After struggling with supply chain issues for the past few years, the pool industry is finally turning the corner. Don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of greater product availability and a growing customer base. Now is the time to implement strategies that will increase brand recognition and attract quality leads, helping your business grow the way you want. Let’s go over ways you can grow your business organically in 2024 and beyond.
8 Steps to Grow Your Pool Business Organically
1. Create a Quality Website
In today’s digital market, a pool business—or any business for that matter—needs a website to grow. It’s the place where people learn about your brand, browse product offerings, and make purchases that will be delivered right to their door. With fewer people willing or able to visit brick-and-mortar stores, not having a website can cause pool businesses to suffer.
But not just any website will drive traffic and increase sales. It needs to be well-designed, functional, and informative—without overwhelming people with too much information. Building a website is a great way to establish your company’s online presence and make your products more easily accessible.
2. Start Marketing Your Pool Service Business
Having a quality website isn’t the only way to build an online presence. Online marketing efforts such as Facebook and Google ads will help increase engagement and boost sales.
The size of your business and where you ship products will help determine how to target your ads. If you only operate and ship products locally, you’ll want to keep your ads local to reach the right audience. Other marketing efforts include emails, videos, and organic social media posts.
3. Engage With Customers and People on Social Media
Social media is key to growing your pool business organically. Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok are no longer just platforms for people to post about their everyday lives; they’re also places for businesses to promote their products. For many businesses, that’s where they see the most engagement and get the most sales.
You’ll need to create designated accounts for your business and post content that educates followers about your brand and products. You can also post how-to videos explaining how to use certain products. Be sure to like and respond to comments on your posts and comment on other users’ posts when they promote your brand.
4. Be Ready to Handle More Customers
If you want to grow your pool business, you need to prepare yourself and your employees for that growth. Expect to receive an influx of customers that increases product demand. Make a detailed plan for how your team will meet that demand while keeping customers happy.
5. Experiment With Promotions and Sales
Running product promotions and sales is an effective way to attract customers and increase sales. Whether you’re promoting a new product or trying to get an older product off the shelves, a good deal will draw in customers who might not have purchased otherwise.
You can advertise these promotions and sales on your website, social media platforms, and in emails so people know about them. Don’t forget to include the start and end dates and any discount codes when relevant.
6. Incentivize Your Customers to Write Reviews
Reviews go a long way for businesses trying to grow. Product descriptions are great, but at the end of the day, customers care more about how the product performed for other people like them than what the company that makes the product says about it. Enough positive reviews can convince a potential customer to purchase. Plus, they don’t cost you a penny—unless you incentivize customers with a discount.
7. Take Advantage of Opportunities to Upsell
Once a customer purchases a product, you get a better idea of what kind of pool solutions they’re looking for. This information can help you and your team members recommend other products they might be interested in.
When upselling, don’t be too pushy. Customer satisfaction and loyalty is much more important than making another sale, so be strategic, and know when to pull back if a customer simply isn’t interested.
8. Ask for Referrals
Never underestimate the power of referrals. If a customer purchases a product or service and is satisfied enough to tell their friends about it, you’re doing something right. That friend is more likely to purchase from your business than some other business because someone they know and trust recommended it to them.
Consider offering customers something in exchange for referring your business to people they know, such as a discount on their next order. It will keep them happy and help your business grow.
Become a UAG Member to Grow Your Pool Business
With member benefits like exclusive vendor rebates and product discounts, United Aqua Group has the resources you need to grow your business. We’ll connect you to the right product vendors, present opportunities to learn best practices from fellow business owners, and more. You can count on us to support you every step of the way.
Contact us to learn more about what it means to be a member, or click the button below to join today.