Ideas for Promoting Your Boat for Sale Listing on Social Media 

The minute you decide to list your boat, it’s time for a crash course in marketing. Selling a boat is a little different than selling a bike or an old piece of furniture. Boat sellers must be more strategic to stand out from the crowd and grab buyers’ attention. Today’s boat buyers are more knowledgeable and tech-savvy; they know what they want and search for deals across many different platforms.   

The result of marketing a boat well can lead to a quick sale and more money. Here we will provide some creative ideas to help you sell your boat quicker using the power of social media.  

As of January 2022, there are 3.96 billion total social media users across all platforms.

An optimized listing is the key to promoting your boat for sale on social media.     

It doesn’t matter if you’re sharing your listing and using all the right marketing tools if your listing doesn’t have a good description that lists features or notes the price. Be sure to feature all the details, including your price, complete all the fields, and use good descriptive language and searchable keywords.   

The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” has never been truer than when it comes to boat sales.   

Nothing makes someone long for their own boat more than a great picture of a beautiful boat with a stunning sunset as the backdrop. When taking pics, be sure to have a minimum of six horizontally shot photos: full side shot, front, back, deck, interior, and cockpit/console.   

Be sure your boat is in pristine condition, inside and out, and uncluttered with personal effects. Walk buyers through a logical boat tour when you order the photos. Shoot in high resolution, using natural light, and ensure they’re cropped and edited, even if you have to hire a pro. A few hundred dollars here is a drop in the bucket compared to the value of your boat (be sure you get top price when you sell it). Not only will these quality images be vital for your listing, but they will also be crucial when sharing on social media platforms.  

When it’s time to sell a boat, you want your listing to stand out and attract serious buyers.   

The best way to do that is to provide the most accurate depiction of your listing – and the best way to do that is through video! If a picture is worth a thousand words, you can only imagine what videos say. Video listings are sought-after by today’s buyers, and smartphones are more than adequate to do the job. At Boats for Sale, we allow you to upload videos to our user-friendly listings. Videos provide accurate views of the floorplan and boat condition and give the buyer a better feel for the boat’s size and overall look and feel. This allows a buyer to make a fair assessment before visiting the boat for a sea trial, which wastes far less of your time. Simply put, a listing with a video makes your listing sell more quickly, and will make it stand out on social media!   

You’re using social media to share your listings’ descriptive language, to share those beautiful boat images, to share that unique walkthrough video; what’s next?   

According to a recent study, it’s been proven that “infographics can increase website traffic by up to 12%.” So, design a simple infographic (there are free software options online) that includes a picture of the vessel and essential details like the price and eye-catching features. Using bright colors, good pictures, and on-image text to grab the attention of potential buyers and increase engagement.   

Social media tools like stories, reels, GIFs, stickers, tagging, and hashtags will be a necessary part of your marketing journey.  

Social media stories are a fun way to promote your listing from a different perspective – you can add links and other interactive things like stickers, GIFs, emojis, polls, music, and more to capture your audience’s attention. Reels let you put a trending sound to your video or compilation of pictures and are another excellent tool for increasing reach and visibility. Utilizing these tools allows you to:   

• Capture viewers’ attention quickly and lead to more clicks.  
• Increase the visibility of your boat listing.
• Target specific audiences through tagging.  

Online marketplaces are changing the world of boat sales.   

With an online marketplace like Boats for Sale, you will attract millions of active shoppers across the country with the click of a mouse. In addition to a vast audience, we promote our listings on all social platforms using all the tools we mentioned. Boats for Sale is the fastest-growing boat marketplace, drawing hundreds of thousands of potential buyers every month. Our exponential growth comes from our team of marketing experts who work hard to drive quality leads and our commitment to security, great user experience, and quality service. Join the thousands already using Boats for Sale and increase your listing visibility completely free – sign up today!  

When it comes to quick boat sales, the best boats don’t attract the most buyers — the best listings with the best marketing tactics do. By following these tips above, you’ll be best set up to drive quick, qualified traffic to your boat listing and get the best price as soon as possible.   

In addition to following these social media strategies, be sure to sign up for Boats for Sale and get maximum exposure today!