Will Digital Marketing Really Grow Your Pool Business?

Transcription

1 Will Digital Marketing Really Grow Your Pool Business?

2 Table of Contents Chapter 1: What is Digital Marketing? Chapter 2: Facebook Advertising Chapter 3: Google Pay-Per-Click Advertising Chapter 4: Home Service Quote Sites Chapter 5: Listings Management Chapter 6: Reputation Management Chapter 7: Summary

3 What is Digital Marketing? 1 When it comes to promoting your pool business, there are literally hundreds of options. Some days, it seems like every other phone call or is from someone who would like to sell you advertising Billboards, newspaper and magazine ads, radio ads, sponsorships, school play or sports team programs, placemats, calendars the list goes on and on. Each one of these folks is trying to convince you that their medium will transform your business overnight and each one would love to take your money. Sometimes, you give in and say yes, either because you believe it might actually work, or because the salesperson has been so relentless that they ve worn you down. After you ve said yes, then the process begins of trying to figure out if any of it actually worked. What s Your Plan? Of course we all know that we should be doing a thorough analysis of all of the options and coming up with an annual marketing budget and plan, but few of us have time to do that-- we re too busy running our day-to-day operations. But we know we need to do something. No one has unlimited resources to spend on advertising, so we re all trying to find the most cost-effective way to get the word out about who we are and what we do every day. 3

4 What is Digital Marketing? Digital marketing (also known as data-driven, or online marketing) is defined as the marketing of products or services using digital technologies, mainly on the Internet, but also including mobile phones, display advertising, and any other digital medium. In other words, it s every way that you can reach potential customers on a laptop, desktop, phone or other hand-held device. Digital marketing can be incredibly effective for retail businesses, both in terms of cost and results. The world is a digital place and with nearly every purchasing decision that s made today, some portion of the decision making process has been made using information found online. So, is it important for you to actively manage your digital presence? Absolutely. Your online presence is your business digital front door, whether it s your website, your Facebook page or the reviews of your business on Google. When considering digital marketing, there are five basic areas to consider: Facebook advertising Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising Home service quote sites (like Angie s List) Listings management Reputation management Let s weigh the pros and cons of each of these areas, and discuss strategies to employ for digital marketing success.

5 Facebook Advertising 2 Quiz: The average Facebook user is: years old years old years old years old The answer is D, and it s likely that s the age of your average pool customer. Does that surprise you? 5

6 This isn t what the average Facebook user looks like anymore.

7 This is what the average Facebook user looks like.

8 A lot of people are still under the impression that Facebook is for kids. It s not. Facebook has grown from a truly social network to an affordable and effective tool for marketers. Browsing social networks is the top online activity in the US, with the average American spending 37 minutes per day on sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. The ability to zero in on a particular geographic region, income range, sex or age group is unmatched by other traditional media. 1 More than 1.7 billion people use Facebook every month. In the US, 1 of every 5 minutes people spend on mobile is on Facebook or Instagram. An Example of Facebook Ad Targeting Let s say that you d like to reach potential customers who are at least 25 years old within a 25 mile radius of your business with an annual household income of at least $100,000. With a targeted ad, this is the number of people you could reach in these areas: Fortville, IN = 510,000 Lincoln, NE = 160,000 Yorkville, IL = 590,000 Middlebury, IN = 190,000 Lancaster, OH = 310,000 Gaines, MI = 300,000 Knoxville, TN = 330,000 These are pretty impressive numbers, aren t they? 8

9 How to Create and Launch your First Ad Facebook offers several types of ads; lead generation is a very effective choice if you re creating a single campaign. The first step is to write the copy. Create an attention-grabbing headline and a strong call to action, such as Get a Quote. Make sure that your ad contains the following five essential elements for a good ad: Timing Offer Incentive Missed opportunity Sense of urgency A few things to consider: 1) You need to have good insights into your potential customers in order to decide who to target. 2) Be aware that boosting a post is NOT the same thing as creating an ad. Post boosting is not likely to get you any return on your investment; you can t create a call-to-action with a post. You need to create an ad that people can respond to. 3) Keep in mind that your numbers can be inflated by misclicks on mobile devices. Tip Try to include all five of these elements in your ad to increase conversion rates. Offers do not need to be discounts, it can be something like Make family memories for a lifetime or Build your ultimate backyard oasis. FB AD HERE

10 Google Pay-Per-Click (PPC) 3 What is PPC? Think of PPC like a billboard that you only have to pay for if people take action on it. You are, in essence, renting space on Google (or other platforms) with an ad, but you only pay when someone clicks on your ad. These ads are used to direct traffic to your website. You ll choose keywords you think your customers might be searching (like pool dealers in Indiana or fiberglass pool dealer near me. ) When it comes to PPC, your best bet is Google Ad Words. Why? Google AdWords allows you to put your ads at the top of search results when people search for pool related terms. PPC allows you to capture leads as they demonstrate an intent to buy. On Google AdWords, you don t need to set demographic information like Facebook, your business will just show up for people searching for your service. 10

11 By the numbers: 50,000 people search terms related to inground pools in the U.S. every month. This number peaks in July at over 110,000 searches. searching... Fiberglass pools see 33,100 searches per month also peaking in July at 90,000 February March April May June July 11

12 How to Get Started 1) Create a Google AdWords account at: adwords.google.com. 2) Connect your payment method. 3) Create your first campaign. Select your target location Add in any demographic targeting restrictions 4) Create an Ad Group by selecting the keywords you wish to have your ads shown on. 5) Create Ads with a headline and description that will drive people to click the ad and come to your site. Tips 1) If your website isn t structured for lead conversion, use the call extension option instead of directing them to your website. 2)Use as many extensions as you can; they will increase your rankings and visibility. 3)In the beginning, run regular reports on the campaign s success. 4)Do the math; Understand what your ROI should be in order to make your PPC efforts profitable. 5) Don t forget the value of impressions; even if they don t all convert into leads immediately, at least you re on your potential customers radars. Google searching...

13 Home Service Quote Sites 4 Home quote sites such as Home Advisor, Houzz, Thumbtack and Angie s List can be a great source of leads if you market your business properly on them in your local market. These prospects have shown an intent to purchase by taking the time to sign up for the site and requesting quotes. They re an easy way to gain exposure for your business in your local market and you re building your credibility by associating your business with these large brands. 40 million accounts on Houzz 25 million monthly active users 72% of users between

14 How to Get Started 1) Research which sites are most used in your area, and focus on just one or two to start. 2) Create accounts on those sites for your business. 3) These sites are very visual; upload your company s logo and as many good pictures as you can. 4) Request reviews from your happy customers. 5) Investigate paid options for featured spots on the site you feel is most relevant. It s an easy and relatively inexpensive way to show up on top. Tips 1) Regularly ask customers how they found you and keep a record of what s working and what s not. 2) Tailor your sales process to the quote site to reassure the customer they made the right choice. 3) Keep the site up-to-date with new projects. 4) Set a reminder to update the site once a month. A few things to Consider 1) Some searchers will merely be comparison shopping and not ready to buy. 2) Given the large volume of businesses listed, it can be hard to show up in searches without paying for a featured spot. 3) Some sites require memberships from service providers. 14

15 Listings Management 5 Listings management can be time-consuming, but it s incredibly important to keep the information about your business up-to-date, as incorrect business listings are frustrating for customers. Google and other search engines crawl hundreds of listings sites to check for inconsistencies. If any of these sites have discrepancies in their listings it will hurt your search ranking. Take the time to be sure that your hours of operation, location and contact information are correct, as many customers will use these listings as the main reference to reach out to your company. How to Get Started The main sites to consider are: Yelp, Yellow pages and Google my Business. Most of these listings will be compiled for you if you check your business on Yext.com. Take the time to click through to each of these sites and claim your business listing. You ll also want to make sure that all of the information about your business is correct, create a call-to-action and answer any negative reviews. 15

16 Things to Consider 1) Claiming and managing your business on hundreds of sites is time consuming. This is a good project to delegate to an administrative employee. The claiming process takes time. 2) Know that you can t manage 100% of them, but keep at it on a regular basis. Tips 1) Focus particularly on Yelp, as it is the main source of information for Apple Apps, so if you want iphone users to get the correct information about your business, this matters. 3) Keep your hours up-to-date; if your hours are changing for holidays or vacation, make sure you get those updates posted. 2) Consider using a listings management software like Yext to manage all of your sites from one tool. 4) Create special links from each site to track traffic from each site. 16

17 Reputation Management 6 Your online reputation is incredibly important. With hundreds of ratings and reviews at their fingertips for everything from toothpaste to doctors to mortgage providers, customers will rarely make a purchase decision without first checking a vendor out online. Negative reviews can really affect whether or not a customer will reach out to you, and they re not always the result of an actual experience. They can come from a disgruntled previous employee or a customer who had unrealistic expectations of your business. But regardless of the source, if prospects see a one-star rating when they search your business, they might just move on to one of your competitors without giving you a chance. If you find that you have a low rating on a site, the way to fix it it to get positive ratings on that site to counteract it. However, resist the temptation to stuff positive ratings by asking friends, family and employees to create reviews. This is a big violation of review sites terms and conditions, and if it s discovered, your account may be terminated, and you can be flagged as a violator by the Better Business Bureau. Online reviews will also help you land higher in search results because they will by add links from outside sources (these are called backlinks). 17

18 Things to Consider 1) It can be very time consuming to actively monitor reviews across many sites. Again, this is a good thing to delegate. 2) Negative reviews can smart, especially when you re a small business owner doing the best you can for every customer. Even if you feel the negative review was undeserved, resist the temptation to get into a sparring match with a customer. You need to take the high ground. Tips 1) Focus on a few sites that can be managed by your team. 2) Only ask for and show reviews from those sites you select. Make sure you re focusing on Yelp at the very least, as it s the main source of business information for all Apple Apps, so you want to make sure Siri has the correct information. 3) Gathering a quantity of reviews is the best way to improve your ranking. For example, if you only have two reviews, and one is a 1-star and one is a 5-star, your ranking will be 3-stars. Gaining just a few more positive reviews will boost your rating to 4-stars (which is the most highly regarded ranking.) 4)Don t be afraid to ask your happy customers to review you. They will typically be happy to do so. Especially if they ve already written something positive elsewhere (for example, they sent a thank-you or posted something nice on your Facebook page.) Copy those complimentary words into an and send them back to the customer with something like this: We are so grateful for your business and for these kind words. Would you be so kind as to post this review on Yelp (include a link to your Yelp listing) for us as well? We re always looking to reach more customers just like you and your feedback helps us tremendously. Many thanks for your time, and we hope you re enjoying your new pool! 18

19 Summary 7 Effectively marketing your business online takes time, and it can feel a bit overwhelming to start. But the need for managing your online presence is here to stay, and it s by far the easiest marketing to track. If you re not currently taking any of the steps listed here, start small. If you can only do one thing, start with listings management. There s really nothing more important than being sure that your customers can quickly find the relevant information about your business. Don t try to dabble in each area. Pick one and do it right. Again, asking your customers how they found you, every time, will help you determine which areas to focus on. You don t have to do it all yourself If you don t have time to devote to this work, delegate it. Or even consider outsourcing it. It s worth it to pay someone to keep your online presence accurate. If you do assign this job to a member of your team, let that person own it. It s a big job and something that requires constant maintenance. Set measurable goals; for example, getting your business from a 2 to a 4-star rating. Consider a bonus structure based on achieving those goals. 19

20 As you build out your marketing budgets in the years to come, you should be devoting at least 15% of your business gross sales to marketing efforts and of that, 50% to digital efforts. And, if you re not currently spending any money on marketing at all, take whatever dollars you can find and allocate them all to digital marketing. This is the world that your customers are living in, and it s the best way to reach them. Buying a pool is a big decision, and your customers are absolutely going to do research before they buy. Other than word-of-mouth, their research is absolutely going to be done online. If you ve presented yourself as your customers local and trusted authority, there s no way you can lose. 20

21 About Thursday Pools With over 35 years experience in manufacturing fiberglass and composites, Thursday Pools is dedicated to bringing cutting-edge innovations to the pool world. Thursday Pools designs and manufactures fiberglass pool shells that are hand-crafted with the highest standards and craftsmanship. Our one-piece, inground fiberglass swimming pool manufacturing facility is based in Fortville, Indiana. At Thursday Pools we aspire to be the world s most respected fiberglass pool manufacturer. We believe passion, care and attention to details make the difference. We are relentlessly dedicated to helping our dealer family succeed on every level, by supplying them with resources such as: product and 360 videos, helpful blogs, dealer sales tools and educational materials like this. For more information on joining the Thursday Pools dealer family, visit thursdaypools.com/become-a-dealer. 21