The MICD Program logo is a powerful symbol. It represents your dealership’s ongoing commitment to excellence throughout all facets of your business — customer service and follow-up, sales processes and procedures, employee satisfaction and retention, facility upkeep, etc.

Now that you’re an MICD, it’s time to shout it from the rooftops! Becoming Certified is a big deal. It took a lot of hard work and effort to get here, so there’s no time like the present to make a splash of it and let current and potential customers know about your achievement.

In case you’re unaware, the MICD Program has a new logo as of late last year. Check and be sure you’re using the correct one on all of your collateral. The new logo can easily be downloaded from the MICD Portal on MRAA.com.

OK… now for some tips on incorporating the MICD logo into your dealership branding and marketing materials. Obviously, you received MICD logo window clings as part of your MICD Welcome/Recertification packet. But don’t let the promo stop there. There are many more opportunities to work the logo into your dealership identity.

Here are the top three most influential places to use the logo to its fullest:

(1) Personnel. One key place to “logo it up” is on your dealership personnel. Have the logo embroidered on your logoed shirts, hats, visors… anything and everything your staff wears on a regular basis. This ensures your most valuable asset — your people — are truly representative of MICD and that they embody the philosophy the program espouses. Any customer, be they repeat or a first-timer through the door, will see the logo emblazoned on your employees, and this helps connect your brand in their minds with the idea of being Marine Industry Certified.

(2) Boat show signage. This is a critical venue for potential boat buyers to come check out, touch and feel, and get direct questions answered about your products. As we all know, consumers are doing more homework than ever before in advance of plunking down their hard-earned dollars on a boat, and when they see you at the show they’re typically armed and ready with info and inquiries. Proudly display the MICD logo on boat show promotional material and signage. Have your salespeople wear pins or buttons that say “Ask me what it means to be Marine Industry Certified.” Encourage salespeople to talk with visitors to the dealership’s display about Certification and what it means for boat buyers. Boat shows are the prefect opportunity to talk about MICD and how Certified Dealerships are the most reliable and trustworthy sources to buy a boat from. After all, consumers won’t get a guarantee from the guy selling a boat in his driveway or off Craigslist. But they will from YOU, the Marine Industry Certified Dealership!

(3) Social media. It’s no longer a question of whether or not you WANT to be on social media; you NEED to be on social media! Make sure your dealership’s presence on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, LinkedIn, etc. all feature posts and/or photos related to MICD. These are excellent venues to continuously remind people what it means to be Marine Industry Certified. Social media is expected to feature daily updates, so there’s no shortage of opportunity to chat people up about your involvement in the program, what it means you are providing them as boat buyers, and how it protects them throughout the sales process (and long after, for that matter). Use these outlets to the fullest and make it know on social media that you are a proud MICD.