MerMaid

Role: Lead Marketing Specialist

Time: October 23’ - Present

Tools: Figma, Notion, Google Analytics, SEMrush, Statistica, Metricool

Goal: Create an app that help boat owners find boat cleaners

Impact: Provide boat owners and trusted cleaners with a symbiotic, on-demand platform that fosters convenience and peace-of-mind

Introduction

MerMaid is a PNJ Tech product that connects boat enthusiasts with professional boat cleaners, offering a modern, easy-to-use solution for maintenance services.

My role within MerMaid was to conduct market research and provide actionable insight that informed product development and marketing strategies. My research included methodology such as social listening, competitor analysis, demographic discovery, and consumer segmentation. From my findings, I developed and executed a data-based, go-to-market strategy that outlined key performance indicators, social media strategies, sales propositions, target markets, and brand messaging.

My goal was to deeply understand all aspects of boating culture in order to create a product with features that delivered unparalleled value to the life of boat owners and cleaners.

Research

Background Research

To initiate the research process and determine the feasibility of the project, I created a marketing research plan that outlined our research goal, questions, intended impact, participant profile, methodology, and timeline. I wanted to know what matters to boat owners when deciding to hire a cleaning service. For boat cleaners I sought to understand their business model and potential constraints.

To execute our research plan, I conducted social listening by joining local boating forums and analyzing social media content. My objective was to identify how boaters manage maintenance, while also uncovering the cultures, routines, and challenges of both owners and cleaners. Additionally, I took the initiative to familiarize myself with key aspects of boat maintenance, including cleaning frequency, methods, surface types, and relevant tools and products.

To validate my data and expand the research, I deployed online surveys and conducted in-person visits with both demographics. My discovery from this stage of research included:

  1. Boaters struggle to find qualified cleaners who understand their unique vessels’ needs

  2. Boaters value the convenience of cleaners meeting them at home or the marina i.e house calls

  3. Cleaning products and machinery are expensive

  4. Many boaters are above the age of 50 and find difficulty executing a routine 4 hour maintenance

  5. Boats have a range of surfaces such as teakwood, leather, vinyl, fiberglass etc that require specific cleaning products to avoid permanent damage

  6. As entrepreneurs, cleaners struggle with finding the money and time to market their services

  7. Cleaners desire free or cheap business tools to manage their client in-take and booking process

Target Audience Research

To determine the target audience I referenced preliminary data and business intelligence resources like Statista.

For boat owners there were 3 market segments that I identified:

  1. Gruff outdoorsmen who take pride in maintaining their own vessel and value saving money

  2. Mid to high income folks who perform some maintenance tasks and wish to outsource major tasks

  3. Affluent boaters with disposable income who value the luxury of convenience and peace of mind

I concluded that our target audiences would comprise of segments #2 and #3, because they are most likely to possess disposable income and derive repeated value from the MerMaid app. For cleaners, I chose to prioritize freelancers who would benefit the most from MerMaid as a business insight and marketing tool, while secondarily testing our product with established businesses to assess if they would derive value from the app.

I crafted the following buyer personas to dictate exactly who our brand voice would be directed toward. It was imperative to be as detailed as possible, in order for our brand messaging to be highly resonant, effective, and engaging.

Buyer Personas

Name: Brodie

Age: 35

Location: Irvine, CA

Income: $250,000

Behavioral characteristics: Brodie is in finance and has a packed schedule. He is very goal-oriented, independent, and efficient. He strongly believes in having a work-life balance and enjoys sports fishing with the boys camping with family, hunting, and pickleball.

Pain points: Since he balances his career, lifestyle, and family, Brodie faces many time constraints. He is resistant toward inefficiency, inconvenience, and unreliability, and willing to overlook cost considerations for his comfortability. When it comes to boating, he prefers for his boat to be ready for his next adventure

Online behavior: Brodie is active on LinkedIn, Instagram, and OnX Maps. He uses social media to research outdoor gear and travel destinations and makes purchases based on product reviews. He frequents websites such as Bass Pro Shop, REI, Amazon, and Academy Sports & Outdoors.

Technographic: iPhone 15, Apple Watch, MacBook

Buying Behavior: Brodie prefers services that are readily available and easy to navigate. Prior to purchases, he’ll consult influencers recommendations and curated lists that focus on the best options rather than many alternatives. Disposable income allows him to make impulse decisions like trials and subscriptions.


Name: Chris

Age: 50

Income: $60,000

Behavioral characteristics: Chris owns an auto repair shop that performs boat maintenance business. He’s not super business savvy but very knowledgeable about his technical work. He is honest and dependable which allows him to earn trust and build reliable clientele.

Pain points: Chris has a steady flow of clients but relies on traditional resources to market himself and grow his business. He budgets carefully to keep his overhead and cost of goods low. His primary method of marketing is word of mouth and yelp., he takes care of consultations, inspections, bookings, and scheduling.

Online behavior: Chris is active on Facebook. He spends his time watching informational videos and liking memes. He’s straight forward, not a fan of gimmicks or being sold something. He cares about his business, football, fishing, and his grandchildren

Technographic: iPhone 10, Windows PC

Buying Behavior: Cost-consciousness, accessibility, and trust drive Chris’ buying behavior. He is attracted to marketing that clearly demonstrate tangible benefits and ROI.

SWOT Analysis

Strengths

  • Ample boat knowledge, specs, materials, vessels

  • Direct access to existing boater base

  • Multiple in app payment offers

  • 3rd party vetting service

  • Built in GPS feature for service providers

  • Launched both Apple & Android

Weaknesses

  • Limited online presence - small marketing team and low post frequency

  • User interface lacks flow, branding, and design

  • Limits 2 scheduled jobs per cleaner at 1 time

Product Development

Name: Bill

Age: 60

Location: Long Beach, CA

Income: $70,000

Behavioral characteristics: Bill is a skilled veteran HVAC technician. He is very detail-oriented, logical, and risk-adverse. Bill enjoys following the same routine which includes taking his sons fishing on the weekends, hosting barbecues, and home improvement.

Pain points: Bill is an older man who juggles his career, family life, and leisure. He’s careful with his finances but is willing to pay a premium on quality services that offer value and reliability. He saved up for his boat and makes sure to perform basic upkeep, but he has little time and energy to fully maintain the boat. He is most concerned with his comfort, saving money, and time.

Online behavior: Bill is active on Facebook and YouTube. He uses social media to follow fish catch reports, watch the news, and update family.

Technographic: Samsung Galaxy A15, Home Computer

Buying Behavior: Bill takes his time before making a purchase by comparing costs and evaluating the reliability of a product. He skeptical of gimmicks, online ads and hidden costs, so he is more likely to make a purchase recommended by word-of-mouth. He loves a good deal and seeks out special offers.

Name: Jake

Age: 25

Demographics: male, 25, urban, low-mid income

Behavioral characteristics: Jake is a driven young entrepreneur who’s starting his own freelance boat cleaning business. He’s open, friendly, and always looking for new ways to market his business

Pain points: Jake is ambitious but he’s struggling to get his name out there and spends most of his time servicing boats. Se’s looking for a low cost marketing solution that is easy to manage and produces results. He markets his services at the local marina and on Instagram but finds difficulty posting consistently.

Online behavior: Chris is active on TikTok, reddit, and Instagram. He’s updated on trends, has good media literacy, and uses SM platforms as a search engine for marketing ideas. He’s young and more likely to be an early adopter of new technology.

Technographic: iPhone 15, MacBook, iPad Pro

Buying Behavior: As a new entrepreneur, Jake operates on a tight budget but is willing to invest in tools that help scale his business. He values Tiktoks and Reels that quickly summaries the pros and cons of a service. He’s willing to try free trials but equally as willing to unsubscribe if he’s faced with a big learning curve.

Competitor Analysis

I started my competitor analysis by identifying companies with the same service offerings and business model as MerMaid. The only direct competitor I found was WAVE, the first on-demand boat cleaning platform. Since this market segment remains largely untapped, MerMaid has a strong opportunity to position itself as an industry leader by differentiating from the WAVE app.

To support my observations, I conducted an in-depth analysis of WAVE's digital marketing strategies, app interface, user accessibility, feature set, and service offerings.

WAVE

Originated from wave, a luxury yacht brokerage based in Fort Lauderdale, FL and have been on the app store for 7 months. Based off their online presence, wave doesn’t seem to have a wide market share of on- demand boat cleaning outside of Florida. Considering they sell luxury yachts ranging from $100,000-$2 mil, their target audience is very wealthy. Their digital marketing efforts are minimal and the app looks outdated, hard to navigate, and contains several bugs. Being an extension of their brokerage business, there seems to be little man power allocated to WAVE. While they don’t seem to be major competition at this time, we can use their product to inform and improve our development.

Opportunities

  • Offers many services like cleanings, yacht crew, on-board chef, technical maintenance, one stop shop

  • 2 separate apps for boaters and service providers - ability to offer more features

Threats

  • Too many services, difficult to monitor and provide quality service every time

  • Limited human resources to app

  • Several bugs, difficult to use

  • Limited customer support

Below is the initial design for MerMaid, and while the development team captured the features that our users desired, I felt that the design would not attract users. Based off my competitor analysis and buyer personas, I recommended a redesign to provide users with an aesthetically appealing platform that reflected our branding and company mission.

We onboarded a new UX/UI Designer who understood the needs of our users and developed this style sheet.

Working closely with our designer, we developed a redesign that was a visual representation of ease and reminiscent of sailing on the ocean on a sunny day. To further differentiate from our competitors, we decided on a dual-focus of visual appeal and user accessibility. The redesign is welcoming, relaxing, contemporary, and refreshing.

Go-To-Market Strategy

My strategy served as a guideline to ensure our marketing activities were clearly defined and executed in a timely manner. Below is a condensed outline of the elements of our marketing approach.

Target Audience

Primary: Recreational boat owners, yacht enthusiasts, anglers

Secondary: Charter boat companies, marina managers,

Tertiary: Yacht clubs

Location: Coastal Southern California cities including Newport Beach, Marina Del Rey, San Diego

Value Proposition

Mermaid connects boat owners with certified, professional cleaners who understand the unique needs of vessels. Say goodbye to the hassle of finding reliable services — Mermaid offers trusted, on-demand cleaning at your convenience. Spend less time on maintenance and more time enjoying the open waters, knowing your boat is always pristine and ready for your next adventure.

Launch Goals and Key Performance Indicators

Social Media Strategy

Identify appropriate social media channels for target audience and determine the type of content relevant to each platform. Research specific algorithmic requirements needed for repeated engagement and virality.

Keyword Research

Conduct Search Engine Optimization research by using tools such as Google Analytics and SEMrush to assess search volume, keyword rank difficulty, and long-tail keywords.

Influencer Outreach

Research local influencers who share a target audience with MerMaid and send offers for ambassador marketing content to gain public trust and honest testimonials. Draft content directives and collaboration contracts.

Branding

Advise designer on graphic design specifics and provide written content for social media posts such as alt-text, captions, and hashtags. Develop slogans, email campaigns, and website content.

Content Copywriting

Create and manage content calendar within Notion to streamline workflow between marketing and graphic design teams. Draft design specifications, provide inspiration, and insert written content for each item. Film branded content and utilize Metricool to auto - schedule social media content.