With climate change and the growing crowds in cities and towns, the problem of pests is bound to increase. However, it does not mean that you will get more customers as there is a disproportionate increase in pest control services too. So you must adopt pest control marketing strategies to increase your profits consistently despite the growth in competition. Keeping this in mind, we have compiled this article to serve you some of the best pest control marketing tips that will give you good results.
1) Control Visibility Online
To get more pest control seeking clients, you must start with controlling your online visibility first. This is because a major chunk of prospects interested in pest control services will start their search using the search engine “Google”. If your pest control website is not available on the top-ranking results in Google, it will simply mean that you have lost those clients to other services that have their websites ranked higher in Google. You can achieve good positioning in Google by implementing the right SEO practices either with the help of an SEO agency or by learning and implementing SEO yourself.
2) Website Upgradation
While having a website is a must for pest control marketing online as it is the basic minimum requirement of online marketing, certain features when added to your website can ensure that you convert most of the visitors to clients. This will make sure that you get more clients from the same amount of traffic (visitors). Some of the features are:
A) Mobile-friendly design for auto adjustment of resolution based on screen size. This is required as many people will be browsing through their mobiles and a rigid desktop resolution will compel them to leave your website due to inconvenience.
B) Fast loading site due to constantly degrading attention span of visitors online.
C) Testimonials, accreditation, awards, key features, etc prominently displayed on the main page to convince visitors to turn into clients.
D) Contact number and free quote/inspection options (on the home page itself) to allow visitors to contact you soon.
E) Professional design and easy-to-navigate website.
3) Control Local Pack Results
Apart from the traditional search results, Google also shows 3 results in a box which is mainly called as “local pack listing”. It shows business name, address, phone number, reviews directly on the Google search page itself. The data shown in the local pack is fetched from Google business listings and shown based on certain parameters. To find a place in this pack, you must optimize the business mentions across various websites, reviews, links, etc. Alternatively, ask your SEO agency to take care of these factors to get added benefits of exposure while someone searches for pest control services in your location.
4) Get Clients Socially Online
You can utilize social media to get pest control clients. Marketing a pest control business on a social network is easy but takes some time to build your network and trust factor. Companies that aggressively start marketing on social networks without investing time in building their following do not witness good results. So take some time (2-3 months) to connect with local people and businesses and after gaining a good familiarity, start subtle advertising of pest control services across your fans and groups.
5) Jump the Game with Ads
If you want to get a quick flow of pest control leads, then utilizing paid ads on Google through the Google Ads network is the best way to do that. By placing Google Ads, you will start getting visibility for your business online for each keyword (search term) set by you while ad creation. Facebook ads are the second-best option to promote your business for the purpose of getting pest control leads. However, there are many nuances of ad creation and operation and if you jump straight into running ads without understanding the parameters associated with it, you will have more chances of being burned with ad spend and little results. So either learn the basics of ad operation on such platforms or get any digital marketing agency to handle it.
6) Press Releases
Press releases serve multiple functions that can be rewarding for your pest control marketing. These features are given below:
A) It ensures that any announcement you make for your business through a press release will get seen by many people due to the wide distribution of your press release.
B) It provides valuable links from many sites to your business website that helps towards the overall visibility of your site in Google.
C) It generates a brand value of your business by getting your content to be placed on different sites.
Owing to the features mentioned above, many local and global businesses and services regularly send out press releases.
7) List Building and Marketing
Only a few people engage with a business or a service during the first exposure as they have many things going on in their minds when they search for any business/service. So building a list becomes important so that you can build regular communication with people who are interested in pest control. By having an email marketing module in your marketing strategy, you can not only build loyal customers but can also generate more sales by periodically sending offers and updates. So get an email opt-in form ready on your website and give away an e-book or other incentive for people to leave their email address. List building can help to grow your pest control business in the long term.
8) Influencers
When you get started with the social media marketing of your pest control business, you will not have the much-needed following and user base. In order to overcome this limitation, you can pay influencers to promote your message/offer. Since influencers are people who already have built up a big following, every message/advertisement sent through them will be seen by many people which will do both, brand value creation and new lead generation. One mistake that must be avoided here is that you must not hire any random influencer rather you must hire influencers who have a good follower base from your target location so that more local people could become aware of your business. The same process of pest control marketing can also be done by joining and promoting on local city/town based Facebook groups.
9) Marketing Using Videos
Out of the many communication methods available online like text, images and videos, videos are proven to convert better because they are much more engaging in nature. So make good videos about your pest control business by highlighting the best features and share such videos on Youtube, your official website, and on your social networks. This will not only lead to rise in the conversion rate but can also send you new leads due to the new traffic source added to your marketing i.e. YouTube.
10) Connect With Associated Businesses
Many other businesses can also send you pest control leads if you take some time to establish a connection with the relevant businesses. For example, you can network with landscaping businesses, contractors, realtors, freelance handymen, garden shops, pool care services, etc to make them aware of your services so that they can refer every potential pest control client to you. To land better chances of getting pest control customers from local businesses around your area, you can come up with an incentive (cash or other rewards) for the referring business and services. You can also give these businesses custom printed products (with your business name on it) like calendars, mugs, books, etc so that the bond between you and them would become much better which will ultimately land more clients for your pest control business.
11) Door Hangers and Display Messages
Select a few people who can go across your service area and can ask homeowners about any message that they would like to be displayed on their main gate like “No Parking”, “Beware of Dogs”, “name of owners”, “house number”, etc. After getting the information, get them beautifully designed door hangers and display messages for free with the condition that it will also carry your business name and details. By doing this one-time task, you will get enough people who will readily accept your business marketing proposal. This will serve two purposes. First, all passers-by will notice your business name and details and second, the homeowners themselves will become familiar with your business.
12) On-Site Advertising
Put your business banners and flags on the premises/buildings of each of your clients during your service time (of course with prior permission). This will get your business name out across many more houses that are in the vicinity which can bring more clients and awareness of your business. After serving each client, you can leave a custom door hanger or signage of the client’s choice along with your business details so that their house can become one of your marketing assets.
13) LinkedIn
It is well known that commercial clients pay way better than residential clients. To get high-end commercial clients for pest control services, the best platform to utilize is LinkedIn. By joining LinkedIn, you can search and find profiles of decision-makers of big companies and businesses in your location. After finding their profiles, you can send them a connection request and can do this process for many other local businesses and services. Once you get to deal with some of the big businesses, getting more big deals becomes comparatively easy.
14) Newspaper Columns
Many newspapers and magazines welcome articles from subject-matter experts. You can equip yourself with more information related to the problem of pests and can then approach local newspapers and magazines for getting your content published. It will help to build your business image within your community along with giving you more clients. The big upside of this approach is that once your matter starts getting published in local newspapers, you stand much higher chances to get your content published in big newspapers and magazines too. You can additionally add this achievement (newspaper publishing) to the other marketing mediums like websites and social media profiles to get more trust from visitors.
15) Top Authority Sites Listing
While ranking your own official website in Google is a good strategy to market your pest control business, there are many big and established sites that rank seamlessly due to their mega authority. You can use such sites to your advantage by posting details of your business on these sites. The more the number of authority sites that you utilize, the more will be your exposure online. Some of the most well-known examples of such sites are Yelp, HomeAdvisor, Crunchbase, ListingSites, etc. You can keep an eye on Google search results to periodically find more of such powerful sites where you can leave your business details.
16) Content Marketing
You can create different articles around the topic of pest control for the purpose of gaining direct and indirect advantages from it. You can post such articles on your own pest control website regularly followed by posting them on your social media profiles to get more traffic and attention to them. You can also create interesting content for the purpose of securing guest posts on other websites which will give you traffic and backlinks. Also, you can unleash creativity in pest control related articles and can then approach news editors of big news portals and magazines to get them published which will add tremendous ranking benefits and authority to your own website.
17) Create Your Own USP
While there are many pest control services in any given region, if you stand out with some unique features (USP = Unique Selling Proposition) then you will get a bigger share of the pie. Think of all the best features that you can provide and highlight them across all marketing channels used by you. One good strategy here is to set up Google Alerts for news related to pest control services to find out the latest happening in this sector. This way you can remain updated with the most advanced methods of operation in your business. Some of the ideas are 24/7 service, wide range of pests covered, warranty for a fixed period, advanced machinery and methods, eco-friendly approach, years of experience, awards and recognition, featured on big magazines and news portals, no waste/hazard remains, etc.
18) Marketing Using Merchandise Giveaways
You can order your own custom printed merchandise like books, calendars, T-shirts, pillows, towels, etc from many sites online. Since this merchandise will carry your business name and logo, you can give this away in many ways to market your business. You can hold a social sharing contest, you can give it to your referring businesses, you can give it to your existing clients, you can give it to people referring you clients, etc.
19) Subscription and Referral Service
You can create different packages either for pest control or for related services to get the most out of every client. Let’s say you come up with a pest control plus free inspection and maintenance every 6 months, then you can increase the cost of your service and can retain the same customer for a longer period of time. Similarly, you can also gift people who refer your business to their contacts, this could be in form of gift certificates, coupons, cash commissions, etc.
20) Special Events and Local Opportunities
You can host special events and parties to make more strong bond with your locality. Similarly, you can be an active participant or sponsor for local events and fests. The more you connect locally, the more you will be known which will directly aid in promoting your pest control business/services.
21) Text Marketing
People pay more attention to text messages than emails. This is why generating awareness and clients using text marketing is much easier than email marketing. You can find businesses with local text marketing services and can approach them to get the marketing campaign started. Pay attention to the local laws of your region while doing so. Additionally, you can also partner with other businesses that already do text marketing in your area and can offer them good deals to get the same done for your business too.
22) Offline Marketing
Newspaper ads, flyers, brochures, banners, billboards, etc are some of the most common offline marketing methods that work pretty well in generating awareness and leads. You can also add them to your pest control marketing strategy though the results obtained from them are often not measurable.
23) Handle Reviews Attentively
With online searches becoming dominant, reviews are becoming more necessary than ever before. So pay attention to online reviews of your business consistently and handle any average or negative review soon and with proper care. Ask each of your satisfied clients to leave reviews of your service.
We hope that the above-shown marketing strategies for pest control business will uplift the number of clients that you serve presently and will bring more revenue to your pest control business. If you think that something is missing or if you have any questions, do use the comment box below.
