May is National Water Safety Month and as a pool service professional, you have an opportunity to educate your customers about pool safety. Pools provide plenty of enjoyment for all ages, but there is no doubt that they can be dangerous when not equipped properly or if owners or supervisors are not attentive.
Make the summer more enjoyable for everyone! Here are a five tips that pool service professionals can use to help promote water safety with their customers.
Provide a complimentary safety check
As a pool services professional, you’ve been around hundreds of different pools. You know what an unsafe pool looks like and what hazards are common. One value added service that you could offer is a complimentary safety check.
The criteria may differ from customer to customer, but by using a form and going through a checklist, you can help promote onsite safety. You might be able to show them areas of their property that could be improved. Maybe they need a better lock on their gate or a life ring. A safety check would be a great value added service that you can provide annually and could really help promote water safety.
Send literature
One way that you can promote water safety with your customers is by providing helpful literature. This can be in the form of an email newsletter or even direct mail. An email newsletter is an easy thing to produce, especially if you’re using a mass email solution with a simple template editor. Write about some of the common mistakes that you see at pools you service or list some of the best ways to teach children safety around the water.
If you’re going the direct mail route and don’t want to produce your own literature, you can order brochures from the Association of Pool and Spa Professionals to send.
Partner with swim schools
Another creative way that you can promote water safety with your customers is by partnering with a local swimming program that offers lessons. This would be a great way to cross market for both businesses.
Make recommendations
This is something that every pool professional can do while out on the job. If you see a hazard, tell the property owner. If you know they should have more safety equipment on hand, let them know. If you know your customer has children and there are toys scattered near the pool, inform them that it is simple for children to fall in and drown. Your goal isn’t to scare them, only to have them take safety seriously.
Be the source they turn to
As a pool service business, you can be the expert on the matter. Use your website as a tool to teach your customers. If you have a blog, write a few posts about pool safety, kind of like we’re doing! Here are a few topics that can get you started:
- Pool Safety Checklist
- Top Ten Hazards for Pool Owners
- How to Childproof your Pool
- Pool Safety Rules to Live By
If you do write posts like these, share them on your social media outlets. Besides being a great resource for your customers, they can also be a big boost for your website traffic (see our search engine optimization guide for green industry businesses here).
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