Is Charter Fishing Under Assault By The Internet?
By Tom Mulliez
Word of mouth used to be how we got our information, now it is the Internet that drives recommendations.
The real issue we see today is how the internet is changing. This change is what should concern all of us who love the outdoors and charter fishing specifically.
In the beginning, the rise of the Internet brought great things to the industry. Captains finally had the ability to be found by a greater number of people, and they could tell their stories. They were able to create simple sites that provided their customers with a number where they could be reached. The cost of going online was low and made the investment worthwhile.
But times have changed. Great captains are usually great people and great fishermen; theyâre artists of their trade. They are not web masters, or search engine optimization marketers, or pay per click experts. They donât have the same web knowledge that the younger generations have.
The issue here is that the cost of being online and doing it well has drastically gone up. The best websites are usually run and managed not by the best fishermen, but by those with the most time in front of a computer or the most money. This decreases the viability of the product that they are looking to sell. These same people understand that reviews can be purchased from other sites and that social media likes can be bought.
It raises the question: âDo they have the ability to deliver the same experience as veteran?â Usually no. They havenât put the time into learning the craft to the same level as the veterans. However, thatâs not to say there arenât any good young captains out there.
What we see today is an environment where ânew to charter fishingâ customers are drawn to great fishing locations in Florida by certain captains with great looking sites, SEO, PPC campaigns and fantastic reviews. Those customers might go home having had a terrible experience. This isnât always the case, but it is enough that the word is being spread through social media that fishing in Florida is not what it is advertised to be.
This slow-rolling snowball, if unchecked, will continue to drive a lack of trust in the industry. It will continue to drive away the new customers that our great captains need in order to stay in business as full-time guides.
Negative word of mouth spreads 10 times faster than a positive word of mouth. The word being spread doesnât just affect a particular captain at fault, but the entire region and all captains together. This is one of the leading causes behind the decline in new customer reservations that our veteran captains are experiencing.
Think about this next time you are online trying to find the right captain for you. Be mindful of the information you are being presented with and donât be a victim of the system.
The Internet is a great and powerful tool, which is occasionally misused by companies and individuals. There are great captains on the Internet and great companies helping you find the best possible experience. Remember, upselling in a market where demand is tight drives promises that sometimes cannot be kept and eventually leads to a decrease in overall demand in the market itself.
We welcome your comments; please send them to info@itrekkers.com.
Tom Mulliez is the founder of iTrekkesr.com. Their mission is to unleash the outdoors to aspiring explorers everywhere. Reserve some of the best guides in Florida for your next fishing adventure, backed by a 100 percent money back satisfaction guarantee.