By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

Last week I announced a FREE WEBINAR with Joseph Christoforo, a PPC and SEO expert who works exclusively in the pool industry. I can confidently state it was an OUTSTANDING webinar, loaded with excellent “insider tips” on “How to succeed with Google.”

I didn’t give much advance notice, so a number of people wanted to know if the session would be repeated and/or posted online somewhere. Well, it won’t be repeated, but I have managed to get it posted online. Click here to see the recorded session.

A word of caution – The session ran a full 90 minutes, so if you don’t have time for that sort of education right now, you might appreciate this “Cliff’s Notes” version of what we covered:

TIP #1: Pay Attention to Google-Owned and Google-Related Products, including YouTube, Google+ and Google Pay-per-Click programs.

In fact, in one of the most surprising revelations ever, Google has now publicly acknowledged that any company running a “pay-per-click” program (i.e. any paying customer of Google) will get BETTER search engine rankings than a similar company who is not advertising with Google. Wow! That’s been rumored and denied for years; now it’s a public fact.

Joseph offered an outstanding suggestion to bump up your activity on YouTube. He strongly encourages any and all pool builders to post videos of your Pool Studio 3-D drawings on YouTube. I must agree – a collection of 3-D pool designs can be almost as interesting (to a pool shopper) as a collection of completed pool projects.

Joseph also noted that while “social media activity” is important, Google is a lot more interested in your activity on Google+ than Facebook. (No surprise there; Facebook is clearly Google’s #1 competitor in the social media arena.) So if you haven’t gotten active with Google +, you should start that right away.

TIP #2: Pay Attention to Your Online Reputation.

Once again, I most emphatically agree with Joseph. No matter how much money you and I might spend on beautiful websites, brochures, DVDs, Pay-per-click programs and more, it only takes one or two ugly online comments (Yelp, Google+, AngiesList, etc.) to totally destroy your potential with a prospect.

My recommendation is that you consider PRE-EMPTING this problem by getting as many positive comments, reviews and testimonials from your customers as possible. (FYI, MYM Austin can help you with that.)

TIP #3: Remember these 3 secrets of Pay-per-Click programs:

Use “Negative Keywords” to DRIVE AWAY the traffic that you DON’T want. For example, if you don’t do “hot tub repair,” or “vinyl liner pools,” then you should set up your campaign to specifically and deliberately IGNORE searches on those keywords. (This can save you a TON of money on wasted searches.)

Use COMPETITOR NAMES to bring YOUR name up when someone is specifically looking for your competitor. (This is totally impossible with organic search, but perfectly legitimate and achievable with paid search.) One bit of advice – focus on your “true competitors,” not just anyone and everyone who builds a pool. In other words, if you exclusively build high-end custom pools, then you probably shouldn’t be targeting your local “cookie-cutter” pool builder.

Hire an EXPERT. Five years ago, with a little bit of study, you could conceivably run your own Google ad words campaign. But like many other things, the pay per click/search industry has gotten so advanced and specialized that you are likely to waste a TON of money if you’re not a full-time expert. (It’s similar to the old attorney adage: “Anyone who represents himself in court has a fool for a client.”)

Interesting side note – In the entire 90 minute session, Joseph never once mentioned what I consider to be the #1 advantage of his company versus all other “pay-per-click” companies: The tracking of ROI (return on investment). So to echo what I said last week, if you decide to implement any sort of pay-per-click program, you should work with an expert, such as Joseph Christoforo and/or Reach Local.

To your success,
Brett Abbott

We should not be surprised that Google continues to revise and enhance their search engine algorithms, which makes it harder and harder for search engine optimization companies to “squeeze” their clients onto page one for any particular search phrase.

Fortunately, in the video below, SEO and PPC expert Joseph Christoforo of Reach Local explains exactly what Google has changed and why, and what you need to do about it.

Whether you’re interested in improving your Search Engine Optimization, or implementing a Pay per Click program, you’ll find this video extremely insightful!

[See post to watch Flash video]

By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

I had to think long and hard before offering up this public confession. It’s normally not considered wise for a business owner to offer up the “dirty little secrets” behind their industry. But this ongoing challenge of “search engine optimization” has grown into such a monster that I think it’s time I finally come clean with it.

I am an SEO crook.

And let’s be clear – I’m not the only one. Just about anyone and everyone who offers to sell you SEO services is a crook. 

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we’re all dishonest. Nor am I saying we’re trying to cheat you. But we are all definitely crooks. And here’s why.

All SEO companies have one goal – to put you on “page 1″ of Google (and Yahoo and Bing, and all other search engines. But since all of these other search engines put together still only represent a small fraction of Google’s volume, I’m not going to waste time mentioning them anymore. For the sake of this confession, when I say “Google” I’m referring to the #1 top search engine company in the world, AND all the other little wannabe search engine companies that follow in their shadow.)

Back to the point – This is a game of “cops and robbers.” When a homeowner searches “local pool builder,” Google wants to put the BEST choice at the top of page 1. Meanwhile, you and I want to put YOUR company at the top of page 1 – regardless of whether or not you’re actually the best choice. And how do we do that?

TRICKERY!

Our job, as SEO specialists (a.k.a. crooks) is to use any and all manner of trickery to dupe Google into thinking that YOU are the “most popular” and therefore the “best choice.” What manner of trickery, you say? Well, take your pick:

• BLOATED KEYWORDS (also known as “keyword stuffing”) – This includes such banal acts as shoving a phrase such as “Austin pool builder” into every 3rd or 4th sentence of every paragraph of every page on your website. Annoying to read, but for a while there it sure made Google think you were the King of Kings and best possible choice when it came to the search phrase “Austin pool builder.”
• HIDDEN CONTENT (aka “cloaking”) – this was very clever and effective about 8 or 9 years ago. Similar to “keyword stuffing,” this involved secretly shoving / hiding all kinds of keywords and content “in plain sight.” You would do this by putting white text on a white background, or black text on a black background. It’s invisible to you and me, but Google sees it, reads it, and presumes it’s a valid part of the page content.
• IN-BOUND LINKS – Up until a few short months ago, this was the most popular, tried-and-true method of improving your rankings. If we could get 100 or 500 different websites all linking over to YOU, then Google naturally thought “Wow, you must be some kind of expert. Let’s put you in position #1.“

Now there’s just one problem. Google is very smart. Just like any good cop, they know about this “SEO trickery,” so they’ve invested millions of dollars and millions of man-hours to put a stop to it. They’ve had teams of extremely smart people working day and night to figure out ways to spot, block and ultimately punish the above-confessed trickery behavior.

(Ever heard of “Google Panda” and “Google Penguin”? Launched in 2011 and 2012 respectively, these sweet and cuddly-sounding programs are actually designed to put SEO hacks like me out of business. They go out of their way to validate the true quality of an individual website’s content, and they will search out and punish anyone who tries to trick them with any of the “black hat” techniques described above.)

And the hard-core truth is that us SEO hacks are running out of tricks. Stuff that worked great 2 years ago is now failing miserably.

I sort of feel like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – who for years had great success robbing banks and trains. But then the railroads hired the relentless and unstoppable Pinkerton agency, which caused Butch and Sundance to famously and repeatedly ask “Who are these guys????”

(And indeed, just as the well-financed and unwavering fellows at Pinkerton eventually get the best of Butch and Sundance, Google is steadily getting the best of SEO hacks.)

So does this mean the SEO business is DOOMED? Well, not necessarily. But sort of. At this point, I think you really have 2 choices, if you want to get on page #1 of Google.

OPTION #1: Demonstrate that you are truly “popular” and “a good choice” for your local market, so that Google naturally, genuinely and honestly views you (and your website) as the most relevant search engine answer. The ways to do that NOW are:

• Make sure you’ve got good, solid, interesting and honest content on your website.
• Make sure you are “visible online” in many different places beyond your website. This includes:
  • Social media sites
  • Online directories
  • Blogs, forums and other authoritative sites
• Stay ACTIVE with your online content. I.e., you should be updating at least SOME of your online content at least once a week. (Blogs and social media are a natural fit for this, which is why you so often hear marketing consultants prescribe this as a solution to SEO.)

The upside to Option #1 is that if you are diligent, it can work. The downside is that it’s a LOT of work, it takes a LONG time, there’s NO GUARANTEE whatsoever that it will actually work, and quite honestly it’s going to get in the way of you doing your REAL job, which I presume is designing, building and/or servicing swimming pools.

OPTION #2: Bypass the “organic” route, and get on page #1 INSTANTLY using the PAID route. I used to consider “pay per click” to be an inferior choice to “search engine optimization.” But that was before the Pinkerton agency (Google) started dogging us relentlessly, and rendering our SEO efforts near useless. NOW, suddenly, pay per click looks a LOT more attractive.

But let me offer 3 important bits of advice before you jump into any “pay per click” programs:

1. While it’s certainly possible for you to implement your own “do-it-yourself” pay per click program with Google ad words, I don’t recommend it. It’s a challenging task that requires a substantial level of expertise, presuming you want to get good results. You can waste a LOT of money if you don’t know what you’re doing. Thus, I strongly recommend that if you’re going to do pay per click, you should HIRE someone.
2. Next, recognize that out of 9,998 different “pay per click” companies in the US, all but 2 of them have one singular goal, and that is TO SPEND YOUR MONEY. “You want to buy $1000 worth of clicks? Great, I’ll make sure we spend $1000 of your money on clicks.” There are only TWO pay per click companies that I can recommend in good conscience: Reach Local and Yodle.
3. While the reps from both Reach Local and Yodle would certainly argue that THEIR company is superior to the other, I can tell you that they are BOTH good companies, and they are both vastly superior choices compared to the other 9,998 pay per click companies. HOWEVER, Reach Local has ONE THING that Yodle doesn’t have – and that’s Joseph Christoforo. Joseph is a pay per click expert who SPECIALIZES in (wait for it…) the SWIMMING POOL industry.

Feel free to contact Joseph directly at (512) 652-6900 ext 104.

Meanwhile, as a “born-again SEO crook,” I can tell you that I’m working on modifying our SEO services so that they work IN COOPERATION with Google, rather than “behind their back.” I must admit it’s MORE EXPENSIVE and LESS EFFECTIVE than it used to be, but I can still give you an advantage over other fiberglass dealers who don’t do anything in the way of SEO.

Well, I’m sure glad I got this confession off my chest. Now maybe I won’t have to move to Bolivia after all.

To your success,
Brett Abbott

By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

This message is for those of you who DON’T regularly attend pool industry trade shows.

Before I joined the swimming pool industry, I spent about 20 years in high-tech sales and marketing. Every year, I would attend the massive “SEMICON” trade show in Silicon Valley, getting exposed to the “cutting-edge” of, well, cutting-edge technology. And every year, I would come back home with new insights, new contacts, new product info, and a new level of understanding and expertise in the semiconductor industry.

Yes, I was a geek. (It’s nice to be in a geek-free zone for a change.)

But there was a valuable advantage in attending all those geekfests. Those of us who went to the show always had “a leg up” on those who didn’t get to go. We were “hot stuff” around the water cooler. And that’s why I want to talk to YOU about trade shows.

If you want to be better, smarter, more successful and more popular around the watercooler, then YOU should be making tracks to at least ONE industry trade show every year.

Based on my own “back of the napkin” calculations, somewhere between 10% and 20% of all pool builders will attend a trade show. That means the remaining 80% of all pool builders will be comparatively “behind the curve” compared to the handful who make the effort and investment to attend a show.

Wouldn’t you rather be in the top 20%?

Forgive me if I’m beating this to death here, but in my mind, this is a very big deal.  My overriding passion in this industry is to help pool builders sell more pools.  And since there doesn’t appear to be a solitary “silver bullet” that will make builders more successful, I’m always on the lookout for ANY opportunity that will give my clients the edge.

Going to a trade show is one of those things that will help give you the edge.

Besides keeping you on the cutting edge of new pool industry products and technology, there are some other reasons you should seriously make plans to attend a trade show:

• You can get your hands on new “sales tools” and “marketing tools” that can help you in your next face-to-face meeting with a homeowner or commercial buyer.
• You can very easily get any “continuing education credits” you might need to retain your certifications.
• You can often corner your current and/or would-be suppliers, and talk them into providing some co-op dollars to help with your past and future marketing efforts.
• You’re bound to meet at least one person who somehow, someway, will help you be more successful and profitable in the year ahead.

And of course, when you get back home, you’ll be the coolest person hanging around the water cooler.  (And long-term, you’ll eventually be the coolest person in the parking lot, because of the new car you just bought.)

Either way, I hope I’ve inspired you to make “pool industry trade show attendance” a MANDATORY part of your overall marketing and success plan. (A marketing guy can do a lot for you, but this is one thing you’ll have to do for yourself.)

To your success,
Brett Abbott

PS – At this late date, you may think all the trade shows are over. But there’s still time to make plans for the Southwest Pool and Spa Show in San Antonio Texas. February 28 through March 2.  (Genesis3 classes starting on February 27, if you REALLY want to get serious about “being cool at the water cooler.”)  More info here: SWPSShow.com.

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

Hard to believe it’s been 3 1/2 years since I first began offering advice about Facebook. (I would offer you a hyperlink to my original post, but it’s so old, it’s probably not worth your time.) Initially, I encouraged you to “stick your toe in the water,” and get a sense of what “social media” is all about.  “Because it isn’t going away,” I warned.

In early 2010, I gave you some more specific advice, namely:

• Sign up for your free Facebook account.
• Create a “fan page” for your company.
• Start posting photos of your work in progress.
• And encourage your clients to go check it out.

Indeed, in 2013, that’s still good advice. But there are some better, more advanced tricks now.

Do you really want to “rock the world” with Facebook?
Then here’s what you should start doing IMMEDIATELY:

1. Create your company Facebook page.  (Presuming you haven’t done so already.  FYI – You have to have a Facebook account to do this, but I trust that by now, after all these years of helpful advice from me, you’ve at LEAST got your own Facebook account…)
2. Continue posting photos of your work in progress.  (I told you to do this way back in 2010.  You ARE doing this, aren’t you?)
3. Say something interesting about every photo.  Facebook is “a place for conversations,” right?  You would never blindly show a photo to a friend without saying a word or two about it, would you?  So don’t do that on Facebook either.
4. SECRET NEW TRICK FOR 2013 #1: If you sold the pool, then TAG yourself in the photo. (You don’t have to physically be in the photo.  Just “tag” yourself anywhere on the photo.)
5. SECRET NEW TRICK FOR 2013 #2:  TAG your WORKERS in the photos.  For example, if you’re shooting gunite, then tag all the gunite workers (and/or the owner of the gunite company) in the photo.  Once again, it doesn’t matter whether they are physically in the photo.  Just tag it anyway.
6. SECRET NEW TRICK FOR 2013 #3: And this is the BEST trick – Tag the HOMEOWNER. (And yes, you guessed it, it doesn’t matter whether they are in the photo or not.  If this is their home/backyard, then tag them anywhere on the photo.)

Now why is this such a freakingly brilliant idea? Because every time you tag someone, they get an e-mail notification from Facebook saying “You’ve been tagged in a photo by <your name here>.” That means when you post a project photo, you don’t have to “cross your fingers and hope” that they happen to see the posting.  You can rest assured they will actually receive an e-mail notice that there is a photograph of them (or in this case, their yard) waiting for them on Facebook.

And that’s the perfect set up for what we really want to happen: We want the homeowner to “like” and better yet “share” this photo of their project with all their friends.  Because when they “share” a photo with their own comments, then 100 to 500 of THEIR friends will see YOUR work in progress.  That includes an implicit testimonial/approval of YOUR company in the process, by the way. And that’s a LOT more interesting and a LOT more effective than you beating your chest, trying to brag on Facebook about what a great pool builder you are.

Now some sales people have told me “Hey now, wait a minute!  Maybe my homeowner doesn’t want to be tagged in a photo. I’d better get permission first!”

Friend, if you’re in the middle of building an $80,000 pool for a homeowner, and you don’t know how your homeowner feels about photos or Facebook, then I daresay you may have a bigger problem.  But I’m not in the mood to go negative today, so let me help you circumvent this issue from the get-go.  Here’s the conversation I would have with EVERY homeowner immediately after signing the contract:

“Well Mrs. Smith, I guess that’s everything.  I want you to know I’m really excited about making this project happen for you.  And of course, you’ve got my cell phone number, so please don’t hesitate to call me anytime, day or night.

“By the way – do you happen to be on Facebook?” (In the United States, and most other modern “pool buying” countries, 9 out of 10 homeowners are.) “Well great, because here’s what’s going to happen next. While we’re working on your project, our supervisor is going to be taking photographs of the work in process. And if you like, we can post those photos on Facebook.  That way, wherever you are, any time day or night, you can see what sort of progress we’re making in your yard.”

Now if the homeowner happens to say “Oh, no, I’m not on Facebook…” or “Oh, we’re very private people.  We don’t want any photos of our yard on Facebook…” then no problem.  Don’t include them in your Facebook updates.

But everybody else? Start tagging like crazy! Because this is what social media is all about: Healthy and interesting conversations about things that are important, interesting or meaningful to certain individuals.  If you want to be a part of those conversations, then make it EASY for people to include you.

To your success,
Brett Abbott

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

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By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

Late-night pizza-eating “twenty-somethings” (and other assorted stereo-typical techno-geeks) have been indirectly determining what you and I must do with our websites for years.  It hardly seems fair, since they’re not exactly our “ideal target client.”  Nonetheless, the latest website programming technologies and languages that geeks played with yesterday and the day before is what the rest of us will need to start using today and tomorrow.

They’re the ones who first came up with “hypertext markup language” (a.k.a. HTML), and then sold us on the Siren’s beauty of (the now ill-fated and ridiculously expensive) FLASH technology.  They invented WordPress and Joomla! and Drupal, so that regular people like you and me could try our hand at website programming.  Then they created “HTML 5“, so that we could all have the sexy style of “flash” without all the negatives that came with it.

Then a few years ago, the invention of “smart phones” caused them to come up with “mobile friendly” technology, which wasn’t exactly the answer, but it was a step in the right direction. Which leads us to my marketing insight for you today.

Experts are predicting that sometime in the next 12 months,
“Mobile Search” will surpass “Desktop Search” forever.

WHY DOES THIS MATTER? Because if more than half of all the people in the world are soon going to be searching on mobile devices, then we need to make sure your website is ready for them.

And once again, we’ve been saved by the techno-geeks. Rather than just “mobile friendly” (which meant “you could more or less see it on a mobile device”) the geeks have created an entirely new “mobile ready” technology. Often referred to as “Responsive Web Design,” it basically means “whatever you could experience on your desktop, you can now experience the same thing on a mobile device.”

Here’s an example of what I’m talking about:

Whether the website visitor is on a desktop, a mobile phone, or a tablet (iPad, etc.), the website should look and function the same.

Here’s How to Determine If YOUR Website Is “Mobile Ready”…

Look at your website on a smart phone.  (Borrow one if you have to.) Is the menu easy to find?  Are the photos and videos properly centered?  Is everything easy to read?  If so, then congratulations, it looks like you are “mobile ready.” (If you’re not sure, you might want to check out one of my clients “mobile ready” sites here, or check out my mobile-ready MYM Austin website.  It too was recently upgraded to “mobile ready.”)

If your website is NOT “mobile ready,” then you should be making plans to get that taken care of in the months ahead. And yes, of course, MYM Austin offers a service to convert your website to “mobile ready.”  But this isn’t intended to be a blatant sales pitch.  This is a stern advisement that you should be making plans to convert/upgrade your website to “mobile ready” very soon, no matter who you hire to do the work. (Otherwise, 50% of your website visitors may start going to your competitor!  And we don’t want that.)

To your success,
Brett Abbott

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

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By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

One of last year’s predictions (from others, not me) was that the year 2013 would never arrive.  But now that it’s shown up anyway, I’m compelled to offer you my latest, greatest collection of marketing recommendations for pool builders and others in the swimming pool industry.

Let’s take a look at the major trends that I predict will affect all of us (and our buyers) in 2013 and beyond, so that we can identify the appropriate strategies and tactics to implement for each.

SoLoMo

This clever little mutant acronym is as insightful as it is fun to say.  It refers to the merging of 3 previously independent trends in the arena of “Internet search,” namely: Social, Local and Mobile.  Let me elaborate:

• Social refers to the ever-growing desire of people (especially younger people) to “connect” through various social media.
• Local refers to Google’s (and other search engines) diligent efforts  to provide more “local”  search results based on your geography.  (Who cares about a bakery or pool builder in Albuquerque if you’re located in Charlotte North Carolina?)
• Mobile refers to the unstoppable growth of Internet searches occurring on mobile devices as compared to desktop devices.

Now just because we’ve merged these 3 words together doesn’t mean that we can use one strategy to address all 3. So, Lo and Mo are each going to need their own specific and independent strategies.

Choices

I’m referring to the ever-increasing number of choices all of us have in front of us whenever we want to make any sort of buying decision. Thanks to technology, globalization, education and innovation, every day brings yet another option or idea to consider. This is not a NEW trend, but because it continues unabated (much like throwing trash in a landfill, or watching kudzu grow), it will continue to have an increasingly “clogging” affect on everyone’s buying decisions.

Relief/Release

This trend is perhaps the hardest to put your finger on, but it’s something I predict you are going to see and enjoy in 2013.  I’m referring basically to the “pent-up demand” that has been long sequestered as a result of:

• The ongoing uncertainty about our economy. (5+ years!)
• The 2012 elections. (It’s over, by the way)
• The anxiety over the “fiscal cliff.” (It’s NOT over, by the way)
• The bitterness of an “Us vs. Them” mentality (in politics and elsewhere).
• The Mayans predicting the end of the world. (Silly but real.)

Bottom line – People are sick and tired of waiting and wondering and worrying about what’s going to happen next, and whether or not it’s okay for them to do something as substantial and self-indulgent as to get themselves a swimming pool.   In 2013, we’ll see more people deciding  that “quality-of-life” is too important to keep putting on hold.  So despite the uncertainty, many of these people will decide to go ahead and enjoy life now, while they can.

CONCLUSIONS / RECOMMENDATIONS

In 2013, your marketing efforts don’t have to be overly complicated. But they should definitely include some aspect of all of the following:

1. Continue to focus on nurturing your referrals. (It’s the only thing not affected by the trends noted above.)
2. Make sure your website is modern, up-to-date, and loaded with fresh, interesting, easy-to-read and useful information.
3. You should also make sure your website is “mobile ready.”
4. Implement / dial-in an appropriate level of “non-overwhelming” social media strategy(ies) for your company.
5. Check your Alexa rankings. If you’re not showing up in the world’s top 10 million websites, get professional SEO help .
6. Keep things simple.  Choices are good, but make your justifications, your website, your brochures, and your sales presentations as brain-dead simple as possible.
7. Maintain (or automate if possible) your follow-up: Before, during and after the sale.
8. Be ready for an uptick in demand.   I’m not talking about “a massive bull market,” but I am talking about more and more people tentatively knocking on your door, wanting to talk about the possibility of using your services.  Be ready for them!

I have LOTS more specific examples of “2013 advice” to share with you, but that would turn this blog post into a book.  So I’ll stop here, and offer more specific advice in my next post.

To your success,
Brett Abbott

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

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By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

My pool builder friends – I hope I’m not wearing you out with all this new Social Media advice. But as you know, I’m all about helping you sell more pools. And this newest social medium can help you do exactly that. Pronounced just like “How’s“ (as in “How’s your Mama?“) Houzz is actually a match made in heaven for pool builders (especially high-end pool builders). Here’s why:

1. It was created specifically by and for upscale homeowners who want to spend money upgrading their homes. (Please, just read that again, and let that sink in!)
   
2. It will drive more traffic to your website.
3. It can help improve your search engine rankings.
   
4. It’s already helping other pool builders sell more pools.
5. Your competition is already there. 
6. It’s totally free.

No doubt, Houzz doesn’t have the international fame and attention of “The Big 4″ (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn). But then I’ve stated on more than one occasion that The Big 4 aren’t going to do much to help you sell more pools anyway.

Houzz, on the other hand, is definitely different. Houzz is not just “random Social Media.” It’s a focused and “purpose-driven” tool for homeowners, and it just happens to also be Social Media. Not even Pinterest (another seriously valuable social medium that’s more powerful than The Big 4) can compete with the Houzz member’s laser-like vision towards a specific goal.

Have you ever noticed how some of your pool buyers will show you a folder, notebook or envelope full of photos of pools and pool features that they like? Have they told you how many months (or years) they spent putting this collection together? As you know, it’s all part of the process of working themselves up to the moment that they’re ready to have that face-to-face conversation with you. That folder is the heart and soul of their backyard dream.

Welcome to 2012. Houzz is now that folder. Houzz allows the homeowner to search and collect photos into their very own private “idea book,” which they can then view, update and share online anytime they want. And where do they get those photos? From YOUR Houzz profile, I hope. (Unless, God forbid, you haven’t yet claimed your Houzz profile, and uploaded photos of your best-looking projects. Which means they’ll have no choice but to select photos from your competitors instead.)

You realize, by the way, that these photos indicate exactly who built that pool, right? And where the builder is located. And their phone number. And their website. AND (since it is Social Media, after all), a good Houzz profile will also include comments, reviews and testimonials, from clients and admiring gawkers alike.

Are you getting nervous? I hope so. Because you really NEED to get this done ASAP. This is where you go to sign up for your free Houzz account. It should take no more than 5 minutes to set up your account, and maybe another 10 minutes or so to start uploading your best photos.

Seriously now – if it’s free, takes less than 20 minutes, and will help you sell more pools, shouldn’t you be all over it?

To your success,

Brett

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

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By Brett Lloyd Abbott, MYM Austin Inc.

Continuing with my updates on the newest and best Social Media for pool builders, here’s another “no-brainer” social medium that EVERY pool builder should begin utilizing IMMEDIATELY. “Google+ Local” is a “Wow, why didn’t someone think of that sooner?” merging of “Google Maps” (a.k.a. “Google Places”) and “Google+” (Google’s alternative to Facebook). We’re talking about a combination of maps, directions, photos, videos, CUSTOMER COMMENTS (emphasis intentional) and MORE about your company, all showing up on page 1 of Google.

A mere eight months ago, I raised a ruckus by proclaiming “No, You Don’t Have To Tweet.” I pointed out how MOST of the currently popular social media (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, etc.) were a complete waste of your time. By contrast, Google+ Local is definitely NOT a waste of your time. Here’s why:

1. Page 1 of Google. Like it or not, the “Google Places/Maps” function (now known as Google+ Local) has found a permanent home on the first page of Google search. So even if you’re paying $1000 a month on Search Engine Optimization, and $3000 a month on Pay Per Click, the schlock pool builder down the street who pays nothing could still be beating you, just by setting up his “Google+ Local” page.
2. It’s free. (It’s also very easy, so you don’t have to hire someone like me to do it for you.)
3. It’s easy to stand out. Most people haven’t figured out that their Google+ Local page even exists, and thus haven’t put anything meaningful on their page. So while they’re snoozing, you can add all kinds of compelling text, photographs and videos to YOUR page, making YOU significantly more interesting than the next guy.
   
4. It improves your website’s search rankings. It should come as no surprise that “Google” pays attention to its own “Google+” pages. The more content and activity on your Google+ Local page, the better they’ll rank your website.
   
5. It’s going to take over the world.  I apologize for the cliché, but this is EXACTLY where social media is headed: Quick and easy-to-find information (including unfettered personal reviews) about your company, at their fingertips. (Without all the ridiculous distractions you’ll find on most other social media.) With their massive resources, Google is perfectly positioned to set the standard for modern business social media. (In the evolution of social media, MySpace would be considered a toddler, and Facebook, maybe a teenager. Google Plus Local is the only real adult in the room.)
   

By the way – it’s not like you really have a choice in this matter. Your Google+ Local page is already there. (With who knows how many “unfettered personal reviews”….) You just need to step in and “claim it,” so that you can start updating it with more compelling information. (Right now, it has whatever default content Google chose to load onto your page. Which in some cases, is nothing more than your company name.)

Here’s how to “claim” your page, and start uploading and updating your own content:

• Go to Google’s “Places” page and click “get started now” to claim your listing.
  • If you already have a Gmail account or Google+ account, then login with that.
  • If you don’t have a Gmail/Google account, then click the “Sign Up” button in the upper right corner. (Or just go here.)
    
• Google will then lead you through a series of questions to claim and update your page. Note that they will perform an “authentication” step by calling your business phone number, to confirm that you are indeed the owner of the company.
• Be sure to upload some good-looking photos, and videos if you have them.
  

And here is perhaps the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do with your Google+ Local page. You should contact at least 10 (preferably 50) of your happy clients, and encourage them to go to your Google places page, and write a favorable review. (Note that you can ALSO Copy these new testimonials over to your actual website. But let your clients enter them directly to your Google page, where they’ll do you the most good.)

Bottom line – the world (including your prospects and your competitors’ future clients) is steadily marching to Google+ Local. I suggest you take control of what they’re saying about you.

To your success,

Brett

2013 Brett Lloyd Abbott / MYM Austin, Inc. May not be used without permission.

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