Adventure is still possible in a COVID-19 world, and PADI® and our members are already seeing positive results from our joint efforts to inspire divers how to Seek Adventure. A clear vision and a shared mission – Seek Adventure. Save the ocean. – is navigating us through this turbulent period and stay on course.

We know it’s not always easy to keep driving business growth while adapting to local regulations, especially when travel is impacted, and as seasons change.

What Can PADI Dive Stores and Resorts Do to Help Divers Seek Adventure? The key to keep driving consumer demand in this ever-changing world is to take an agile approach to your business and marketing. Here are two key areas where you can introduce agile strategies today to help divers seek adventure tomorrow:

Flexible Scheduling

Not able to get in the open water due to COVID-19 regulations or seasonality? Schedule confined water training and utilize PADI eLearning® to complete student knowledge development. If diving is open and the conditions are good, schedule refresher sessions followed by open water training.

Being flexible and upfront about the courses available to students will enable immediate and future booking opportunities for your business. Create your schedule, keep it flexible and updated, and then share it with your audience – post it on social, add it to your website and email it to your database.

Flexible Pricing Strategies

We’ve all felt the pinch recently, and while the diehard divers will always dive, economic concerns could put off new divers considering that first leap with the PADI Open Water Diver course.

Why not consider introducing flexible payment options for your students to make these decisions easier? Whether that’s split payments prior to each course section or a special discount for paying everything upfront, being flexible with your pricing strategy could drive more cash flow for your dive store or resort.

Seek Adventure – Diver Marketing Resources

Now more than ever, we must inspire divers to seek adventure in a different way, whether that’s locally, online via PADI eLearning or to a new travel destination.  Use the customizable assets in this marketing toolkit to integrate into your marketing and drive diver opportunities to your website, social media or in store.

• Inspire – Build your dive community.
  The world looks different right now, but we can still plan and dream. Use the Seek Adventure Toolkit to increase your followers, engage them in your diving adventures and courses, and get them dreaming about learning and diving with you. Ensure you collect any prospective customer data to use in your future marketing efforts.
• Engage – Drive business opportunities.
  Engage your audience in the different courses and adventures available now and in the future, and showcase your flexible booking and payment options. Build consumer confidence by being upfront about the COVID-19 safety precautions your dive store or resort has in place, and share experiences on your blog or social media about learning to dive during a pandemic or discovering local dive adventures.
• Convert – Acquire and retain divers.
  Make it as easy as possible for new and existing divers to start or continue their dive adventure with you and drive immediate and future business, in store or online. Use the email templates in this toolkit to inform your database about your schedule, pricing and any promotions.

Acess the toolkit

Please note: This toolkit and the creative templates are in English only. However, the resources have been designed to be edited by you in Canva and Mailchimp using your desired language and business information

How Is PADI Driving Consumer Demand?

“We understand that we have to continuously attract new customers in order for the entire industry – dive centers, resorts, professionals, manufacturers, and yes, even the other agencies – to not only recover, but also thrive,” says Drew Richardson, President and CEO of PADI Worldwide. “This has short term and longer-term benefits, generating new divers and keeping existing divers active. It means more divers engaging in their dive lifestyle passion sooner rather than later to accelerate recovery across the planet.”

To this end, over the past six months PADI has invested in:

• Public relations efforts and proactive media outreach to elevate awareness of and excitement for diving among new audiences. Since March, PADI public relations outreach has garnered more than 2,600 pieces of earned media coverage – all with the goal of connecting potential new divers with PADI Members. This massive media attention accounts for over 90 percent of all coverage mentioning diver training agencies.
• Digital advertising to reach new divers and connect them with PADI Dive Centers and Resorts, which has resulted in more than 12.9 million impressions in the period.
• Ongoing engagement with PADI’s 4.6 million social media followers, a community comprised of both prospective and current divers. The PADI organization’s active approach to social media earned 205 million impressions and focuses on keeping divers inspired, engaged and involved with the sport and their favorite PADI shops, resorts and professionals.

Investments in this strategy are made possible only by the ongoing dedication of passionate PADI Members around the world. In July and August alone, 3,368 dive professionals and 88 dive shops joined the PADI Family to bolster their own successes and be part of the global effort leading industry-wide recovery.

Let’s take our shared mission to Seek Adventure and thrive together.

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