Why the Fishing Charter Down the Dock is Booked More Than You
No, it's not because he's a better fisherman than you.
Austin @ First Mate
10/28/20266 min read
Same dock, different calendar.
The bait are here. The fish are biting. The weather is perfect. And that guy two slips over is out with another crew from Ohio while you're back on shore wishing you were fishing. He's not better at catching fish. We both know that. He doesn't have some magic wand that puts all midwesterners in a fish-like trance. Well, maybe he does. Who knows. But in reality, there are really only three reasons why he's booked all the time:
He's fished the same waters for 32 years and all his clients are repeats.
He gave his firstborn and the deed to his house to FishingBooker.
He's easier to find, and easier to book.
While option 1 and 2 are certainly options, they aren't realistic for everyone. Let's explore the 4 things he's doing that you're not.
1.He Shows up when people search
Rarely have I ever made it to the second or third page of Google when looking for a plumber. I look at the first few results, read some reviews, do a little research into the one that looks the best and then make a call. And while you're not a plumber, the principles are the same. If someone googles "fishing charters near me" and you don't show up in the first few spots, you aren't going to get booked.
"Well Austin, how do I show up there?". Good question. There are two main routes: SEO and Google Ads.
SEO: THE LONG GAME
SEO takes time, effort, and consistency. It can take someone that knows what they're doing 6 months to a year or more to really start ranking high on Google. The more competition there is, the harder it is to show up on the first page.
One easy and practical step you can take: Create a fishing report blog on your website. I know it's the oldest trick in the book. But it really works. Find a regular cadence that works for you. Posting weekly or biweekly is ideal. Post it to your website, your Google Business Profile, your Instagram, your Facebook, your Twitter, your LinkedIn and email it to your former clients. That might sound like a lot, and well...it is. But hey, nobody said running a business was easy!
GOOGLE ADS: QUICKER RESULTS
Our clients typically get bookings from Google Ads in 1-2 weeks. But things begin to get really good around month 3. Similar to SEO, it takes consistency and attention to really make Google Ads work well. There are no shortcuts to success.
One quick tip for those of you already running your own Google Ads: check out your search terms report. Campaigns -> Insights and Reports -> Search Terms. When you or your agency set up your campaign, you chose a few keywords to bid on. Terms like "miami fishing charters" or "fishing charters near me". But depending on how you set it up, Google may use those terms as suggestions rather than hard and fast search terms. So somebody searching for "bait and tackle shop near me" or "free fishing pier" is finding your business and wasting your money when they click. Do yourself a favor, audit the report and add any of those as negative key words to your account. If that sounds like a lot, again, it is! There are a hundred reasons why a Google Ads account could not work. We know them. If you want some free help (seriously, we'll help you out) get in touch HERE.
2. HIs website books trips while he's fishing
Think about the last time you booked a hotel. You probably did it on your phone, maybe on the couch while Love is Blind played in the background. You picked a date, saw the price, punched in your card and then grabbed a bowl of ice cream as a reward for your efforts. That's exactly how consumers, or at least how I, want to book things these days.
If your website makes them call, send an email, or fill out a form and wait to hear back, there's a decent chance they book the guy three slips down instead.
Here's the thing. A lot of your customers are on vacation. They're planning their fishing trip with a daiquiri in one hand and their phone in the other. And while the liquid courage may urge some of them to call, the rest will want to book and get back to their lounging. The goal is to meet them where they're at. Give them the option to book, call, text, or whatever else they want to do.
3. His reviews and photos sell for him
Be honest. When's the last time you bought something on Amazon with 3 reviews? You scrolled right past it to the one with 2,000 reviews even if it cost a few bucks more. Your customers do the same thing with fishing charters. They want social proof that you're as good as you claim to be. They trust that stranger from Kentucky who wrote about his kid's first Mahi.
GET MORE REVIEWS: It's not just about having good reviews, it's about having a lot of them and having new ones. You might have 50 reviews, but if your last one was from a year ago, who's to say things haven't changed? Maybe there's a new captain. Maybe he's a prick. You and me know he's not. But you have to be on your review getting game! Keep doing it forever. Also, reply immediately when you do get a review. The more active you are on your Google Business Profile, the better.
POST REAL PHOTOS: With the rise of Ai, people are craving realness more than ever. Post your best photos (with your guests permission) anywhere you can. Google Business Profile, Instagram, Facebook, your website. It helps in two ways. You get more traffic. And you show potential customers what you've been catching. It may seem simple, but this really is an underrated tactic.
4. He Knows Where His Bookings Actually Come from
Quick question. Last month, where did your trips come? Not a best guess. The real answer. Was it Google? Your Facebook posts? The ads you're running on Instagram? If you don't know the answer, you're not alone. Most fishing guides are spending money or time in three or four places and have no idea what's actually filling up the calendar.
If you can't say where last month's trips came from, you're guessing. And guessing gets expensive.
TRACK THE CALLS AND THE BOOKINGS: that guy down the dock knows exactly where his customers come from. When someone calls from a Google Ad he knows. When someone books online after finding him on Instagram, he knows. It's not magic, it's tracking. Call tracking numbers, conversion tracking on your booking page, the whole deal. It sounds technical, and the setup is. But once it's in place, it runs in the background while you're out fishing.
KNOW WHAT EACH TRIP COSTS YOU: Once you knnow where your trips come from, you can do the math that actually matters. If you spent $600 on ads last month and got 6 trips out of it, each trip cost you $100 to book. Now you can decide if that's worth it. Maybe your boosted post brought in some likes but no trips. You can't cut what's not working if you don't know what's not working.
THE EASY WIN - ASK: Start asking everyone who finds you how they found you. It's not perfect, and most of the time the people won't remember, but it's better than nothing.
If you want the real numbers instead, that's what we do. We set up tracking, we show you exactly what each booked trip costs, and we cut what isn't working. Get in touch HERE and we'll take a look at what you've got.
Wrapping it up
So let's go back to the guy down the dock. He's not a better fisherman than you. He doesn't know some secret spot you've never hear of. He's just doing 4 things you might not be:
He shows up when people search.
HIs website lets people book on the spot.
HIs reviews and photos do the selling for him.
He knows exactly which marketing is putting people on his boat.
None of these require 32 years on the water or handing over your firstborn to FishingBooker. They just take a little time and a little attention. Start with one. Ask your next customer for a review. Write down where your next guest found you. Small fixes add up over time.
And if you'd rather spend your time fishing than figuring all this out, that's what we're here for. We'll take a look at your Google listing, your website, and your ads for free and tell you which of these 4 is costing you the most trips. No pitch. No pressure. Just a straight answer. Get in touch HERE.
Same dock. Time for a different calendar.
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austin@firstmatemarketing.co
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