Awards Were Presented at the Discover Boating™ Miami International Boat Show on Feb. 15
Sea Tow Services International, Inc., the nation’s leading on-water marine assistance provider, is the winner of Marine Marketers of America’s 2022 Neptune Award, “Website – Corporate and Brand” category for its website, www.seatow.com. Sea Tow additionally received an Honorable Mention in the Public Relations Campaign category for their Hurricane Ian Response campaign.
Marine Marketers of America is the exclusive association for professional marketers in the recreational boating industry. Its annual Neptune Awards, that took place during the Discover Boating™ Miami International Boat Show on Feb. 15, recognize the best marine marketing in North America. Companies large and small submit their best marketing in multiple judging categories. Judges are from both within and outside the industry.
Reimagined with LaunchPad Lab, a Chicago-based digital product agency that partners with businesses to transform their digital technology, Sea Tow’s new e-commerce website launched in February 2022. Since the website launch, new website visitors have increased by 40%, and new website sessions have increased by 41%, and these rates continue to grow.
The website’s primary function is membership acquisition and renewal of memberships. Key features include:
- Seamless two-way data transfer: Through a custom Heroku-based API, full integration with Sea Tow’s Salesforce instance was achieved allowing for quick load time, ease of customization throughout the site and access by Sea Tow members to all of their account information.
- Home page: Focuses on new member acquisition, to provide prospects with the information critical to them and their decision-making process.
- Locator map: The three nearest Sea Tow locations automatically populate, along with boat and patrol locations. This makes it easy for members and potential members to locate which Sea Tow will be servicing them on the water, as well as be able to contact Sea Tow directly or visit the local Sea Tow landing page.
- Join flow: A new user join flow was designed to ensure new members choose the correct membership type for them by asking questions about how and where they boat in the new Membership Advisor tool.
- Member portal: Members can self-upgrade their membership, update their account information, access the Sea Tow Savings Club and more.
- Landing pages: Sea Tow collaborates with others in and outside of the marine industry to promote Sea Tow membership through special offers and other promotions. For each effort, Sea Tow can create custom landing pages with ease through a robust CMS and an enhanced technology infrastructure.
- Adaptive and responsive on mobile devices: More than 50% of site visitors are on a mobile device. The components used on each page easily adapt to the screen size of the device used.
- Footer: Full site navigation appears in the footer, allowing quick access to all elements of the website experience.
- Blog: This provides both members and non-members with access to thematic content, optimized for SEO, covering boating topics and education, and more.
“We are honored to win the Neptune Award in the ‘Website – Corporate and Brand’ category,” said Sea Tow President Kristen Frohnhoefer. “The transformation of the seatow.com website was 15 intense months in the making. From membership to on-water operations, and from programs and sales to marketing and technology, the development and launch of the site was a true team effort.”
“Our main goals were to improve the website to enhance member acquisition and retention, and elevate the overall user experience,” she continued. “In just a year since launch we’re already seeing its positive impact.”
About Sea Tow Services International, Inc.
Sea Tow Services International Inc., better known as Sea Tow®, has been the innovative and premier leader of on-water assistance since 1983. Servicing the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, members are provided with a 24/7 connection with Coast Guard-licensed captains. The pioneering concept, founded by Captain Joseph Frohnhoefer, was established in Southold, NY when the United States Coast Guard ceased response to non-emergency assistance calls. In 2023, Sea Tow is celebrating its 40th anniversary, marking four decades of boater assistance, safety and support.
In addition to on-water assistance, the franchise network handles salvage and recovery missions, and responds to natural disasters, environmental hazards and oil spill cleanups.
Visit seatow.com to learn more or follow along on Facebook and Instagram.
