Marketing for Pools & Spas in 2020 is all about reaching your customers on their playing field and time frame.
I once had a boss who loved to micromanage. I’m no scientist, but I swear it was in his DNA. The best employees arrived at 7:45 and left at 5:15. It didn’t matter what I did, as long as I was in my office chair during those hours.
Let’s pause for a very important note. I was a writer. I did not deal with customers. I did not answer the phone. I set my own appointments with people I needed to interview. There was never any question about my job performance. In fact, I did my job so quickly that I kept asking for more and more responsibility. But I was a new mom who struggled to get the screaming baby to daycare and then across town to be at my desk by 7:45. It’s not a season of life I care to re-live.
I just kept thinking… why? Why are these office hours more important than the job I’m doing? Why do some people count quality over quantity?
News flash: I’m not alone. Many of your customers are the same way… they don’t operate during regular business hours. And you could be losing sales because of it.
Pool & Hot Tub Marketing Insight: People Want to Do a Little But Get a Lot
According to Facebook’s 2020 Annual Topics & Trends, “People are looking for minimalistic products and routines that have maximum impact.” This is just a really just a fancy way of applying the KISS method (Keep it Simple and Straightforward).
An example in the report explains that beauty experts are reducing makeup routines from 10 steps to 3 steps. Why? Because complex isn’t chic anymore. People are busy, and they’re looking for ways to make their lives easier!
That includes the pool and spa buying process.
It’s essential. Urgent. A top priority. You must be able to meet your customers beyond traditional work hours. The average consumer isn’t thinking about a pool or spa purchase when they’re at work.
- They’re thinking about it at night when they can’t sleep and they’re browsing their phone.
- They’re thinking about it when their daughter calls after dinner to say the grandkids are coming for a week in the summer. Wouldn’t a pool be a fun way to entertain them?
- They’re thinking about it early in the morning when, once again, they have to drive to the gym to use the pool or sauna.
You have the ability to make the buying process easier when you allow customers to communicate with you via their phone.
Meeting them beyond traditional work hours means being accessible by phone. And Facebook is one of the best ways to do that.
Swimming Pool & Hot Tub Marketing After Hours Can Equal Sales
I work closely with a hot tub dealer in a major metropolitan area. They recently added the Facebook Messenger icon to their website. It looks like this.
The idea is simple. When a user visits your website, they see a prompt at the bottom of the screen.
Hi. Welcome to Business ABC. How can we help you?
The following is an actual chat that a client had with a customer. This customer saw an ad, visited their website, and then clicked on the chat icon. The chat text has been edited to remove personal info.
This same client sold a hot tub via Facebook chat during the very first month. The lead and the salesperson chatted via Facebook Messenger over the course of a few evenings. The chat intensified over the weekend. On Monday morning, the lead came into the store and signed the paperwork.
How Does a Pool & Spa Business Implement Facebook Chats?
That’s the big question, isn’t it? The world is full of good ideas, but implementing them is often the hurdle. We can help with that! Schedule a free hot tub and swimming pool marketing consultation. We do so much more than marketing! We can help with business strategy to help your company grow this year!
