16 Instagram posts and images in boating that capture the Christmas holiday spirit in a very nautical way
Most businesses in the boating industry will send out some type of e-greeting for Christmas and Holiday wishes. An e-greeting is an easy way to share your holiday message via email and, of course, on social media.
Each year at SureShade, we strive to create something that is memorable and festive. We’ll put our holiday creative as the lead in our December customer newsletter and post it on all our social accounts – primarily Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. This year we featured our new demo boat and added glittery sparkle to the sunshades (which animates) – a fun way to both decorate our boat and showcase our product.
As a creator of these holiday images, I am always mindful of what others in the boating industry are doing. The holiday greetings really run the spectrum in terms of hitting the mark on creativity and marketing impact. As always, some fall short while others raise the bar.
In some cases you’ll see minimal effort – stock holiday images with a logo slapped on (some don’t even relate to boating at all). Other marine businesses really take the time to create something extra special – a unique image, a video or animated gif. These are the ones that really stand out to me as a marketer and no doubt catch the eye of boaters.
In my eyes, the holiday images and posts that are most effective in boating include certain elements:
- Utilize unique or original design
- Provoke emotion (humor, happiness, warmth)
- Showcase your business or product in creative way
- Sharable on social media
So let’s shine a light on some of the most creative posts and images the boating industry put out this year as seen on Instagram.
Best of Instagram for Holiday Boating Images
This post originally appeared on MyBoatLife.com
Scrolling through your Instagram feed over the holidays, you can’t help but notice a boat-load of really creative holiday posts and images for boating.
Boating businesses – ranging from marinas to boat accessory suppliers – always seem to have fun with creative holiday images that showcase boating or their boat product. You’ll see everything from the oh so unexpected appearance of Santa on a boat to festive boating scenes and boats decorated for Christmas.
Here are some of my favorites from the 2016 holiday/boating season (look for an update next year!)
Santa on a Boat Pictures
Santa sure likes to get out on the water during the holidays!
These Instagram posts featuring Santa out on the water are some of the most creative and humorous holiday boating posts seen on Instagram this year.
Belzona Marina got a lot of attention for this creative image they created of Santa trying to stuff a Belzona boat down a chimney. It got shared quite a bit on Instagram (some even shared it cutting out Belzona’s logo… but make no mistake they are the ones that created the image!)
A classic holiday boating scene featuring Santa on a boat, this painting/image from USA Coastal is the quintessential Christmas on a boat pic.
Love how this guy from Doomswell Boarding Co. commits to the role of Santa on a wakeboard!
This clever use of Santa and his sleigh equipped with a Mercury Marine motor is a fun image with a powerful marketing message (yes pun intended!)
So that’s what Santa does after Christmas!
Boating Scene Pictures
Lights on the water and cool nautical holiday scenes, these holiday posts are worth celebrating.
Guy Harvey posted several really cool artistic posts for the holidays (would you expect anything less from Guy Harvey?), but this one really stood out as both a beautiful graphic and a Christmas ball any angler would love on their tree.
How sweet is this? The caption really makes this image come alive as a Christmas wish the little boy inside every grown man (or woman) can relate to.
The bold red line on the reel has a subtle (but also bold) highlight for the holidays and their boating business. Also love how they used a high quality image – high impact in your Instagram feed.
Such a simple and classic nautical image – and the caption “are you knotty or nice?” is just too clever.
The simplicity of this winter scene in black & white with the hint of red really catches your eye on Instagram. It also has a classic nautical feel.
Love this classic picture turned holiday greating. Also love the artistic effect of the black & white image and color accents.
Decorated Boat Pictures
Adding some festive lights to a boat is a great way to get into the holiday spirit.
This animated image highlights the product (sunshades) by adding some sparkling glitter to them. Be sure to click the play button to see the animation.
Got lights??
Notice the subtle yet effective product placement – the Seakeeper is keeping Santa’s sleigh stable as he delivers gifts for Christmas.
Deck the bow – the Yellowfin Yachts Offshore team is ready to go!
Using Christmas red and green lights in a slightly different way, these underwater boat lights look so beautiful on the water.
Be sure to click on any of the above posts to follow these accounts on Instagram – you’ll definitely see more creative posts from this crew throughout the year!
