Hot Tubs & Spas

Offering the ultimate in relaxation and luxury, hot tubs and spas have become coveted backyard additions for homeowners seeking a personal oasis.

The global hot tub market size was valued at $6.4 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow steadily driven by factors like rising disposable incomes, home renovations, and a growing interest in hydrotherapy and self-care experiences.

Target Market

From traditional wood-fired hot tubs to sleek, modern acrylic spas with massaging jets and ambient lighting, this niche caters to a range of budgets and styles.

The primary audience includes homeowners looking to enhance their outdoor living spaces, as well as businesses like hotels, resorts, and gyms aiming to provide high-end amenities.

Website Optimization Strategies

To showcase hot tubs and spas effectively online and drive conversions:

1. Detailed Product Specifications: Highlight key details like dimensions, seating capacity, jet counts/placements, water care systems, energy efficiency ratings, and available customizations.
2. Immersive Visual Content: Professional photography from multiple angles, supported by 360-degree spin videos or virtual reality tours, helps customers envision the product.
3. Robust Filtering & Comparisons: Allow customers to narrow options by size, shape, material, price range, and compare models side-by-side on specifications that matter most.
4. Customer Testimonials: Feature in-depth reviews from real owners covering durability, ease of maintenance, energy costs, and how the hot tub/spa enhances their lifestyle.

Example: Bullfrog Spas provides an intuitive "Build Your Spa" tool where customers can fully customize their ideal spa and see a 3D model of their creation.

Content Marketing Approaches

Educational and inspirational content nurtures buyers and helps position your brand:

1. Buying Guides: Develop robust guides comparing different hot tub and spa types, materials, features, and jetted vs. non-jetted options to help customers make informed decisions.
2. Health & Wellness Focus: Highlight the physical and mental health benefits of hot tub hydrotherapy through blog posts, videos, social content, and more.
3. Outdoor Living Inspiration: Share beautiful outdoor living photography and lifestyle content depicting hot tubs/spas in dream backyard oasis settings.
4. Customer Spotlights: Interview real owners about how their hot tub has transformed their outdoor spaces, decompression routines, social lives, and more.

Example: Marquis Hot Tubs frequently shares breathtaking customer photos and stories across their blog and social media, creating an aspirational yet attainable brand image.

Social Media Marketing Tactics

Visual and experiential products like hot tubs lend themselves well to social media marketing:

1. Platform Approach: Focus on visually-driven platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube to showcase product features and inspirational lifestyle content.
2. Targeted Ads: Run targeted campaigns on Facebook and Instagram aimed at homeowners involved in outdoor renovations or interested in luxury home goods.
3. Influencer Marketing: Identify lifestyle/home influencers and collaborate on sponsored content featuring your hot tub products in upscale outdoor living spaces.
4. User-Generated Content: Encourage customers to proudly share their hot tub setups by running photo contests, giveaways, or incentives for user-generated content (UGC).

Example: Hot tub brand Sundance frequently shares UGC across social media, reposting owners' relaxing backyard spa moments to inspire their audience.

Search Marketing & SEO Practices

With high-consideration purchases, customers spend significant time researching online:

1. Keyword Research: Identify relevant short and long-tail keywords like "best hot tubs for hydrotherapy," "acrylic vs. wooden hot tubs," "outdoor spa installation requirements," etc.
2. On-Page Optimization: Optimize product titles, descriptions, image alt-text, and other metadata with these target keywords to improve search visibility.
3. Content Creation: Develop long-form blog posts, buyers' guides, and other content anchored by your target keywords to build topical authority.
4. Local Search: For brick-and-mortar retailers, optimize Google Business Profiles with local listings, imagery, virtual tours, and review/Q&A sections.
5. Link Building: Earn quality backlinks through guest posting, local sponsorships, product reviews/features, and strategic brand partnerships.

Example: Hot Tub Works has an extensive learning center with articles like "How to Buy a Hot Tub" that likely rank well for important buyer keywords.

Additional Strategies

To gain a competitive edge in this niche, consider:

1. Augmented Reality (AR): Offer AR apps that allow customers to preview and "place" hot tub models in their outdoor spaces before purchasing.
2. Product Customization: Provide customization options for colors, cabinetry styles, jet configurations, and other personalizations for upscale buyers.
3. Robust Warranties & Support: Offer extended warranties, maintenance plans, water testing/treatment services, and dedicated customer support lines.
4. Outdoor Living Ecosystem: Explore integration opportunities with home automation systems, outdoor AV equipment, or strategic brand partnerships.

What's Next?

We hope these ideas and strategies will spark some inspiration that will help grow your Hot Tubs and Spa products business.

If you'd like to brainstorm additional strategies and learn more how Shop Innovator can help you, please book a complementary strategy call.