Replacing Word-of-Mouth

Replacing Word-of-Mouth

Twenty years ago, people found service providers through friends, neighbors or the community board at a local business. Those days are long gone, replaced by social media and search engines. In the last decade, Facebook and Google became kings of the internet, and while they still hold sway over most of the digital empire, it’s…

Just Hit Record

Just Hit Record

When Lake Air Pool Supply in Waco, Texas, received its first-ever Endless Pool for the showroom in April 2017, sales manager Ryan Jordan went live on the company’s Facebook page as they unloaded it from the truck. That video alone has more than 750 views. A two-minute live video in June about its tent sale…

Is Instagram insta-good?

Is Instagram insta-good?

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Instagram — the internet is crawling with social interaction between consumers and businesses. With so many platforms available, it can be hard to determine whether one is a viable option for your showroom over another. Instagram’s 700 million active monthly users make it a force to be reckoned with, and moreso…

New Year Review Checklist

New Year Review Checklist

We are all familiar with the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results. So the question is, do you have 30 years of experience — or one year of experience repeated 30 times? Wise, profitable companies review past performance, make necessary changes, and move forward. 2016 is…

High-Flying Photos

High-Flying Photos

When Scott Cohen began using drones for aerial photography in 2013, he was not aware of another pool builder using the technique in the entire United States. Three years later, drones have taken flight across the industry. The days of standing on barbecue grills and climbing on rooftops to get overhead pictures may be coming…

All Eyes On You

All Eyes On You

Truck wraps, logo uniforms…pool companies have used these and other means to brand and promote their businesses for years. Here, a group of success-minded retailers offers six tested concepts that keep them visible and produce revenue. No. 6: Direct Marketing Brooke Rossi, retail general manager at Wilmington, Illinois-based DesRochers Backyard Pools & Spa stores, makes…

Click Like

Click Like

in the last two years, marketing on Facebook has become very sophisticated, and advertising there can be profitable when done correctly. In 2014, a Gallup poll showed social media influenced only 5 percent of consumers’ buying decisions. The tide has turned since then, says Thorin McGee, editor-in-chief and content director of Target Marketing magazine. “This…

Revamp Your Website

Revamp Your Website

I’d like to ask you some questions: How’s your online marketing these days? What about your website? Is it delivering all the customers you can handle, or is it more like an online brochure? While we’re at it, let’s talk about your presence on social media — or should I speak with your social media…