Where is your next pool service client coming from?
If that question ties your stomach up in knots, you're not alone - and we want to help. Consistent lead generation is one of the most important facets of successful pool service companies. Consistent leads mean consistent business, which means constant cash flow. Consistent cash flow helps you make more data-driven decisions for your business and leads to more growth.
Getting new customers in the digital age is a two-sided coin: both harder and simpler than ever before. Harder because marketing is all over the place right now, and strategies are publicly available and widespread among competitor businesses, and simpler because we've never had more tools and channels at our disposal.
Generating leads, meaning directing digital marketing toward prospective customers, is a key factor of current marketing practices. It's a proven way of increasing your reach as a business and is more cost-effective than numerous traditional marketing methods, like tv ads.
In this article, we’ll cover several methods of generating swimming pool service leads, generation methods such as:
- Online presence and social media
- Referral programs
- Local Networking
- Opt-ins
- Obtaining positive reviews
And we'll also explain how lead-generation methods will allow you to target your marketing and turn potential customers into actual clients who will pay money for your services.
Table of Contents
- Online and Brand-building Marketing Strategies
- Lead Magnets and Opt-ins
- Referral Programs
- Local Networking and Partnerships
- Online Reviews and Reputation Management
- Should You Hire a Lead Generation Company or Do It Yourself?
- Conclusion
Online and brand-building marketing strategies to generate swimming pool leads
Swimming pool lead generation can be quite different from traditional marketing. There are two types of lead-generation tactics:
- Paid channels - Paid advertising involves paying a platform (like Google, Facebook, or Instagram) for a spot on the screens of your target audience. For more ideas on paid advertising, check out our post on 29 paid advertising ideas for pool service businesses.
- Organic channels - Organic lead generation often involves creating helpful and informative content and disseminating that content through various channels (your website, social media, and email newsletter).
The goal of lead acquisition is to create automated inbound lead generation machines that attract prospects while you sleep. This is different from outbound methods, which involve you personally contacting prospects to drum up business. But how do you create high-quality content? What even is high-quality content?
Creating high-quality content for quality pool service leads
High-quality content is one of those things where you know it when you see it. However, by studying some of the best business content out there, we can deduce that all high-quality content is usually:
- Engaging
- Informative
- Relevant
By consistently producing top-notch content that nails all three of these, you can build trust with potential customers and drive more leads to your business. Examples of high-quality content for pool service professionals include:
- Blog posts
- Videos
- Social media posts
- Email newsletters
High-quality content generates leads for your pool service business in several ways:
- Improved online visibility: By consistently producing relevant and valuable content, you improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results. This increased visibility can attract more potential clients to your website.
- Building trust and credibility: High-quality content showcases your expertise, helping you build trust with potential customers. When they see you as a reliable source of information, they're more likely to choose your services.
- Increased engagement: Engaging content encourages readers to share, like, and comment on your posts. This increased engagement can lead to more referrals and word-of-mouth marketing, driving more leads to your business.
- Nurturing leads: By providing valuable content throughout the customer journey, you can nurture leads and guide them toward choosing your services. Regularly sharing tips, updates, and promotions can help keep your business top-of-mind for potential clients.
Lead magnets and Opt-ins
Once you've gotten folks to engage with your content, how do you get them to actually convert? In other words, what actions do you want them to take that will lead them to become a prospect? That's where lead magnets and opt-in forms come into play.
The benefit of this approach is creating a relationship between you and your leads. You give them something, like access to your articles on how best to maintain a swimming pool's pH balance, and they give you their contact information in exchange. This is called a lead magnet and usually comes as a downloadable asset (like a PDF or video) in exchange for a prospect's email address.
Then, when you have their email or phone, you can target advertising that won’t be perceived as spam since they opted-in to receive it. This way, you avoid losing touch with the potential clients visiting your site and all the effort you went into getting them there.
As a general rule, whatever asset you use to capture email addresses should be so good that you could sell it if you wanted. That's how you know you have a winning lead magnet on your hands. In your lead magnet delivery email, mention that you’ll follow up the next business day with more content. Then send more emails every few days, or once a week, with tips, testimonials, and pictures of before-and-after swimming pools you worked on (or use a pool service software with Service Reports).
You can periodically nurture your leads with temporary discounts or reports mentioning how a particular service will be available for a limited time. For more information, check out this article: How to Create and Market a Lead Magnet: The Ultimate Guide.
Referral programs
Referrals are a fantastic way to spread your services to potential clients that will trust you from the get-go. An ad can look professional and attractive, but it will never beat a client telling a friend about that one swimming pool service company they loved.
But while positive word of mouth works wonders, its success comes from people recommending you if the situation calls for it. It’s best not to leave it to chance and set up a referral program to give them a reason to do so.
The benefits for you are:
- A less expensive marketing campaign
- Strengthening your brand name
- Generating new qualified leads using the referral program to connect you with their peers.
Some of the mechanisms you can use in your referral program are:
- Cash or discounts — Offer a 20% discount for anybody who gets two other people to buy your swimming pool service.
- Discounts on the first purchase — This is the other side of the coin, a deal for the person invited by an already paying client.
- Point system — This would be for long-time customers, giving them perks like a free water balance check for every three people using their referrals.
Tracking your referrals is a complex issue, especially if you go through a growing phase and end up with many more clients than before. You can do this manually with spreadsheets or utilize a referral marketing platform like the ones listed here.
And if you're looking to utilize pool service software to manage your customer communications, Skimmer’s email capabilities make it easy to ask for referrals and run seasonal promotions.
Local networking and partnerships for pool service companies
While new ways of marketing your services in the digital age, like referral programs, are critical to a successful marketing campaign, you shouldn’t dismiss traditional methods, like local networks and partnerships. You can increase your visibility and brand recognition in your community by working alongside nearby businesses.
You’ll get more leads through networking, as your brand’s name goes alongside trusted ones in your community. Plus, networking is one of the best ways to learn more about your niche's unique aspects.
The most direct way of networking and finding potential business partners and more clients is by contacting other companies relevant to swimming pool services. Landscaping companies are ideal as they cater to the same clients your pool company does but don’t compete against you. You can also join local business organizations, either from the many different pool companies in your community or within the landscaping, spa, and swimming pool industry, if there are enough in your area.
You’ll be halfway there once other businesses start recognizing your swimming pool business and you know its owners on a first-name basis. All that’s left then is leveraging local relationships to obtain more leads.
There are many ways of doing that. If, for example, you create a partnership with a landscaping company, you can share databases and mailing lists, obtaining data on a vast amount of leads. You can also share forces online, with you boosting your partner through your social media and them returning the favor. Some companies combine this method with referrals, offering rewards for following and sharing the social media accounts of every business partner.
This traditional way of marketing is still around because it works. Just be mindful of who you join your reputation with, and try to find companies that can synergize with yours.
Online reviews and reputation management
Let's be honest - how do most folks find a service-based business if they don't already have one in mind? They Google "best pool service company in [city name]" and pick the top one with the most 4- or 5-star reviews.
At least, that's the way we do it (and I'm sure many of you do as well). Online reputation and review management are critical components of a successful pool service business. A strong online presence with positive reviews can significantly impact your ability to attract new clients and retain existing ones. Here are some best practices geared toward pool service professionals for managing their online reputation and reviews:
Claim and optimize your business profile
Ensure your business is listed on popular review platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. Claim your profiles, complete your business information, and add high-quality images to make your profiles stand out. Keep your contact information up-to-date so potential clients can easily reach you.
Monitor reviews and mentions
Regularly check review platforms, social media, and other online channels to monitor what customers say about your business. Set up Google Alerts for your business name and relevant keywords to stay informed about mentions and reviews.
Respond to reviews promptly
Respond to all reviews, both positive and negative, in a timely and professional manner. Thank your clients for their positive feedback and address any concerns raised in negative reviews. By demonstrating that you value customer feedback, you show potential clients that you care about their satisfaction.
Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews
Ask your satisfied clients to share their positive experiences on review platforms. You can email or text them with a link to your review profiles or ask them in person. Make it easy for them to leave a review by providing clear instructions and direct links.
Address negative reviews professionally
When responding to negative reviews, remain calm and professional (remember that these are 100% public). Apologize for any inconvenience and offer a solution to the problem. If appropriate, invite the reviewer to contact you directly to resolve the issue. This approach can help turn a negative situation into a positive one and demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction.
Create a review management strategy
Develop a system for monitoring and responding to reviews, and train your team members on best practices. Assign a dedicated team member or use a review management tool to streamline the process and ensure consistent responses.
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Promote positive reviews
Share positive reviews on your website, social media channels, and marketing materials to showcase your excellent service. Featuring testimonials and case studies can help build trust with potential clients and reinforce your reputation as a reliable pool service provider.
Continuously improve your service
Use customer feedback to identify areas for service improvement. Regularly evaluate your processes, training, and customer service to ensure you meet or exceed customer expectations.
Be active on social media
Maintain a strong presence on social media platforms where your target audience is active. Share valuable content, engage with your followers, and address any concerns or questions they may have. A solid social media presence can help improve your online reputation and drive more leads to your business.
Keep track of your progress
Regularly analyze your online reputation and review management efforts to identify trends and areas for improvement. Use analytics tools to continuously monitor your online presence, review ratings, and customer feedback to refine your strategy.
Should you hire a lead generation company or do it yourself?
There are many agencies and consultants who make their living solely through lead generation services. So, is it worth it to hire one of these companies to help produce leads?
Unfortunately, it depends on a number of factors, including:
- Your budget
- The reputation and track record of these lead generation companies
- Your priorities
- Your desired level of involvement in lead generation and content creation
As a general rule, if you have more capital than time, it makes sense to outsource lead generation to professionals.
However, if you're bootstrapping your business or just want to develop a brand around your personality, it makes more sense for you to learn these lead generation techniques and take a crack at it yourself.
Final thoughts
To summarize, finding more customers and leads is one of the most important factors for growing any business, especially pool service businesses that rely on a continuous stream of clients. Regardless of the strategy you use, lead generation involves two key steps. The first is to create high-quality content that's engaging, informative, and relevant, and the second is to attract leads to it.
You can distribute this content on your website and social media, or through lead magnets. You can optimize your website for search engines or use paid advertisements to attract customers.
Choose one or two techniques, test them for a few months, and record your results. Then, move on to the next batch of strategies until you find what works. If you're drowning in the tedium of managing your business and the thought of adding lead generation is just too overwhelming to handle, it may be time to look into pool service software.
Skimmer is a pool service management software that helps pool pros grow by ensuring consistent, premium and profitable service across every customer touchpoint. We help streamline the day-to-day work of running a pool service company so you can get back to high-level tasks like growing your business. Click to book a demo below!
