There are plenty of pool businesses out there all vying for the same retail customers. During the quieter months of winter, Aussie pool businesses should take stock of their customer base and consider techniques for increasing their spheres of influence. Here are a couple of innovative ways to step up your success. Get prepared so that when the summer season comes rolling around again, you will have a rock solid strategy in place for selling and retaining a large customer base.

1. Create a loyalty system

Retain existing customers and get them interested in ongoing offers by getting them subscribed to a newsletter. Also offer them one-off, customised VIP offers that aren't available to the general public. This will foster ongoing loyalty and ensure that your customers will want to hear from you. When your most loyal customers are happy, then word will naturally spread around about your business. And word of mouth marketing is worth its weight in gold.

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2. Host Events

In store events are wonderfully effective at drawing a large crowd. Make sure that the offer is compelling though. Give the customers a good enough reason to come along. Launch a new product and then demonstrate it to visitors. Alternately, offer free or discounted trials of certain products or services and even add some light refreshments into the mix. It's pretty likely that people will come to an event if there is free food or drink. This element also adds to the conviviality and warmth of the event, turning it into more of a party.

3. Customer Service and Advice is Invaluable

A little advice that harks back to the old school – there is no substitute for good old-fashioned advice and customer service. Make sure that this advice is unbiased, honest and given with the best intentions. When this is done properly, customers will listen and soak advice up like a sponge. Providing valuable and high-quality information is key to developing a solid reputation as an industry leader. Always follow face-to-face, telephone or online advice, with a solid backing of fresh and relevant content on your website. Create material that is both interesting and informative to the customer and that is on-brand for your business. Distribute this content to them using the most relevant channels, i.e. social media, email, in-store or via your blog. This is what will keep people coming back for more. Relevant and interesting content will develop a personalised relationship between your business and customers, and make them remember you as a thought-leader.

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4. The Clever Philanthropist

Pair your pool business with a local charitable organisation or non-profit. This could be anything from a local kid's football team or a national cancer charity. This type of collaboration or support is wonderful positive PR that will add weight and integrity to your organisation. Why not sponsor a fun run or a football match? Perhaps hold an event all of your own and contact local media for free coverage of the event. This will give your business local visibility in the community and make you a vital part of the local business ecosystem.

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5. Rethink Your Retail Space

A workshop or showroom that's messy and cluttered will not attract anybody into your workplace. The retail workshop should be laid out in a logical and well-designed fashion with the minimum of bright signage and tacky sale signs. Turf these in favour of a more unified and on-brand look and feel to the retail space. Aim for professionalism and sophistication rather than an 'Everything Must Go Before 5 pm' vibe. The latter will only make the retail outlet appear cheap and low quality.

This is only just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to drawing more customers into your place of business. There are plenty of other budget friendly ways to smarten up your marketing to make it more effective. Subscribe to Evoheat's blog for more handy tips and inspiration about all aspects of the pool and spa industry.

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