Episode 95: Building a Massive 2 Million Followers on TikTok with Mark Jones of Blue Street Pools
Today Brad speaks with Mark Jones of Blue Street Pools in New Orleans. Mark made his relatively recent foray into the pool industry in 2017. However, it wasn’t until around 2020 when he experienced exponential business growth thanks to his unique presence on social media.
Listen in as Mark shares his journey in breaking the cycle of generational poverty in his family and the series of events that inspired him to start his pool service company.
He dives deep into his secrets to success in building a brand on social media, particularly on TikTok where he very quickly grew his following through organic content alone. (He mentions how he doubled his numbers from one million followers to two million in a little under two months!)
Finally, Mark speaks on how he is navigating his sudden popularity and how the power of leveraging relationships in the industry has been one of the biggest keys to his success.
Topics Discussed:
[02:32] Mark's tipping point on social media
[10:39] Why it’s so important to protect and retain full control over your brand
[13:33] How to grow your following on social media
[18:01] Getting around the trolls and haters
[22:25] Mark’s content creation strategy on Instagram and TikTok
[28:39] How Mark’s social media presence has impacted his business
[33:32] Mark’s professional background and his very recent entry into the pool industry
[39:49] The power of leveraging relationships and building your network
[44:37] How Mark’s priorities in business may change within the next few years
[49:39] Where the name “Blue Street” came from
[51:02] What Mark likes to do outside business
[53:03] Breaking the cycle of generational poverty and becoming an entrepreneur
Key Quotes from Episode:
With TikTok—if you can provide value to somebody in any area, and you can edit it up and post it on TikTok, you’ll be surprised at how many people follow you.
Whatever the trend is, if it makes sense, I’m going to ride that trend. I’m not afraid of a change. I’m not afraid to switch up my content for a different platform.
I talk to people all the time who have a business and are on social media. I tell them, “You have to find a way to provide value to people. You have to give them a reason to want to watch you.”
Cleaning pools is not that deep. You just have to understand what you’re doing.
The sky is not the limit when it comes to where we can go with social media. It’s past the sky.
