Marketing for Pool Builders

It ain’t as easy as it used to be…

By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

If you’ve been struggling to figure out why your marketing and advertising isn’t working like it used to, don’t think you’re alone. Pool builders aren’t the only ones who feel their advertising budget is like throwing money into the wind. It’s a universal problem, at least here in our western society.

Are you aware of these two major trends working against you to make your marketing less effective?

PEOPLE– Since 9/11 in particular, there’s been a growing desire to step back from the rush and noise of everyday life, and spend more time focusing on ourselves, our families, and our relationships.

SOCIETY– The exponential increases in the onslaught of news, noise, information, knowledge, advertising and marketing messages has compounded into a giant “societal noise.”

So where does that leave us? With a bunch of advertisers shouting louder and louder, and a growing list of prospects that are trying harder and harder not to listen.

Compounding this problem is the fact that most ads are loaded with idiotic claims and meaningless “platitudes.” It started with the concept of “branding” in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and is now more prevalent than ever.

plat-i-tude n. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant.

How do you know if your ads contain platitudes? Read your ad aloud, and ask yourself “Who else can say that?” If you can scratch out your name and write in your competitor’s name, and the piece is still accurate, then you really haven’t said anything unique, have you?

Now read the ad again. Are you stating the obvious? Would an objective reading make you want to say “Well I would hope so!”? For example, if an ad said “We’ll fix it right the first time…” wouldn’t that make you want to say “Well I would hope so!”?

If your ads fail either of these tests, then you’re speaking in platitudes.

Here are some common platitudes that you’ll probably recognize from almost any industry:

“Honest”
“Reliable”
“Professional”
“Customer Service”
“Where Quality is a Tradition”
“Dedicated to Satisfying Your Needs”
“We Go the Extra Mile for Our Clients”

They sound lovely, but they’r utterly meaningless. Here’s the key concept you’ve got to embrace: Just because you say something in your ad (or website or brochure or whatever) doesn’t mean anyone is going to believe you.

Now do you see why marketing is so hard?

These conflicts create a “Confidence Gap“. The prospects don’t know whether one builder or business is any better or any different or any worse than any of the others. So what do they do? They presume everyone is the same, and choose the builder that comes in with the lowest bid.

Next week, I’ll give you some ideas of how to overcome this Confidence Gap. In the meantime, if you’re having trouble removing the platitudes from your marketing, just give us a call. We’ll show you how.

Till then – Good selling!

Brett

2009 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin Inc. May not be used without permission.