An above-ground pool can turn any yard into an oasis or a party –– sometimes both at once. Effective marketing allows you to reach more customers and transform their outdoor spaces into a place for fun and relaxation while simultaneously growing your business.
Join us as the United Consumer Financial Services team explores real-world marketing ideas you can implement today to grow your above-ground pool company.
1. Get the Online Basics Right
Your online presence is vital for you to compete in this market. Interested homeowners peruse everything from your site to your socials to seek the best product for the best value. Every online touchpoint allows you to engage a customer and win a sale. Getting the online basics right is necessary to grow your above-ground pool company.
In addition to a modern site optimized for search, you’ll want to prioritize a few other areas of your online presence. Your marketing strategy should include the following:
Google Business Profile
Your potential customers go to Google to conduct their pool company research. Creating a Google Business Profile allows you to compile pertinent information in one spot, including
- Location
- Phone number
- Address
- Reviews
- Answers to FAQs
- Photos of finished projects and more
This profile highlights essential information and shows what makes you unique, and users can call your office with a simple click. Creating your Business Profile (and completing it!) is essential to legitimize your online presence and engage with customers seeking your services.
Socials
Social media allows you to attract and engage with customers personally. Your socials give a behind-the-scenes peek at your projects, your team, and any other aspects of your business you want to share.
Your social channels forge a connection with customers you simply can’t achieve with a website. Social media allows you to introduce team members to the public. You can post videos and images of your projects to give potential customers a better understanding of what you do and what they can expect when they hire you. You can highlight specials, sales, and new products.
In addition to publishing content, social media allows you to communicate directly with existing and potential customers. Many people use social media as a direct line to businesses when they have questions or need support. Giving shoppers instant access to your team through social media helps you provide a better customer experience that positively influences their perception of your team and company.
Your customers are on social media. Maintain your accounts and stay active to meet clients on these channels where they shop and play.
Ratings and Reviews
Social proof is the most influential factor in consumer purchase decisions, even more so than pricing. Online reviews will affect a consumer’s decision to choose your business or opt for someone else to provide the solutions they’re looking for.
Positive ratings and reviews are central to your above-ground pool company’s marketing strategy. Take steps to ensure you’re earning positive reviews and keeping customers happy.
Once you’ve completed a project or service, ask your customers for a review. Text them a link to make leaving a review simple. After they give their thoughts and share their experience, good or bad, respond to the review. If they have great things to say, thank them. If they’re unhappy, ask how you can make it right, then take action.
Ratings and reviews give you insight into the customer experience. They offer valuable information that shapes your products and services and helps you better serve your customers, which will result in higher sales and revenue.
2. Market Your Business at the Right Time
The hot summer months aren’t the only times you should strategically market your above-ground pool company; sales and growth begin in the off-season.
Ramp up your marketing as the days grow longer and temperatures rise. The warmer days of spring are a reminder that summer is just around the corner. And when summer arrives, your customers want to be prepared with a new pool ready for all-day floating, swimming, and playing. That means they need to purchase their pools in later winter or spring.
Prioritizing marketing at the right time (before it’s time to swim!) allows you to secure sales and begin projects early, increasing your sales volumes months before summer. Focus on marketing to grow your business in the spring, and you’ll reap the benefits all year.
3. Provide Pool Services to Increase Revenue Year Round
Above-ground pool companies often focus on sales, installation, and sometimes repair. But you can maintain the customer relationship long after you make the sale by offering year-round services.
Your clients’ pool needs don’t stop at the sale. Pool maintenance is an ongoing need and significantly ramps up as the weather warms and water pH changes. Consider expanding your pool business to include pool services that allow for income in all seasons and regions of the U.S.:
- Water treatment and pH balancing
- Seasonal and weekly pool cleaning
- Care plans that include preventative maintenance
As parts needs arise, position yourself as the best place for your customers to get replacement parts, maintenance, and service. Offer off-season specials, discounts, and referral incentives.
Above-ground pools require year-round upkeep to ensure a summer of fun. Implement marketing tactics that draw customers in to increase your revenue and grow your business even after the initial transaction.
4. Offer Consumer Financing
Above-ground pools provide relaxation and recreation throughout the summer and even year-round in the southern U.S. They’re the ideal enhancement to any outdoor living space.
But for many homeowners, the dream of having a pool in their backyard is impossible. Individuals without access to a credit card or traditional loans and those without the savings to pay for a pool upfront are often left without options.
But you can change that. As an above-ground pool company, you can help customers have access to professional, reliable financing solutions so they can install the pool they’ve been dreaming of, using low monthly payments.
Finding the right financing provider for your above-ground pool business is critical to your growth. When considering pool financing providers, you want to partner with a firm that delivers real-world solutions for your customers and business.
When you choose United Consumer Financial Services, you empower your customers to choose the pool setup they want while positioning your business for predictable cash flow, increased sales, and growth. We offer whole-project funding that’s ideal for above-ground pool businesses like yours. With a simple application, a prompt notice of approval, and affordable low, monthly payment plans, you can secure the sale and commence with the installation.
Move your customers toward a favorable purchase decision. Give them realistic financing solutions that increase their buying power and facilitate a confident purchase today.
Engage, Sell, and Grow with UCFS
Marketing your business for growth doesn’t have to be complicated. With more than forty years of experience, United Consumer Financial Service knows that affordability is critical to increasing sales, revenue, and growth in the short and long term. Consumer financing is an effective tool that helps you compete in the above-ground pool market.
Contact UCFS to learn how consumer financing will help you grow your above-ground pool company now, through the summer, and all year.