How pool and spa retailers can use advertising to grow sales

By David Lloyd

Too many small business owners - including pool and spa retailers - sit behind the counter waiting for customers to come to them – they will grow old and poor waiting for this to happen. Increasing revenue is hard work and comes from a combination of advertising, marketing and identifying opportunities.

First, set an advertising budget for your business. This is not easy and may vary from business to business but a good commonly used rule of thumb is about 2.5 per cent to 5 per cent of current revenue. For example, a business turning over $500,000 per year should allocate about $10,000 to $25,000 per year.

Planning

Plan your campaign in advance and spread it over several regular periods. Don’t be disappointed if the first few bring disappointing results. It takes time and repetition to build recognition.

Consider the benefits of media versus direct mail. If using local media always ask for advertorial space – local papers are always looking for informative articles or items of interest, and this gives you an opportunity to tell a story.

Include “bait” in your advertising – special offers, give-aways or other incentives to draw customers to your shop. Ask your suppliers to help: a good supplier with long-term vision will always be willing to support your plans for growth.

These tips are supplied by pool industry pioneer and chemistry expert David Lloyd. For more information on this or any other technical enquiries call International Quadratics on (02) 9774 5550.

This article is about retailers advertising to consumers. However, for advertising to the industry, get in touch with  SPLASH! advertising manager David Stennett on david@spasa.com.au.