The Poolside Perspective with Radostina Stoycheva from Compass Digital
Before we dive into the holiday recap, the team and I are still smiling from a pretty special night last week. On Thursday, we attended the Sandies, a San Diego Marketing Awards Event put on by the American Marketing Association, and were honored to come in first place for two categories: SEO/SEM & Website. It is an incredible feeling to be recognized by our peers. Thank you to all of our amazing retail partners who make this work so rewarding!
Speaking of big moments, Memorial Day weekend is officially in the books. The “Super Bowl” of our industry just wrapped up, but as we all know, the season is just getting started. If your showroom felt like a packed tourist destination over the weekend, our goal now is keeping that momentum alive. This month, we are talking about Retail Tourism and how to turn holiday lookers into summer buyers.
Industry Sentiment: Selling the Outdoor Room
The holiday weekend showed us a massive trend: the rise of the “Outdoor Room.” Homeowners who walked into your store this weekend aren’t just looking for a pool or a spa. They are looking to build an entire experience. They want the fire pit, the outdoor sound system, and the “Sun Shelf” where they can sit with a drink. If you are following up with holiday leads this week, remember to sell the lifestyle, not just the liner.
Marketing Tip: Feed the Algorithm
Now that the big holiday ad push is over, your digital campaigns need a serious refresh. In 2026, you cannot just “set and forget” your ads. The AI running your Meta campaigns needs fresh “Creative” every now and then to keep your costs down. Take advantage of the post holiday lull to swap out your photos. One time, show a quiet, romantic evening soak. The next, show a fun, chaotic family splash pad. Let the algorithm find your next wave of buyers. Meta AI now will take existing images and create variations of them for you with different styling and background, assisting with keeping ads fresh.
Did You Know?
Did you know that Visual Search tools like Google Lens have grown by 300% since 2024? Today’s buyers are snapping photos of backyard setups they love and letting AI find where to buy them. If the photos on your website don’t have proper descriptive “Alt-Text” tags behind the scenes, you are leaving money on the table. It is a simple website fix that ensures your inventory shows up when local buyers start scanning the web.
That is a wrap for the post-holiday edition of The Poolside Perspective! The big weekend is behind us, so let’s focus on turning those showroom visits into completed installs. If you want a hand refreshing your ad creative or auditing your website photos for visual search, just hit reply. I am always here to help you navigate the rush.
Cheers,
Radostina Stoycheva
