It’s a new year, and time for a new set of marketing recommendations for the year ahead.
And while the fundamentals remain, well, fundamental, we’ve got some new factors playing a role, not the least of which is Artificial Intelligence — we’ll get to that in a moment.
Starting with the basics, if you’re a pool builder, you’ll still need a great website, with a great story and photo gallery, and a tempting “low-risk offer” that will motivate both the now-buyers and the future-buyers to download for free. (In the marketing industry, we call this a “lead magnet.”)
The purpose of the lead magnet, of course, is to capture the prospect’s e-mail address right up front, so you can begin a thoughtful, long-term nurture process with anyone and everyone who visits your website. As marketing great Dan Kennedy would say, “Continue marketing until they buy, or until they die.”
And let me emphasize, just in case this is not obvious, this is an exceptionally powerful marketing tool. Any builder who proactively stays in communication with future buyers — offering them helpful, ongoing, unbiased advice throughout their buying journey — will have an immense advantage over the competitors who do not.
Those fundamentals haven’t changed. What has changed, however, is (1) the marketplace, and (2) the opportunity to leverage AI.
First, let’s talk about the marketplace. Without delving into the details and the drivers behind these shifts, I hope you’ll trust me when I tell you we’re seeing a distinctive split of the new pool market into two factions. And let me add, I expect this dichotomy to become increasingly stark in 2025.
Faction #1: Wealthy homeowners who are ready, willing and able to invest in a spectacular backyard experience. They have the cash, and they have the desire. They are ready to be wowed by a plan that will transform their backyard and their home. These people are obviously what all high-end designers and builders are looking for.
Faction #2: Budget-minded pool shoppers who balk at the new “six figures and up” starting point for a custom pool. These people may have started out dreaming of a custom gunite swimming pool, but the price realities have them suddenly considering more budget-friendly alternatives, such as:
- Fiberglass and vinyl-liner pools.
- Semi-inground pools.
- Container pools.
- Aboveground pools with sophisticated decks around them.
- And in some cases (Texas anyways), an elegantly converted stock tank pool.
If your target market is the wealthy Faction #1, then I would encourage you to focus less on digital marketing, and more on your image (including your website and social media), your reputation (such as your five-star reviews), and your relationships with your existing clients. That’s because wealthy homeowners are much more likely to get referrals from their wealthy friends than search the internet for a pool builder.
If your target market is closer to the budget-minded Faction #2, then you’ve probably noticed an increasing number of prospects who are backing out of the conversation due to financing or price. In that case, you may want to consider expanding your options to include some of the new alternatives described above.
Of course, if you’re a long-time, diehard custom pool builder, you might bristle at the idea of expanding into fiberglass, or aboveground pools and decks. I’m just telling you that we’re seeing a shrinking of the market for low $100,000 inground pools. Meanwhile, there are great margins to be had with these alternative products that are increasing in popularity. So it might be worth considering.
Now, let’s talk about Artificial Intelligence, and the role it might play in the marketing side of your business in 2025 and beyond. The good news is that you have the opportunity to make multiple parts of your marketing better, and do it faster and cheaper than you might otherwise. No doubt, AI is an amazing tool that can save you time and money in a variety of areas, especially in marketing.
This includes:
- Your website. If your website is weak, AI can offer you better content — including videos — for a relatively low cost. You can also use AI to check your website content for platitudes, which make you sound dull and unremarkable, like all of your competitors.
- Your drip nurture marketing. Here again, AI can quickly and easily create content for a series of informative emails which you can then trickle out to persuade your prospects.
- Your social media. Creating mildly interesting posts for social media is a piece of cake for AI, and there’s plenty of software out there to automatically distribute it for you.
No doubt about it, AI can help you level-up your marketing, if you don’t mind spending the time learning how to use it.
The downside is that every one of your competitors has the potential to use this exact same advantage, but they probably haven’t yet. That means you have a limited window of opportunity to stand out. Before long, this will become mainstream in our industry. Everyone will sound better, but no one will sound better than anyone else. But it’s worth the investment for a short term advantage.
Ultimately, in my opinion, as AI infuses marketing on all digital platforms, the human component will be more important than ever. To really differentiate yourself in 2025 and beyond, you’ll need to more artfully show your humanity and personality. Yes, you should take advantage of AI, but don’t forget to let your human side come through. This is what will set you apart from all the robot-sounding profiles of your AI-generated competition.
In summary, for 2025 and beyond, I suggest you (1) decide which half of the market you are going to target, (2) leverage the heck out of AI, anywhere and everywhere you can, but (3) don’t forget to let your human side show through.
This article first appeared in the January 2025 issue of AQUA Magazine — the top resource for retailers, builders and service pros in the pool and spa industry. Subscriptions to the print magazine are free to all industry professionals. Click here to subscribe.
