Congratulations! Your pool contracting business has builds booked through the 2022 pool building season. You’re all set. But you can’t just stop your swimming pool marketing. You still need to build brand awareness in your community, or you’ll lose all the momentum you’ve generated through your careful ads and marketing strategies. Plus, what happens if some of your customers back out? Even when your pool builds are booked for a couple of years, you still need to keep your digital marketing strategy in place, so that your community knows you’re there, so that you can continue to make profits off your other products and services, and so you can quickly fill any installation slots that do creep up if people change their minds or don’t receive funding. Here’s how to market pools when you’re all booked up.
Stay active on social media to market pools
The first key to marketing swimming pools is to stay active online, even when you’re booked out for years. Staying active on social media and your website is how people will find out about your business. You don’t want potential leads to go to someone else just because they’re active and you’re not! Because whoever they contact first will likely be the guys they use for the next several decades for chemical purchases, water testing, service and maintenance, and perhaps even your upsell product lines, like patio furniture and grills.
Keeping your website & SEO game strong
It takes years to build a strong SEO strategy for swimming pool marketing, but after only a few months without blogging and updating, you’ll begin to see those ranked pages slipping. If a competitor moves into your market, you can lose huge ground quickly, and it can take years to rebuild.Â
No matter how long your pool builds are booked out, you still need to maintain your website, because it’s your virtual storefront in the digital marketing age. Keep your specials updated, your hours of operation current, your phone number up-to-date, and provide a regular blog. Don’t underestimate the power of those how-to blogs when it comes to keeping your new pool owners satisfied and answering their questions about maintenance, water chemistry, safety, and more. This significantly increases the lifetime value of your customers.
Consider adding e-commerce to your website
Now is an excellent time to add an e-commerce site to your website. This allows customers, both far and near, to order chemicals, filters, supplies, and even retail items directly from your website. It’s an entirely new level of revenue and customer service. The best part about e-commerce is that it isn’t as likely to get shut down like a retail store during lockdowns. It allows you to reach potential customers far outside your local market, and produce a new revenue stream without much infrastructure. The Get Smart Group specializes in e-commerce solutions for pool and spa dealers. So, if this sounds appealing to you, give us a call!
Promote other products besides your pools
When your pool builds are on autopilot is an excellent time to build product lines that increase revenue. You can’t really focus on marketing additional product lines when you’re trying to get your pool installers scheduled out for the season. But when they’re busy from May through October, you can take your pool business to the next level.
For instance, supplement your pool builds with high-end patio furniture, grills, or outdoor fireplaces. Many customers today are looking for a holistic backyard experience, not just a “swimming pool”.
Alternatively, this might be the right time to get into maintenance and service routes or take on a new line of hot tubs. These are all-natural add-ons and upsells to the pool company’s lineup, but you can also focus on other backyard renovation or home improvement products and services, such as backyard sheds, sunrooms, and patios, or more elegant hardscaping projects like waterfalls and koi ponds.
While you’re booked out for years, promoting other products will help you build brand recognition. For example, if you promote patio furniture or spa chemicals you’re selling, you’ll appear in people’s searches for products they can get from you now. Down the road, when they’re ready for a pool and you have availability, they’ll recognize your name. This way you’re still getting the word out while not aiming directly for pool sales.
When you’re promoting these products, remember: specificity is key. Don’t just promote spa chemicals in general; promote the spa chemicals you sell. This will help you get a better return on investment.
Need help marketing pools when your builds are booked out for years? The Get Smart Group has been helping businesses market pools and spas for years, and can help you, too. Contact us today for a free consultation!
