A reliable guide on how to sell a boat will most likely include warnings against bad photography. And how it can ruin any attempt to get any good buyers. Photos can help potential buyers visualize the product being sold. Thus it’s always a smart marketing strategy to include high-quality images with the description of your vessel. Luxury yacht photography is also effective in gaining the trust of interested buyers. This is because providing them with current pictures of your boat to match any verbal descriptions gives them visual proof of the actual features and condition of the yacht.
How to Capture Great Images for Marketing Your Luxury Yacht
Top-quality photographs can also help interested buyers visualise the kind of boating life they can have once they become the new proud owners of your boat. For instance, creatively shot images can produce enticing visions of lounging on the deck or cooking fresh catch from the sea in the galley.
Yacht unique from above
Another reason why you should provide top-quality photographs of your luxury yacht is because it helps you stand out from the competition. You might have a popular yacht model, but remember that you aren’t the only one looking to sell a luxury vessel. So you need to point out what makes your product outstanding. Plus, if you aren’t very good in sales talk, high-quality and professionally presented images can do most or all of the talking for you.
Boat enthusiasts may naturally find themselves browsing through yacht or boat listings more than any other kind of people. That’s why it’s best to show them appealing products that can become more attractive with high-quality photos. When marketing, it’s always a smarter move to show your products in their finest state.
Use these tips to create the ideal visual representation of your vessel with conducting optimal luxury yacht photography:
Optimise the visual aspect
Cleanliness matters highly in effective product marketing. No one likes to purchase anything that looks unkempt, run down, or filthy. Preparing your boat or yacht may take a lot of cleaning depending on its size, but the effort can reap rewarding results. Aside from doing repairs and a general scrub down, make sure to also replace sheets on beds with new or freshly washed linen. Furtermore, clean seat cushions and carpets (as well as other upholstery), get rid of any mess, and to take care of eyesores (such as tangled rope).
As important as it is to create stunning images, it’s equally essential to include a visual presentation of the boat’s features. Try to capture the specs of the engine, your newly upholstered seats, life-saving and emergency equipment, and other outstanding features that set your vessel apart from other yachts for sale.
The stunning wheelhouse interiors of a luxury yacht
Good lighting matters. Take exterior photos when it is extra sunny outside. Nothing says ‘buy and sail me’ better than a luxury boat on a sun-kissed ocean on a bright, Summer day. On the other hand, avoid shooting pictures inside your luxury yacht when the sun is shining too bright. Because overly bright daylight filtering in through glass tends to cast shadows on interiors. And even when it is still daytime, make sure to turn on all lights inside to get rid of any dark spots and to evenly distribute the illumination inside.
Focus on quality and good maintenance
While seeing everything on the boat matters to highly meticulous customers, avoid taking photos of old or worn-out features. It’s best to get rid of or replace any equipment or boat parts that no longer work or are in poor condition. For example, rusted or broken bathroom taps and fixtures can easily be replaced with new and more modern models for a small cost.
Try to take photos of areas on the boat that show how well maintained your luxury yacht is. Impressive woodwork, sparkly clean decks, shining worktops, and beautifully made up beds give the impression that you put a lot of hard work into maintaining everything on your vessel.
A homely, lit up interior
Get everything out your camera from different angles
It can be tempting to take a lot of photos of just one part or feature of your vessel, but don’t make the mistake of uploading multiple shots of the same thing. Unless you’re doing it in order to show different angles, you could just end up boring or even annoying your potential buyers. If you really want to highlight something special, one idea is to provide a close-up of a specific feature, and then zoom out and shoot where it can be found on the boat.
Make interested buyers envision themselves on the boat. You can do this by taking photos of it when it’s docked or when it’s being used for a quick cruise. You can make use of props (like a laid out table for a sunny brunch on the deck) to entice your potential customers.
Brunch table setting on a sunny yacht deck
- Get yourself a good camera. Models that have a wide-angle lens can help you capture the entirety of the rooms or the other areas of the yacht. This will be useful as there are a lot of tight spaces on boats.
- Look for and use a photo editing tool to enhance your images. There are some basic editing options that can help you tweak the contrast, exposure and the colour grading of a picture.
After shooting and editing photographs of your yacht, make sure to organise and save all the images. The next step to creating an attractive profile for your vessel is to work with people who can help market your boat to the right target audience.
The Challenge of Taking Top-quality Photos for Marketing Your Luxury Yacht
Undoubtedly, the best way to sell a boat is to attract more buyers with high-quality and cleverly shot pictures. Having a good camera will definitely help, but sometimes it just might not be enough if you still end up with unattractive images. Not everyone has the trained eye of professional photographers, so you can always opt to hire one. But if that isn’t in your budget, or you’re pretty confident in your photography skills, then go ahead and test your ability with a camera. You can also get the help of our boat sales experts since we know a lot about marketing luxury yachts and boats with professional luxury yacht photography.
How 212 Yachts Can Help Sell Your Luxury Yacht
The boating business involves stiff competition, and sellers need all the help they can get to be one step ahead. This is where our brokerage services can be beneficial to you. We at 212 Yachts are passionate about providing the best service to our clients. We specialise in luxury yachts for sale or charter, and are willing to go an extra nautical mile to find what you are specifically looking for. As someone who is seeking to find the best buyers, we will make sure to market your boat to the ideal target customers for the best price.
We can help arrange a favourable deal for both seller and buyer, because we want everyone to have a positive experience when it comes to anything involving yachts. 212 Yachts also believes in full transparency and competitiveness, and we make sure all parties receive the value and customer service they deserve. To know more about how we can help you,