Here is SOMEONE ELSE’S marketing advice…
(And MY modifications for POOL BUILDERS)
By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.
Habit #1: “Not Knowing Your Audience”
Ilana reminds us that we can use Google analytics and other tools to identify the demographics of website visitors and Facebook visitors, which certainly can be helpful. Knowing more about your target market gives you the chance to tweak your message to resonate with that particular demographic.
And while that’s great generic advice, it’s a level of detail you probably won’t need for your business. That’s because your target market is pretty easy to define:
- If you’re a pool builder, your target market is basically a sufficiently-affluent homeowner who lives within your 50 mile radius, and wants to buy a pool.
- If you’re a retailer or pool service company, your target market is a homeowner within your service area who has a swimming in her backyard.
So yes, you could slice and dice your demographic data down to find out how many of your prospects are bilingual millennial’s who enjoy cooking and love dogs. But that’s probably more detail than you need right now.
Habit #2: “Not Developing a Voice or Tone for Your Blog”
I agree 100% it is vital to your marketing success that you have (or develop) and maintain a “voice or tone” for your business. Are you the high-end service folks who wear collared shirts, and email photographs of the pool after every service call? Or are you the high-end pool builder who designs and installs vanishing edge and perimeter overflow swimming pools on challenging hillsides? Either way, it’s smart to clearly promote your image and “who you are” (and “WHY should I care”). (That’s why we offer our “Identity and Master Story” service here at MYM Austin.)
My only clarification here is that you should be developing and maintaining a “voice” (a.k.a. “image”) whether you have a blog or not.
Habit #3: “Focusing on the Channels You Understand — and Ignoring the Ones You Don’t”
Good advice here, but what’s more important is to KNOW which channels are important, and know which ones are okay to ignore. For example, HOUZZ is an excellent channel for pool builders. But Snapchat is not. (Click here for an easy-to-read summary of what you should and should not do with all social media in the pool industry.)
Habit #4: “Not Using Paid Search”
Ilana is totally right here. If you are trying to generate more leads fast, nothing works faster and more efficiently in our industry than paid search.
(If you are not currently doing paid search, and you’re looking for some advice, I recommend you contact my friends over at Pool Builder Lead Rocket for some assistance and/or free advice.)
Habit #5: “Doing It Alone”
Once again, Ilana is right when she says “No one person will have the expertise to write copy that converts and engages customers on social media and conduct keyword analysis and all of the other activities and functions.“
Try forward thinking in the consumer mind. Transparency in operations, pricing, and quality outcomes. For instant traffic try ppc, but if you know what you are doing as a pool builder nothing will ever beat word of mouth. Content is king! Good luck to all.