calls the “virtual dock” version of their many conversations with other boaters.

While the Web site is a powerful planning tool used by boaters before leaving the dock, Siegel said, ActiveCaptain has also integrated with marine navigation software companies, which allows boaters to take the information out on the water. Having ActiveCaptain data on a boater’s navigation screen “offers a powerful way for marinas to access boaters at just the moment they are nearby,” said Siegel.

How Co-Ops work

To help marinas access the more than 100,000 boaters that interact on ActiveCaptain, the Siegels started the Co-Op program in March. Through the ActiveCaptain Web site, marinas set up a Co-Op account, which allows them to market offers to boaters in their area.

Marinas decide what to offer boaters and enter the information through the Web site. ActiveCaptain approves all offers to ensure they are true deals. “This benefits all participants, as it keeps boaters interested,” said Siegel. Co-Op offers are time sensitive, so marinas select the Co-Ops they would like to activate and provide the start and stop time for the offer.

Marinas pay nothing upfront to offer Co-Ops to boaters. When boaters see a Co-Op in which they’re interested, they obtain a code and present that to the marina. ActiveCaptain later contacts the boater to see if the Co-Op was redeemed, and if so, the marina pays a $1.99 fee to ActiveCaptain. The marina only pays if the Co-Op is redeemed.

The Co-Op vs. traditional advertising

The Seigels have spent more than 25 years creating technology companies and think “if you’re not using the Internet, you’re missing the number one way to reach and market to customers,” Siegel said.

The Co-Op takes advantage of the Internet’s real-time community to match boaters with marinas at just the right time. Here’s why ActiveCaptain thinks the Co-Op is the new generation of marina marketing:

• Risk free – Marinas only pay a fee to ActiveCaptain if boaters use their Co-Ops. “Large upfront payments put all the risk on the marina. We think this is wrong and foolish in the quick world of communication,” said Siegel. With many marinas tightly watching marketing expenditures, the Co-Op allows marinas to test various offers without jeopardizing budgets.
• Measurability – Unlike guidebook and print ads, and even Internet advertising like banner ads, with the Co-Op, marinas know instantly what’s working and what’s not. ActiveCaptain provides marinas with statistics about what Co-Ops boaters requested and what ones they actually used.
• Flexibility – With real numbers about boater interest, marinas can remove Co-Op offers that boaters aren’t interested in, as easily as they placed them. And at no cost.
• Right place, right time – “The idea behind Co-Ops is simple: offer boaters information that they actually seek out, unlike many traditional advertising methods, which are simply something consumers put up with and ultimately, ignore,” Siegel said.
• Targeted marketing – Boaters receive special offers for areas, in which they’re interested. Co-Ops are presented to boaters when they’re doing trip planning, “reaching targeted boaters at the moment they are making their purchasing decisions,” Siegel said. Additionally, with integration in navigation software, boaters can receive Co-Ops at the precise moment that they’re approaching a marina.
• Immediacy – The Internet is all about real-time immediacy, and marketing should reflect that dynamic. With Co-Ops, there’s never a long-term commitment, and marinas can customize offers to meet current customer needs – monthly, weekly, daily and even hourly.
• Desirability – “We wanted to design an exposure medium that boaters would actually seek out and want to use,” said Siegel. Boaters are already on the ActiveCaptain Web site seeking information about destinations, and they receive special offers related to those interests.
• Partnerships – Co-Ops simply provide more for customers. “When you solve the problems of a customer, you’ll have that customer for life. When you make it easy for them to do business with you, they’ll find more ways to do more business,” Siegel said. Co-Ops can also be way to partner with other local businesses. For example, combine slip rentals with discounts on local car rentals.
• Cooperation – The term Co-Op comes from cooperation. “We view this program as a cooperation between marinas, boaters and ActiveCaptain. By cooperating we can bring more benefit to all of us,” Siegel said.
• Experimentation – At no cost, marinas can experiment with what works best. Find a unique way to provide boaters with a special incentive to come to the marina. For example, if Tuesday is historically the slowest day of the week, marinas could offer “Laundry Tuesdays” – free laundry service with a slip rental.

The endless possibilities

The number and type of Co-Ops that a marina could offer are as wide as the seas to explore. ActiveCaptain provides a few suggestions, such as:

• $1 per foot Transient Price for May – ActiveCaptain boaters enjoy $1 per foot/per night for the entire month of May 2010. Electricity not included. Based on availability.
• $0.10 Discount on Fuel – ActiveCaptain boaters receive a $0.10 discount on all fuel purchases. Come in to our convenient floating docks. We’ll help you tie up and get you quickly on your way.
• Spend Two Nights, Detail Your Boat – Come in and spend two nights at My Marina and receive 30% off your slip price. In addition, receive 50% off the cost of detailing your boat. Requires reservation 48 hours in advance to schedule boat detailing.
• Dock and Dine – Come into My Marina and receive a free entrée at My Restaurant for each nigh reserved. Try My Restaurant’s short ribs or settle into our famous crab cakes. But save some room for our pies baked fresh daily.
• Provisioning Thursdays – Come in on Thursday and fill your galley. Receive 30% off your overnight slip price and use our courtesy car to fill your galley at the nearby XYZ grocery store.

For more Co-Op examples on the ActiveCaptain Web site, click here.

“Shake off old notions, seek to be different and don’t be afraid to try something new,” said Siegel about creating Co-Op offers. She recommends taking a hard look at the marina’s strengths, capabilities, environment and other businesses in the area. “Listen to your customers to find out what attracts them to your marina,” said Siegel, who also said marinas can always ask them for help.

Marinas can enroll in the program by contacting Karen Siegel at: Karen@activecaptain.com.