When Aqueduct Marina’s in-house marketing person left unexpectedly, they found themselves in a vulnerable position. No marketing support, right in the middle of one of their busiest trading periods. For a marina operation juggling moorings, chandlery sales, events, and corporate bookings, the timing couldn’t have been worse.
They needed someone who could hit the ground running, understand their business quickly, and deliver results fast. That’s where I came in.
Starting with the fundamentals: the customer journey
The first thing I tackled was their website’s customer journey. It’s often the overlooked foundation of any marketing strategy, but if people can’t easily navigate your site or understand what you offer, everything else falls apart.
I conducted a thorough audit of the user experience, identifying friction points where potential customers were dropping off. Simple changes, clearer calls-to-actions, streamlined navigation, better-positioned information made an immediate impact. When you make it easier for people to do business with you, they do more business with you. It’s that simple.
Building a digital storefront: The chandlery e-commerce site
One of the biggest opportunities was their chandlery. They had physical stock, loyal customers, and a reputation for quality marine supplies, but no way for people to browse or purchase online. In today’s market, that’s leaving money on the table.
I created a brand-new e-commerce site along with local software developers (https://chandlery.aqueductmarina.co.uk/) that showcased their chandlery products professionally and made purchasing straightforward. The site needed to work for both their existing boating community who knew exactly what they needed, and newcomers who might be browsing and learning.
The result was a clean, functional online shop that extended their trading hours to 24/7 and opened up their customer base beyond those who could physically visit the marina. It gave them a revenue stream that worked even when the physical shop was closed.
Bringing the marina to life: social media strategy
A marina is an inherently visual, story-rich environment. Boats coming and going, stunning sunsets over the water, the community of people who call it home, these are stories waiting to be told. But they weren’t being told consistently.
Working with their marketing apprentice, I created a comprehensive social media plan that brought the marina to life online. We incorporated video content showing the day-to-day operations, the beauty of the location, testimonials from happy moorers, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of what makes Aqueduct Marina special.
Video is gold for engagement, and by empowering their apprentice with a clear strategy and guidance, we created sustainable, ongoing content that didn’t rely solely on me. We were building internal capability while delivering results a win-win approach.
The hidden costs: fixing internal systems
Sometimes the biggest wins come from what customers never see. I reviewed their internal systems and processes, identifying several that were eating up staff time unnecessarily. Time-consuming admin tasks, inefficient workflows, duplicated efforts—these weren’t just frustrating for the team; they were costing the business real money in lost productivity.
By streamlining and improving these systems, we freed up staff time to focus on customer service and revenue-generating activities rather than administrative busywork. It’s not glamorous work, but it’s often where some of the most significant ROI lives.
The goldmine they’d been sitting on: 1,800 forgotten contacts
Perhaps the most shocking discovery was their database: over 1,800 contacts they had literally never communicated with en masse. Past customers, enquirers, event attendees all sitting there, representing thousands of pounds in potential business.
We initiated a variety of targeted email campaigns, segmenting the database by interest and engagement history. Welcome-back campaigns for lapsed customers. Event announcements for their community. Special offers for moorers. Updates for the local boating community.
The results that matter
The impact was immediate and measurable:
- New visitors discovering the marina through improved online presence
- New mooring enquiries from people who found them more easily online
- Corporate bookings from businesses discovering their event facilities
- Event bookings from the local community engaging with their campaigns
- Better communication with existing moorers, improving retention and satisfaction
- Stronger community ties with the local area, enhancing reputation
They went from reactive to proactive, from limited online presence to engaging and accessible, and from leaving money on the table to capturing opportunities they didn’t even know existed.
Sometimes the best results come from necessity. Aqueduct Marina needed help urgently, but they got more than a quick fix, they got a marketing foundation built for sustainable growth.
