Selling almost anything effectively online starts with high-quality, relevant content. But because of the complex and unique nature of high-value products like boats, are they any different?
UK-based marketplace experts Rightboat.com have over 29,000 boats for sale, so we asked them what an engaging and successful boat listing looks like, based on today's buyer behaviour.
Are videos really that important?
Yes. You have to help the buyer ‘imagine’ themselves on board, so a walk-through video should now be an essential part of the listing process for any professional yacht broker. Boats with videos receive almost 2x the engagement than those without. Walk-throughs do not need to cost a fortune to make, and there will be someone on your team who’s keen to be in front of the camera!
How many photos are too many photos?
On average, boats with 40-50 images receive significantly better quality leads than those with even just a few less. Boats with more than 50 images do not really generate more leads-per-boat, so 40-50 for most listings is ideal. Take some time to prepare the boat - unmade beds, toilet seats, untidy chart tables, full galley sinks, covers on, or fenders over the side are all huge no-nos!
All I want is a lead. How much text do I have to write to get one, and how much is too much?
In order to solicit a lead at any cost, many brokers put “Call for more information”. This is a huge turnoff for buyers and for Google! Both will be forced away to other boats, leaving you with either a very low volume of leads, or worse still, very poor quality leads. Research reveals that leads-per-boat increase significantly from boats featuring more than 300 words of text, but that trend does not continue if you write lots more. As such, shy away from entering all of the standard features just to fill the page. Focus instead on high-value extras for new boats, or upgrades/servicing for pre-owned boats.
Is price important?
More than half of buyers enter price as one of their determining factors on a search engine. As such, if you present a boat to a search engine listed at “£1”, a database can not match it to a buyer and so the boat will not show. Much as we appreciate that some vendors do not wish to reveal a price, a search engine needs it in order to function. In addition, buyers see ‘POA’ or ‘£1’ as reasons to move on to other boats that will help them make their decision.
These are recurring themes in all of our training calls with brokers. Similar rules apply to what you put on your own website, so here are some specifics that will help there too:
- Use large, portrait images
Big, high-res images in portrait format perform better, especially on mobile.
- Include strong CTAs (call-to-action)
Place CTAs like “Book a viewing” or “Value my part-exchange” prominently near images and text, to lead your buyer to the next step.
- Don’t rely on email
Buyers hate not having emails responded to, so offer them more engaging ‘quick-fire’ methods like WhatsApp, direct messaging, chat boxes, or phone numbers.
- Use simple enquiry forms
A very simple trackable enquiry form should be used in preference to displaying your address, particularly on social media platforms
Finally, be proud of what you're selling! Your next buyers will want to be excited about their purchase, and you can so easily help them feel that way. So go beyond simply repurposing existing images or using AI to write the spec. The data shows that it will make a difference!
For more help on capturing the best photos and videos for your listings, jump to this short blog post from Rightboat. There are also a host of QUICKTIP guides for the trade on the RightBoat B2B YouTube channel here.
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