Marketing SCUBA is easier than ever
THOSE WERE NOT REALLY THE GOOD OLD DAYS AT ALL Someone brought an old travel brochure into the DRI office last week. It was about scuba diving in the ‘British Caribbean’ and was a classic piece of pre-internet marketing; definitely from a different era. It would be pretty easy to totally right it off dismissing it as irrelevant in today’s market, but — as old and completely out-dated as it is — it does have something interesting to tell us. Namely, there are so many more options for us to take advantage of now compared to when this antique was printed. You may be a little antique yourself and remember that back in the early 1990s, when it was printed, about the only option for a dive shop was to print flyers like this one, hand them out or snail-mail them to hundreds of customers — at a considerable cost per unit — and hope a significant few signed up for a trip. Worth remembering, or learning, that 30 years ago, there were no blogs, online videos, and social media posts to share informative content about scuba diving, and certainly no affiliate programs to build interest with other local retailers. In short, there was no easy way to highlight the benefits of diving, its unique experiences, the adventure it offers, any pertinent safety tips, and no personal stories on social media to help build a sense of community; nothing to share any of the excitement and beauty of diving. Also, there was no nitrox, way fewer specialty programs, no “technical” diving, no overhead training — like advanced wreck or cavern and cave — and aids like oxygen administration and compressor operator courses were totally off-limits. And nothing to promote rebreathers, DPVs, twinsets or sidemount. Nothing beyond the basics to up-sell and retain customers. Plus, the brochure mentioned nothing about special events, like equipment workshops, in-store book signings, or show-and-tell nights promoting upcoming trips. (Of course, back then, there was no simple way except perhaps a sign in the store window, to let people know any of this was happening.) It’s true that the basic rules of marketing are unchanged. It’s still the case that selling everything from a large-screen TV and flat box furniture to a scuba diving course primarily involves identifying your target audience, recognizing what they are looking for, and then targeting your message to appeal to them. And in the diving world we all understand that another constant is that if your local diving is focused on tropical reefs and big pelagic wildlife, your message (and the courses and equipment you push) will not be the same as the shop within an hour’s drive of fantastic wooden wrecks preserved by four-degree freshwater. All that and perhaps that dive trips to exotic destinations have a universal appeal, and hopefully always will. You may not be taking full advantage of all of the online and associated marketing strategies available in 2024. You may not use smart apps and CRM software to regularly engage your customers. And you may not have learned to adjust your approach based on feedback and results from previous marketing efforts — easily captured by a whole raft of online tools — but we are sure that you have a much easier time of it when a four-colour printed brochure was all there was! We’re not suggesting marketing is easy today, but it is a whole lot easier than in the good old days.
For Divers by Divers…
ISN’T THE RAID WATCHWORD TRUE OF ALL AGENCIES? One of our shareholders was recently asked to respond to a dive instructor who questioned our call to join Dive RAID International because it’s an agency built by divers for divers. He claimed that statement is “verbose [sic] and a claim to exclusivity that needs some validation and verification.” Challenge accepted! Our shareholder wrote back: “Thanks for your question! While it’s true that many agencies have been founded by divers, what makes RAID different is that our philosophy and operations are driven entirely by divers, for the benefit of divers. “Unlike some agencies where business or corporate interests tend to influence decisions, at RAID, everything from course development to instructor support is shaped by active, experienced divers who understand the needs of the community firsthand. “Our goal isn’t just to certify divers; it’s to enhance the entire diving experience through constant innovation, flexibility, and by putting divers at the heart of what we do. That’s the difference we stand by!” In the proverbial nutshell, our shareholder summed up EXACTLY what RAID is all about. If she’s had more space, she might have added, all that and everything related to following a skills-based, inclusive approach to training and doing business that seeks to bring value and positive change to the dive industry. And if that sounds like your kind of outfit… WHY NOT JOIN US!?
So, is RAID a tech agency or not?
The short answer is no, but we understand the confusion. Dive RAID International, RAID for short, takes training open water divers—beginners—seriously. Our instructors are top-drawer professionals who teach new divers skills from day one, that other agencies think are advanced! And that confuses some. Our opinion is that buoyancy control, knowing a few extra tricks to swim with the least effort, how to be a confident and helpful buddy, the advantages of breathing from a long-hose, and proper gas planning and dive management are necessary and shouldn’t be extra bolt-on courses (costing the student extra bolt-on fees by the way): we feel these things are basic. And in RAID’s basic courses is when student are introduced to them. Before RAID came along, breathing gases (like trimix and nitrox), and kit configurations we introduce early on, were considered “technical.” So, some people think that’s what RAID is all about… technical stuff. But we’re not: we’re just different. And yes, we do have technical programs—cavern, cave, rebreathers, deep diving, DPV, and so on—but our focus is on introducing a new generation of divers (of all ages) to the fun and thrill of underwater adventuring in a safe, supportive, and inclusive learning space. So, if you are looking to get into diving for the first time, or if you already into scuba or freediving, but want to get more from it, try us. The RAID Way™ works! And it’s fun.
