When it comes to common misconceptions about FishingBooker, our commission has to be way up there. As a self-made captain, you’re used to having full control over your business. The idea of paying someone else a cut of your profit seems strange and, at first glance, a little frustrating. So why should you join us?
You’ll get help building your online reputation, for one thing, as well as promoting your business and being able to manage your bookings in one place. You’ll receive support if a customer is a no-show and be able to avoid double bookings.
Of course, it’s up to you to decide if these benefits (and more!) are worth it. Just remember that all of them are available to you as soon as you click “Publish,” no matter how much commission you choose. Let’s take a closer look at what you get with us…
#1: A Whole New Customer Base
With FishingBooker, you can tap into a customer base you wouldn’t normally reach – the online crowd. Hundreds of thousands of customers fish with FishingBooker each year, and we invest in advertising you so that you can reach them. Our marketing teams will spread the word about your service by:
- Identifying what makes your business unique. You simply tell us a little bit about your business. We’ll find what makes you unique so customers know exactly who you are and what you have to offer. Have something you want to highlight on your listing? Just let us know!
- Writing a description and profile you’re happy with. Don’t worry about having to put lots of time into your listing’s written information. You can tell us the important basics, and our marketing team will make it appealing for potential customers, as well as Google!
- Running year-round organic, paid, and display marketing. We have the best results in the field for these types of marketing, and charters often rank at the top of search pages for hundreds of different queries.
- Inviting your FishingBooker customers to leave reviews. Your customer will automatically get a review invitation email if they booked through us. Reviews help boost you in our search results.
- Giving you regular tips on how to boost your business. You’ll get advice on how to show up in search results and rank well on our site. You’ll also be kept in the loop about changes on your listing, and can request your own change at any time.
There are some things you can do yourself, without investing much time, that could potentially have big benefits. Try:
- Writing your own fishing reports. Regular reports will give you a temporary ranking boost, so you’ll potentially be seen by a wider range of future customers. You can also show off your knowledge about using specific techniques or going after certain species. This will appear on a dedicated reports page that potential customers can find online.
- Inviting previous customers to leave reviews. This is a great option when you’re just starting out with us. Having reviews on your page can boost your listing and shows how trustworthy you are.
#2: Free Access to Business Management Tools
Chances are you already have an established way of running your business, whether you’ve built it through word-of-mouth or have your own website. You want our site to work in tandem with the business you currently have running, to make things as easy as possible and save plenty of time.
With an ever-growing number of tools, such as Calendar Sync and Online Payment features, you can schedule and keep track of your bookings. You can take bookings easily, too, and keep up with customer communication through our Instant Messaging tool. You’ll also be able to:
- Show you’re a legitimate, licensed captain. Keeping track of your documents on your account is easy and lets customers around the world know that you are a legitimate captain. Your listing will show this information, which’ll give you a ranking boost.
- Avoid double bookings. One of the most disappointing experiences for a customer is when a trip is double booked. To avoid this, you can use our site to fit the customers you get from us into your normal client schedule. Why not add your confirmed FishingBooker bookings to your Google Calendar?
- Enable the Instant Book feature. This feature lets customers book a trip with you instantly on any open day in your calendar. It’s completely free of charge and helps your listing rank higher in our search results.
- Enable Online Payments. Online Payments let your customers pay either the deposit or full amount of your trip to you directly through FishingBooker. Captains who opt for this feature usually receive around 10–15% more bookings. You’ll also be protected in the case of no-shows or last-minute cancellations.
- Show your FishingBooker ratings across the internet. Make use of our Widgets feature to display important information about your FishingBooker listing on your charter’s official website. Won an Angler’s Choice award? You can also display this to show customers that you’ve been voted the best of the best!
Even better? You’ll have easy access to the majority of these features all in one place – your Captain Dashboard. You can also download our Captain App, which is an all-in-one solution for managing your whole business on the go. Keeping track of trips has never been easier!
#3: 24/7 Captain Support
The ultimate goal is to make sure you’re able to run your business and manage your bookings seamlessly. For when things don’t go exactly to plan, you can rely on our dedicated team of captain support agents, as well as a Captain Help Center that covers your most common questions.
We’re here to support you and make sure that, together, your business really has the chance to shine. We want you to be able to do what you do best – get out on the water and show your customers a great time. With free marketing, business tools, and captain support, all you need to think about is where the bite is hottest!
What are your thoughts on our benefits? Anything you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!