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<a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-the-newest-big-blue-swim-school-blew-its-enrollment-goals-out-of-the-water-2714796" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Big Blue Swim School</a>, one of the nation's fastest growing swim school franchises, opened its first Atlanta-area pool on June 22, 2020 in Johns Creek, Georgia at the Northbridge Shopping Center. By implementing Big Blue’s community readiness pre-opening marketing plan, the Johns Creek pool exceeded pre-opening enrollment goals.“When Covid restrictions were eased, the staff was trained to operate in a safe and socially distanced way so we could celebrate with a soft opening in June,” said Big Blue’s EVP of Operations, Christy Kent. “We welcomed families to an open house so they could experience the comprehensive safety and sanitation plan we had in place. Thanks in part to Big Blue’s robust pre-opening marketing strategy that sent multiple communications to families educating them on the Covid-related precautions taken at our facility, the opening was a success. Families appreciated the opportunity to see Big Blue’s robust cleaning practices and how keeping our water ultra-clean with a<a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/blog/coronavirus-prevention/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-the-newest-big-blue-swim-school-blew-its-enrollment-goals-out-of-the-water-2714796" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> state-of-the-art pool filtration system plus a UV light sanitizer</a> provides a safer place to swim. ”The team’s<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/big-blue-swim-school-strengthens-leadership-team-with-new-vice-presidents-of-marketing-and-operations-2709641#brand-latest-stories"> significant marketing experience</a>, including plenty of A/B testing&nbsp; efforts to optimize lead-generation spend, has allowed the brand to implement a genuinely scientific method to local marketing for each pool, ensuring that each<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/become-part-of-the-next-franchise-success-story-with-big-blue-swim-school-2712801#brand-latest-stories"> franchise partner is more successful than those at other swim school brands</a>.The Big Blue team handles all online and local lead generation for each new pool using the brand’s proprietary New Pool Opening (NPO) system. NPO support occurs four months prior to the grand opening through four months after. Ongoing marketing support includes the execution of a fully integrated, 360-degree local pool marketing playbook, help with national and local community marketing implementation, social media and content marketing management and much more.<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/how-big-blue-swim-school-uses-data-and-analytics-to-stay-ahead-of-the-competition-2711942#brand-latest-stories">Big Blue also leverages customer data</a> to understand when families are most likely to try Big Blue for the first time, how long they will stay, when they are most likely to return and when they are most likely to take a break.“Big Blue Swim School worked closely with us to open our facility. The corporate team provides robust marketing and community readiness support, managing everything from on-the-ground-marketing to social media ads,” said Kenny “Small things, like joining the local chambers of commerce to help connect with the community and network with other local businesses went a long way in creating partnerships to spread the word about our&nbsp; pre-opening special.”At the guidance of Big Blue’s corporate marketing team, the L5 Swim team reached out to local mom groups in the area and connected with local media to share news about the pool opening. The team secured ad placements with publications targeting local families and worked with a variety of local mom bloggers and&nbsp; influencers to continue spreading the word in the community and on social media.“The secret to us being a great fit for Johns Creek lies in our community of families,” said Johns Creek pool manager, Kimberly Tierman. “The Johns Creek community has shown great support for us since day one. We are forming very significant and life-changing bonds with our swimmers and their families.”The franchise’s integrated marketing approach served Big Blue well as the Johns Creek location worked to overcome the pandemic’s challenges. The team<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/how-big-blue-swim-school-made-adjustments-to-dive-in-day-to-keep-franchise-prospects-safe-2713731#brand-latest-stories"> was able to use data and past knowledge to quickly pivot the plan</a> and successfully continue the launch.Despite the nontraditional opening, the Johns Creek pool opened at 125% of its expected pre-opening enrollment. According to Kenny, that number validates the brand’s belief<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/how-us-national-champion-swimmer-chris-dejong-launched-big-blue-swim-school-and-created-a-multi-million-dollar-business-despite-a-recession-2712004#franchisor"> that swimming is an essential life skill, regardless of economic climate</a>, and likewise validates the value of Big Blue’s multi-pronged pre-opening marketing strategy and real estate selection process, which Kenny says was vital to the pool’s early success.“As we were becoming a franchise partner, we chose the territories we were interested in and the real estate team targeted all of the top sites,” said Kenny. “<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/five-reasons-investors-should-consider-a-big-blue-swim-school-franchise-in-2020-2711847#stories">The Big Blue team looks at the demographics of an area, nearby shopping centers and their co-tenants, the traffic patterns of families and more</a>. That data-driven real estate strategy has really paid off at our pool — we’ve had the ability to advertise in the mall and converted up to 60% of families that walked up to the door, all the way up to opening day.”Big Blue Swim School has plans to open additional pools in the Atlanta market, making their exceptional learn-to-swim program available to even more families in the region. The success of this opening will allow Big Blue to accelerate the opening of the second store in Atlanta in 2021. According to Big Blue’s CEO, Scott Sanders, the company could open another five to 15 pools in the greater Atlanta metropolitan area.Kenny said Level 5 Capital is always looking for real estate in available territories and with COVID-19, optimal sites are becoming more available.Big Blue currently operates five pools in the Chicago area and the Johns Creek pool is the brand's first franchised location to open. Big Blue has franchise agreements for another 123 schools in 19 states and<a href="https://1851franchise.com/bigblueswimschool/big-blue-swim-school-on-pace-to-hit-150-units-by-2021-thanks-to-backing-from-level-5-capital-partners-2710793#stories"> plans to add another 50 pools in 2021</a>.“It is great to see our franchise partner’s business goals exceeded, especially since our expectations were tempered by COVID-19,” said Sanders. “The Johns Creek opening is a major win relative to the pandemic and we are confident we will replicate these results in the future.”Multi-unit franchise opportunities are available for qualified candidates looking for their next big opportunity, and veterans can receive a 10 percent discount on the $80,000 franchise fee. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a new Big Blue Swim School is $2,329,223 to $3,636,998 (refer to item 7 in FDD). To learn more or inquire about Big Blue Swim School, visit<a href="https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/?utm_source=1851franchise.com&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=how-the-newest-big-blue-swim-school-blew-its-enrollment-goals-out-of-the-water-2714796" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> https://www.bigblueswimschool.com/franchising/.</a>

How the Newest Big Blue Swim School Blew Its Enrollment Goals Out of the Water

1851 Franchise

Leveraging a robust pre-opening marketing strategy, the swim school franchise’s Johns Creek location exceeded anticipated pre-opening enrollment numbers by 125%

How the  Newest Big Blue Swim School Blew Its Enrollment Goals Out of the Water

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