Ten Ideas for Your Scuba Blog

Many times dive shop owners know they need a blog, they will sometimes even start one. But then comes the hard part...what to put on my scuba diving blog? This is where many get stuck, so after one or two entries, they get abandoned.

Here's a quick list of ideas to quickly reignite your scuba blog. Some new, some not so new.

Number 5 is my personal favorite.

• 1

  Recent Dives

This one is painfully obvious but great to get your divemasters and instructors involved in blogging. Ask them to highlight some of the days diving; what the conditions were like, anything that stood out on that dive; an interesting turtle perhaps? Most importantly talk about the people who were diving and include photos if possible.

• 2

  Trip Reports

Another obvious one, the hard part here is to not let it go too long after you've gotten back from that amazing dive trip. Again, photos are a good thing.

• 3

  Special Events

Holding a discover scuba event? Dive Club social event? What makes it so special? Surely you can write 250 words about everything you have set up at the lake this weekend.

• 4

  Congratulatory Posts

Another obvious one, congratulate your divers on their latest diving accomplishments. Who doesn't like to see their names in print? Include links to your Facebook Page and let them know to tag their photos. These can be short posts to let people know that you're an active dive center.

• 5

  Expand on a Forum Post

This one is a goldmine of ideas and mainly overlooked by the scuba population in my opinion. Go to the new divers area or general diving questions section of your favorite scuba forum and look for questions from new divers that you could expand upon. Write a blog post about it, and be honest and informative, not just selling your wares. The great thing about this one is that there's a never ending list of questions that you can answer, and you can then link to your blog post from the forum.

• 6

  Lists and How To's

People are just naturally drawn to lists and how to articles. Things to do before your next dive trip for example: Passport? Check, Cert Card? Check, you get the idea, I even used it for this post.

• 7

  Product Reviews and Purchase Decisions

This one is a bit touchy for dive centers since most don't want to say anything that's not 100% positive about the dive equipment they are trying to sell. But be honest, maybe a product is great for man but not so great for a woman. Product Decision Making - Why should I buy that Atom Regulator when I can get an entry level one? Don't make it all about selling the high end product, just present the differences. Why not a post explaining how to fit a mask or split fins vs. paddle fins?

If you get really creative, maybe you'll even do a video like this one that shows {rokbox text=|what a good fitting mask looks like|title=|Scuba Mask Fitting :: www.dolphinscuba.com.au|}http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eT_C8AP01g{/rokbox}.

• 8

  Give an Opinion on a Program

Dive centers normally love or hate the e-learning option. What is your shops position on it? If you're not a fan then state why, just be careful that you aren't derogatory towards another dive shop or certification agency if you're taking an opposing position.

• 9

  Current Events that Impact Your Divers

The Gulf oil spill has affected many businesses, how are you letting your divers really know what's going on? Why not a blog post about it. Link to it from DEMA's Gulf State Diving forum.

• 10

  Reference Another Blogger

Doing a trip to Kona? Write a short article and link to a scuba blog that talks about diving with Manta Rays in Hawaii, you'll not only provide your divers with some useful local information, but you can also build a rapport with other scuba bloggers. Networking is always good and can be beneficial to both parties.

I know all of this is easier said than done because people are busy. But just a little bit of effort on your part can go a long way. The more you get back into writing the easier it'll be for you and the search engines and your divers will love you for it.

In a recent post I talked about maximizing your scuba blog, hopefully these have given you some ideas of what to actually put in it.