05/03/2019

The Changing World of the Web

by Dominion Domains

Customers are using the internet much more extensively when it comes to choosing a broker to sell their yacht. What does this mean for you?

By the time a customer contacts you about selling their boat or yacht, they are already 70%* of the way through the process of choosing a broker sell their vessel. That can be a scary thought. How can you influence these potential customers if they’re not walking into your showroom or at least calling you to start the selling process?

While the methods customers use to gain the insight they need may have changed, the information they need largely remains the same. Sellers want to be assured you can sell their vessel for the best price, in a reasonable amount of time, and offer a good value for the service you’re providing. The valuable expertise you have built across all these areas, and the brand value you have created over the years, need to be channeled in new directions.

Sellers are garnering their insights somewhere, and many times the resources they choose to leverage become the new trusted advisor, i.e., the new salesperson and influencer. This in turn means companies that are waiting for the phone to ring, and even those with a proactive sales force, may be missing out on a significant opportunity by ignoring the online portion of the buying process.

The good news is that you can shine a light on these potential customers and reach them quickly and effectively with a few small changes. It is possible to have a big impact on driving leads and conversions, if you turn your thoughts online.

Initially it’s a matter of getting the basics right. Having a website that’s regularly updated is critical to staying ahead. If you can’t log in and make a change to your website in under 15 minutes, it’s time to look at alternatives. Companies like Weebly, Wix, and Wordpress provide inexpensive, templated websites that are easy to edit and provide a professional look and feel.

Your web address is also important.  Using a difficult to remember domain name - long, difficult to spell, includes hyphens - will result in lost traffic.  A great domain will  provide SEO benefits, drive traffic to your website, and will be easy to share via advertising or by word of mouth.  In addition, when you use an industry specific domain like .Yachts, customers  instinctively know what you do and they are twice as likely to click** on your web address in the list of search engine results because they expect it will be more relevant.  Don’t forget - your domain should be your email too, so that with every email you send and receive you are growing your brand awareness and website reach.

Once you have the basics in place, it’s time to turn your attention to driving traffic to your website and making sure they get converted online. Using your knowledge to create great online content is simple. By answering questions, providing insight and delivering information, you will build the trust and engagement that is necessary to influence that online prospect to become your next customer. While you may have concerns that online marketing is not your area of expertise, or you don’t have the time to fit this into an already busy schedule, this is a critical area that requires ongoing attention in order to fill the top of your sales funnel.

If you want to get a step by step guide on how to implement these simple steps, join the YBAA e-Semair May 29, 2019. Registration notification will be sent on May 22, 2019. You can find out more about .Yachts domains at www.dominion.domains/yachts

*According to Google 2011, updated 2014 "ZMOT: Why It Matters Now More Than Ever"

** According to the Domain Name Association SEO study 2017

About .YACHTS and Dominion Domains

Dominion Domains provides top-level registrations for .Autos, .Boats, .Homes, .Motorcycles and .Yachts domains. Their mission is to provide high quality, industry specific website addresses to the automotive, marine, powersports and residential real estate communities.

Dominion Domains is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dominion Enterprises. Dominion Enterprises, does not own or operate any buying or selling online portals in the Marine Industry.