Episode 171: Green to Clean TikTok Star Mark Jones (@poolpr0mj) of Blue Street Pools
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Episode Summary
Today we speak with Mark Jones, Owner of the New Orleans-based Blue Street Pools. Mark has been immersed in the world of sales from a young age, but never imagined himself touching the pool industry until quite recently when he decided to look for better opportunities as a new father.
Not long after losing his job in Corporate America, Mark found his first account in a neighbor who asked him to clean his pool. One summer and another nine accounts later, Mark had completely replaced the income he made as an employee. He never looked back.
Mark entered the pool industry in 2017, marketing himself solely through flyers which he disseminated around his neighborhood. But his breakthrough would come in 2020 when he settled on TikTok to promote his business. Encouraged by a friend, he created an account on the social media platform. Six months later, Mark had gained 100,000 followers on TikTok. Today, he has over 2.1 million.
Listen in as Mark discusses how to build an online brand as a pool pro using TikTok. He explains the value of “giving out the game” and the importance of transparency and a love for the community you build.
Finally, Mark shares his five-year plan to take an already unbelievable career to the next level.
Topics Discussed
01:34 - Mark's background and how he got into the pool industry
06:37 - Learning the ins-and-outs of cleaning pools
08:33 - How Mark initially started marketing his burgeoning pool business
12:40 - Mark’s rapid business growth via TikTok
21:42 - Mark’s commitment to his work
29:25 - How Mark creates his videos from beginning to end
39:55 - Answering the hundreds or even thousands of comments each video gets
42:25 - Dealing with trolls
50:15 - Mark’s advice for those who want to be successful on TikTok
55:03 - Why perfection doesn’t matter when posting content
1:02:07 - What’s next for Mark and Blue Street Pools?
Resources Mentioned
Key Quotes From The Episode
It was a slow start [when I began cleaning pools], and I wanted it to be that way because I didn’t want to get too busy and, next thing I know, I don’t know what I’m doing and my company has a bad name.
Where I started with the marketing was: Identify a certain area I want to service, pass out flyers to specific pools that I want to do, and go from there.
My [TikTok] page has turned into a community of people who are really understanding how to take care of their pool. It’s just a whole mix of a whole bunch of people from all over the world trying to figure out the same thing, and that one thing is, “How do I keep my pool clear?” That’s all I care about.
At the end of the day, what I’m creating, being in the pool industry, are memories for families.
My content is not for people in the pool industry. My content is for the homeowners that want to take care of their pools.
If you show people what you’re doing and tell them why you’re doing it so they can understand, that’s where people will start to gravitate to you—when you’re teaching someone something they don’t know about. That’s what TikTok is all about.
