you will soon see how valuable they can be to you and your business.   Developing Marketing Strategies Based on Consumer Research   Statistic #1: According to ICI Acrylics, the profile for an average spa consumer is a person who is married with an above-average income, with most earning between $40k to $75K. Most do not have children under 18 living at home, and most have lived in their home an average of seven years. The male member of the household comes up with the idea to get a spa or pool and initiates the buying process.   Marketing Strategy: Knowing this information, you might plan a direct mail campaign to zip codes where the average income is around $60k and to married couples with empty nests who have been at the same address for five years or more. You would address the letter to the male member of the home, by name if possible. You might perform a test mail campaign in several zip codes and measure response rates before launching a full- scale campaign.   Statistic #2: Two-thirds of all new spa owners say they have friends who own spas, and 90% of current spa owners would recommend one to a friend.   Marketing Strategy: You might consider launching a strong referral program with your current customers, since two-thirds of the people who have purchased a spa know other people who already own one. This statistic tells you that the spa and pool industry has a tight demographic audience that has similar tastes and spending habits. Additionally, it is uncommon for 90% of a customer group to recommend a product so strongly. This indicates a very high level of customer satisfaction. This makes it ripe for a referral program, as compared to an industry that has customers in a very wide range of demographics, which makes for a poor referral program.   Statistic #3: The top three reasons that non-owners didnt plan to purchase a spa were (1) 27% never gave it much thought, (2) 13% thought is was a poor investment, and (3) 12% preferred a different recreational item over a spa. Consumers would rather do exterior renovation, add a room, buy new appliances, or buy new furniture instead.   Marketing Strategy: First of all, the fact that 27% of the people never even considered buying a spa means that manufacturers have not been doing their marketing jobs. It is the manufacturers job to provide mass marketing support for their brand. You should ask for co-op dollars from your manufacturer using this statistic as a basis for your argument.   Secondly, you might partner with home improvement stores and furniture stores to do some joint promotions. Perhaps these may be good places to display some of your spas (if they dont carry a line themselves) or leave some Special Reports and give the stores a commission for generating leads.   Statistic #4: Consumers get the same warm feelings from activities such as (1) riding in a convertible car with the top down, (2) riding on a Harley Davidson motorcycle, (3) using