Brianna Liestman

To ensure the boating industry’s future, companies will need to start targeting Millennials. Justin Di Vilio posted a great blog on tips for how to market to Millennials. This week, I would like to briefly cover some “don’ts.” Over the weekend, I found a fascinating article on the “definitive list of things Millennials hate to see in ads.” Among the ...

I’ve talked about Instagram’s growing significance in the role of digital marketing before. I promise I’m not just hyping up the app because I like using it to post pictures of my dog. (Though I do encourage you to follow @boatingindustry for updates and “throwback Thursday” photos from Boating Industry archives.) I’m revisiting the topic because Instagram has announced it ...

Everyone in our industry is amped up for their area boat show and the possibility of new boat sales. I, for one, can’t wait to walk the show floor this weekend. I was speaking with a source for an upcoming sales article in our March issue about whether or not boat shows are still an important selling tool. This source ...

As an editor, I spend a significant amount of time choosing my words carefully. Each one has a purpose. It’s something we all should practice, but it is particularly important for business communication. We’ve all had that one boss or coworker that speaks in high-level corporate jargon in emails, meetings, even during coffee-machine conversation. The first thing I think about ...

Finding good applicants for open positions is never easy. Indeed, 47 percent of small businesses report few or no qualified applicants for the positions they were trying to fill. New research suggests attracting these applicants may require rethinking how we find them. A new study from Pew Research Center reported that among Americans who have looked for work in the ...

Google AdWords is a helpful tool for attracting more web customers, and the newest addition to the platform makes it even more effective. Google launched Smart Goals a few weeks ago, which is intended to attract site visitors who are more apt to purchase something. The program uses machine learning and Google Analytics data to help businesses recognize site visitors ...

Chris-Craft recently announced a partnership with PTX Performance Products, Inc. to create a line of retro-modern lifestyle bikes, expanding Chris-Craft’s offerings beyond its historic boats. The new bikes will integrate the classic Chris-Craft aesthetic. I find this fascinating, and not just because a new vintage bicycle appeals to my “hipster” tendencies. While there are manufacturers that certainly specialize in other ...

Boating has always been considered a classically middle-class activity, perfect for families looking to add recreation to their lifestyle. The industry continues to aim for these middle-class buyers, but the pool has unfortunately gotten smaller. According to a new report from Pew Research Center, the percentage of adults living in middle-income households has fallen every decade since the 1970s. While ...

As I’ve been writing our ’16 Marketing Trends for 2016 for the January issue of Boating Industry, there was one overarching theme that came emphatically from all of the interviews: You’ve got to have a mobile strategy for your website and your marketing. “It’s an absolute must nowadays,” Aaron Weiche, chief marketing officer of GetFiveStars.com said about mobile websites during ...

I can be a bit helpless with gifts. If I am not given some hint or clue as to what someone wants, desperation starts to set in. Naturally, my next step is to go to the Internet. As I was searching through generic “holiday gift” listicles this year, I stumbled upon a list of employee gift ideas. Curious, despite having ...