Pool & Spa

$150 to $400 per new recurring service customer in a competitive DMA. The number that matters more is route-density-adjusted CAC. A $300 CAC for a customer on an existing route is different math from a $300 CAC for a customer in a new geography. Most pool operators don't filter CAC by route economics, which is the lens that determines whether the spend is actually building margin.

Heaters, pumps, automation, salt systems. These are under-marketed in most pool operations and represent meaningful margin. Build seasonal campaigns timed to pre-summer (March to April) and post-summer (October to November) when failure rates spike. Educate existing customers through lifecycle (most don't know what they have or when it needs replacing). Pair equipment marketing with the routine service call (the in-home tech is the highest-converting sales channel).

It's the entire economic story. A route with eight customers in a one-mile radius runs at materially better gross margin than a route with eight customers spread across ten miles. Marketing efficiency follows route density: the cost of acquiring the ninth customer on a tight route is far lower than acquiring the first customer in a new geography. This is a portfolio-construction decision before it's a marketing decision.

Build an off-season retention engine. Most pool customers churn between seasons because nobody talks to them. Layer in equipment-replacement content and campaigns as a year-round demand driver. Model geo-density before acquiring add-ons. Marketing efficiency follows route density, and that's a portfolio-construction decision, not a marketing one.