Everyone has them, everyone knows them – but does everyone knows how social Medias can be used most effectively?
I am now working as a PADI Regional Manager for several years and I saw many Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus – business pages of various diving schools. I also learned that today’s youth is represented on Instagram. So, if you only use Facebook – in the eyes of youth you are “Out”!
Oha, I thought … I’m already so old … But you have to be clearly aware that every target group uses different Medias – the diversity is the key to success
There are seven important points which need to be considered:
- Existing social platforms
- Which social Media do I use for my diving school
- Target groups
- How many times do I write a post
- Who should write you posts
- Insights
- Blogging
Existing social Media platforms
The number of social media platforms is increasing, however, not every Platform is suitable for your business. Below you’ll find the most popular social media of our times.
– Google Plus
– YouTube Channel
– Instagram (only Mobile)
– TripAdvisor
– ScubaEarth
– Snapchat
Which social media do I use for my diving school?
From my experience I can say very clearly that a business without Facebook, Twitter, Youtube Channel and ScubaEarth – has clearly missed the today´s train. You have to be visible and find the customer where he is looking for you. This is called inbound marketing – means to target the potential customer, who is looking for you, will find you. That is why it is so important that your website is always up to date.It does not mean that each platform needs a separate entry. Various social media can be linked with each other. For example, Facebook can be linked to Twitter and vice versa. Then each entry on Facebook will be automatically published on Twitter. Then there is also Hootsuite. Hootsuite is a platform that manages all your social media. This means; you write an article only once and Hootsuite publishes all your messages on your registered social media. The only problem with this is that the contributions are not adapted to the uniqueness of the platform.Very important, especially for resort areas is TripAdvisor. Statistics show that diving schools, which have a TripAdvisor account and also several reviews, are much more frequently contacted by new customers.
Target groups
Which target group I want to reach with my entries?
How effective are my messages?
Do I reach new customers with my photos?
These are all questions that you need to ask yourself, if you are planning a new post. A post should be interesting and exciting. The visitor of your page has to feel addressed. You want to get your existing customers to keep in touch with you and show what´s happening in your Dive Center after they gone home, because you want that these customers are coming back. You also want to acquire new customers through your platforms.Attract and motivate the user is the key, for example on Facebook. It’s not about how many “likes” you have, it’s about how many times you can get your fans to interact with you. The number of Likes, Comments and shares improves the chance that future posts appear in the News Feeds of your fans. If your posts do not interact with your fans, they never commented or liked your posts, then you risk that your content will disappear in the future from the News Feeds of your fans.
How many times do I write a post?
I know that the time is a problem – especially during high season. However, you cannot avoid to actively and effectively use your social media during High season. This is the time where you have to promote your business.You have to publish a post, for example, on Instagram and Facebook at least once a day. A blog post would be very good once per week. But it is also ok to write a blog post every two weeks. What you want is consistency in your publications. Google, as well as your readers will immediately notice irregularities. The great thing about social media and blogging is, that you can schedule the publication and therefor write your posts ahead, when you have the time and schedule the publication – the rest is done by your platform.
Who should write your posts? 
People are asking me frequently: Â “Who should write the all these articles?” Determine someone in your staff who is responsible for social media and hand out to this person a camera and give him also your login information for your social media platforms.
Let your customers write the messages on your Wall. Animate the clientele to publish active as an advocate for your diving school. Organize a contest where by the most “liked” Article during the season will get a gift.
What is the first thing you do when a customer is walking in your diving school…? Right – you say “hello” and then…? … Then you give him a Tablet in his hand and let him to log on to his social media platform. They should like your Facebook business page immediately. It is also very important that you mention to them that they tag themselves in every picture where they appear.Before the customer is leaving your Dive School, hopefully satisfied, tell them that they need to write a review on Trip Advisor and on the Facebook Business page. It’s amazing how many new customers have been generated by the TripAdvisor and Facebook reviews. People read these reviews before they decide where to go!
Insights
Each platform has a statistic. Use this well! You can read when your “fans” or “followers†read your posts, when they are active on the Internet, where they come from, how many  of your visitors are men’s or women’s – and a lot more. All this you can find within the insights. Try to find out what your most successful posts are and according to that you will write your future posts – and measure the success again.
Blogging
A diving school with no blog – is like a VW without a catalyst…! It is absolutely a must have! It does not mean that you need to write a novel, even a small article is ok. But it is important that you blog frequently.It is also important that your blog has social media sharing buttons. This ensures that your blog can be shared by the readers. It is also important that your readers can subscribe to your newsletter or blog. With this they will get an email as soon as you published a new blog. Animate your customers to share your new blog on their social media platforms.
What are the key points for a successful Blog?
– Update frequently so that the readers are coming back
– Link your Blog with Facebook / Twitter – for automatic feeds
– Use keywords to support you search engine optimization (SEO)
– Link your Blog with your website and vice versa
Your goal should be to inform your existing customers about what´s going on in your Diving School since they left – because you want them to come back – and by using the right keywords (SEO) to attract new customers. The chances are very high that your blog will be read and shared by unknowns the more interesting your articles are.
I hope that this article opened a little bit your eyes and that you understand the importance of how social Medias can be used most effectively.
If you would like to learn more about social media and Websites, it would make sense to apply for the PADI Business Academy, which is offered in different countries.
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