The demand for pest control services is everywhere. From insecticides that keep mosquitos at bay in the backcountry to termite removal to protect the real estate value of a home, pest control businesses are in high demand. In addition, the industry is experiencing rapid growth thanks to climate change and urban sprawl as cities increasingly encroach into more rural areas.
The pest control industry is projected to have a market value of over $28 billion by 2026. If you’re a pest control company, you may be wondering how to stand out amongst the competition. We’ve put together these pest control marketing ideas to show you how you can boost lead generation and acquire new customers.
Pest control marketing strategies
There are many ways you can boost engagement and find new customers for your pest control business. You can’t just have an online presence anymore. With just about every business occupying some space of the internet, it’s important to stand out from the crowd. Fortunately, you can leverage tools like websites, search engine optimization best practices, and paid marketing tools to show customers why you’re better than the rest. Here are some pest control marketing techniques to try.
1. Start with a website
Make it easy for your customers to find you by building a sleek and informative pest control website. In the online realm, your website serves as your first impression or a sort of digital storefront. When potential pest control clients visit your website, you want them to think you’re the solution they’ve been searching for. A well-crafted webpage can build authority, credibility, and trust with customers that may not know you locally.
Here are a few things you can do to build a great website:
- Use imagery and videos: Show your customers what you’re all about. These visuals are often the first thing customers look at so make them engaging and professional. Sites like Pexels and Unsplash are a great place to find free stock images. Adobe Stock and Shutterstock are paid sites that offer a wider range of choices and licensing options that enable you to use images for commercial purposes. On all sites, you can use the convenient search bar to find relevant photos for your content.
- Display contact information: Customers should be able to find your phone number, email, and other contact information in just one or two clicks. Add a dedicated “contact us” page or feature the information right at the top of the home page.
- Link to social media: Add a link to your social media pages so potential clients can see the latest news and tips from your business.
- Be informative: Use the text on your home landing page and “about us” pages to tell clients exactly which services you provide. Add a blog page where you can write posts about tips and tricks for pest removal.
- Make it fast: Customers are used to having information at their fingertips. Don’t keep them waiting with a website that takes forever to load. Compress large images, reduce the number of redirects, and optimize coding so that your site and pages load as quickly as possible.
- Keep it secure: No one wants to visit a website that may be harmful to their computer. Google started labeling sites that are unsafe, so make sure to build your website as an HTTPS versus an HTTP.
- Be mobile-friendly: Many consumers, especially those in younger age demographics, use mobile devices to search for content. Make sure your site is optimized for use on a mobile phone. That means making sure images aren’t too wide for the screen and that links are easily clickable. You can use the Mobile-Friendly tool from Google Search Console to see how your site performs on mobile.
2. Use SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a process that involves improving your content so it ranks higher on aggregators like Google and Bing. With good SEO practices, your site will appear higher than your competitors when potential customers search for terms like “pest control solutions,” “pest exterminators,” or “pest control near me.”
Here are a few SEO best practices you should implement:
Do some keyword research: Start by identifying which search terms customers are looking for in your industry. Optimize landing pages and blog content to meet the needs of these specific search terms.
Use title tags and meta descriptions: Google prioritizes information that seems the most relevant. Include target keywords in meta descriptions and title tags on your site whenever possible.
Build backlinks: Another key metric Google uses to identify top sites is backlinking. Backlinks are mentions that add credibility and trust to your brand. Backlinking is when another website links to your at-home pest control guide or to your main site listing you as an expert in pest removal. In search engines, websites that have a high number of backlinks tend to rank better. To build backlinks, reach out to relevant sources in the industry and offer to write guest posts or ask them to link to your resources.
Use internal linking: To do this, simply place a link from one page on your website to another page on your website. Don’t just link to random content, you want these links to be focused and informative. Add the link to anchor text that features a relevant keyword. For example, if you have a blog post on pest control and one section covers eliminating termites, add a link in that section to a termite removal guide on your site.
3. Don’t forget about local SEO
Local SEO marketing is a process where you improve content so that search engines know you provide a local service. When people search for “pest control near me,” Google displays local results above the regular search results in what’s called a “local pack.” The local pack lists the top three businesses in the area that provide the services consumers are searching for.
To beat out the competition, you want your business to be in the local pack listings. The easiest way to do this is to improve your local SEO. The first step is setting up and claiming your business on Google My Business — a site that collects the basic information of a business.
Verified Google My Business listings tend to rank higher in local pack search results than businesses that aren’t verified. It takes just a few minutes to set up a free listing and you’ll just need to provide the business name, address, phone number, business hours, and other relevant contact information. Need help getting it set up? Use this step-by-step guide that shows you how to set up and claim your Google My Business account.
Next, you want to make sure there is a consistent name, address, and phone number (NAP) for your site. Large aggregators like yellow pages sites may list the wrong phone number or an old business address. Conflicting information can result in a lower ranking in search engines. Make sure to update all contact information on your website and submit corrected information to directories that have the wrong info.
In addition to Google My Business and NAP optimization, reviews pay a key role in local SEO search results. Google prioritizes sites that have good reviews and ones where business owners are responsive. Podium can help you gather online reviews from customers and also offers sentiment analysis so you can see what’s working and improve what isn’t.
4. Make infographics
With so much information on the web, it’s no surprise that consumer’s attention spans are short. You’re not going to catch the eye of a potential customer with a 4,000-word blog post on the biology of pests. While interesting, consumers simply don’t have time to read and digest that information, especially when they’re dealing with a pressing infestation.
That’s where images come in. Infographics are a great tool because they enable you to share important information without overwhelming readers. Try making an infographic of the most common pests in your area. You can also focus on one type of pest and share interesting facts about the critters and list ways customers can make their homes less inviting to the pests.
5. Leverage paid ads
Many pest control companies use traditional advertising tools like flyers, billboards, and newspaper ads to get the word out. Online advertising is another avenue that can help drive new leads and bring in new customers.
Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) is a type of ad where you pay money every time someone opens your ad. Google Adwords is one of the easiest PPC tools to use. Plus, when you pay for this type of advertising, your ads show up above the regular search results in Google. It helps increase visibility for local businesses and you can track which ads are performing the best within the Google ads dashboard. You can also purchase ads on LinkedIn or use Facebook Ads to spread the word about your business.
6. Generate reviews
The majority of consumers check online reviews before making purchasing decisions. Customer reviews and testimonials offer valuable insight into what works well about your products or services. It works similarly to word-of-mouth, helping to boost your authority and offering concrete examples of how your products and services work.
In addition, reviews are a key metric in Google search rankings. Having a lot of rave reviews can boost your site up in the rankings, effectively helping you stand out from the competition. To get reviews, use a tool like Podium Reviews to easily ask customers for their opinions. With the mobile app, you can respond to customers quickly and you’ll get notifications every time a new review is posted.
Podium’s Feedback tool also helps you get reviews with two simple automated messages. You’ll hear back in real-time and the tool allows you to customize questions so you can get to the heart of what your customers love.
7. Email marketing
Email marketing is another way to gain new leads and increase your online exposure. It’s another way you can catch customers in the sales funnel, even if they don’t make a purchase. For example, some customers may be visiting your site to get information on how to prevent pests from entering their homes. They may not be ready yet to sign up for pest elimination services and might just be hunting for information.
You can include a website pop-up asking customers to join your newsletter or mailing list instead of promoting sales. You can then send out relevant information to the email list. If customers find it informative, they may buy your products or turn to your services when they can’t manage the pests themselves. Use an email tool like Mailchimp to send out periodic updates on your company and share new pest control tips customers may find useful.
8. Social media marketing
Social media may not drive the most sales to your site, but it’s still an important tool when building your online presence and crafting a digital marketing strategy. It’s a great place to run marketing campaigns and when your followers share it with their networks, you increase your reach, helping to build new leads.
It’s also another tool you can use to get reviews and feedback from customers. Use social media to follow up with customers who post about your business. Share exciting content about the pest control industry and see what types of people engage with the post. This can help you identify marketing segments and adjust your campaigns to fit their needs.
Social media is also a great place to show off your brand personality. Since it’s a more casual forum, you can use humor to show consumers how friendly your business is while also being an expert in the industry.
Build new leads with Podium
Internet marketing can be time-consuming, but it’s worth its weight in gold when it comes to acquiring new customers. If you’re a pest control company offering services to eliminate bed bugs, termites, and ants, leveraging online marketing can help grow your business. Use these pest control marketing strategies to boost your search rankings and increase visibility.
Whether your pest control business is a large enterprise or a small mom-and-pop shop, Podium can help you grow your business. Get tips on how to manage your online reputation from our blog or discover solutions to help win more leads and earn repeat customers.
