(1:04) This week's Minute will be a deviation from my usual marketing musings. I want to take a minute to address the relationship between ActiveCaptain and Weather Underground that was announced last week. This is big news that could have a significant impact on your business. I believe it is important that you understand the implications.(0:58) Last Tuesday Weather Underground announced that they would use the ActiveCaptain knowledgebase for the new sailing and boating section of their website. You can view the press release here:
http://www.wunderground.com/about/pr/news.asp?date=20120821
(0:53) ActiveCaptain already has 16 third party marine navigation applications supporting our knowledgebase running on a variety of desktops, laptops, and mobile devices, and that's not counting the Garmin apps which will be released shortly. Every one of these applications offers significant value to boaters and marinas as they present valuable data at the moment boaters are planning and making their decisions (hmm, sounds like a ZMOT). And we continue to work with other developers to support new apps.
(0:42) It would be easy to lump the Weather Underground announcement into this same category. But it is different in some significant ways. Ways that could help drive more boaters to your marina.
(0:37) First, Weather Underground is one of the largest weather websites serving up to 1 million visitors a day and ranked the 151st largest website in the US. It's sheer size will mean that far more boaters will have access to your marina data. But it will also mean reaching a new class of boaters, one that is far larger than the traditional cruising boats.
(0:29) We know ActiveCaptain data is the number one information source for transient boaters. The reasons for these boaters to seek out our data are compelling. But what about the larger population of non-transient boaters? Day trippers, picnic boats, sport fishers, weekend boaters, day sailors, and numerous other boaters all turn to Weather Underground for weather predictions before heading out on the water.
(0:20) As one of the most popular sources of weather information on the web, Weather Underground reaches virtually all boaters. And now, so will you. All ActiveCaptain data including details, reviews, and Sponsor specials will be available on the Weather Underground site. What will they see when they look at your marker?
(0:13) It is now more important than ever to keep your data up-to-date and complete. Think about the services you can offer to these local boaters - fuel, ice, repairs - and make sure they are included in your marker. Check out The Marina's Guide to ActiveCaptain for help:
http://activecaptain.com/sponsors/marinasGuide.pdf
(0:06) Don't pass up this opportunity to win more business. Tell the world what you have to offer. It's the perfect way to ensure boaters see you during their ZMOT.
(0:02) And that's the marina minute.
