Tackle Effective Inbound and Local Marketing Strategies for Your Pest Control Business

If you want your pest control business to succeed, you need smart and effective marketing.

However, marketing can get messy and expensive if you don’t have the right strategies or do not take advantage of what the digital marketing experience offers. While outbound marketing, such as cold calling, direct mail, or email blasts, definitely has its place, it’s expensive and typically has a low return on investment (ROI). On the other hand, inbound marketing is a more personal approach and can be extremely successful and cost-effective, no matter what size your pest control company is.

According to Hubspot, “Inbound marketing is a business methodology that attracts customers by creating valuable content and experiences tailored to them.” For example, this could be in the form of your website, blogs, posts on your social media, infographics, or videos. The idea is that you’re helping potential customers find you organically versus directly reaching out to see if someone is interested in your pest control services. Inbound marketing makes sense for the pest control industry for a number of reasons:

• You’re bringing in qualified people who are actively searching for solutions to their pest control problems, which results in higher closing rates.

• It allows you to present yourself as an industry expert focused on making your customers' lives easier.

• It’s less expensive, faster, more targeted, and more effective than traditional outbound strategies like cold calling and direct mail or flyers.

• The digital catalog you build will last long into the future, promoting long-term growth as your overall body of content grows.

• It helps you build on leads that are drawn to you over time and through multiple engagements.

• When you engage with your customers on social media, whether it’s answering questions or listening to their conversations, you’re getting a better understanding of how to improve your pest control products and services.

• Analytics such as Google Analytics and those built into other social media platforms make it easy to track your campaign performance and allow you to adjust your spending based on the success you’re seeing.

When planning your inbound pest control marketing strategy, consider using these elements:

• Website: With all this discussion around inbound marketing, first and foremost, you need a website; otherwise, no one will be able to find you. Businesses with websites build credibility and instill trust with potential customers. When creating your website, consider the design, functionality, and brand since this will be most people’s first impression. Ultimately, a website establishes you as a legitimate pest control business.

• Content Marketing: Creating and sharing digital material intended to spark interest in your pest control company and the services you provide is called content marketing. It includes blogs, videos, articles, website copy, photos, and infographics. Be thoughtful and purposeful about the types of content you produce and don’t create it because you need to fill your website. Create it to show that you’re the expert and provide valuable information for your pest control website visitors.  

• Paid Digital Ads: Pay-per-click (PPC) and display advertising can improve your chances of being seen by potential customers. While display advertising shows digital ads for your business on relevant web pages, PPC shows your ads on a search engine results page based on a specific search (a “Santa Fe pest control” search, for example). PPC ads are more effective than digital ads in the area of pest control.

• Social Media: We’re living in a digital age, so having a social media presence is valuable for your pest control business in a variety of ways. Not only does it increase your brand awareness, but social media lets you connect, build relationships, and communicate with potential customers. Facebook is arguably the most popular of the social media platforms, but Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram will also help increase your visibility. These platforms are also valuable tools to network with other pest control professionals and stay on top of what your competitors are doing.

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO): Incorporating targeted keywords into all your digital content and linking to your website will improve your SEO. This increases the chances that the right customers that are searching for pest control services in your area will be directed to your website.

Now that you know more about inbound marketing and what elements to incorporate into your overall marketing approach, it’s also important to include online local marketing strategies. This gives you the opportunity to attract customers that are in and around your local area searching for pest control services. If you’re on the fence about the power of local marketing, take a look at these statistics:

• 97% of consumers search online for a local business.

• 46% of all Google searches are local.

• 86% of consumers use Google Maps to find a local business.

• Every month, Internet users visit 1.5 billion locations related to their Google searches.

Regardless of the size of your pest control business, you can still reap the benefits of local marketing by integrating these tactics:

• Optimize for Local Search: If you’re wondering where to even begin, probably the best place to list your business is with Google My Business (GMB). What’s even better? It’s free. With GMB, you can post updates to your business profile and see how your customers and prospects are interacting with your business on Google. And while GMB is undoubtedly a significant player in optimizing your business for local searches, don’t forget to register with Yahoo!, Yelp, Angie’s List, and Bing Places for Business.

• Mobile-Friendly Website: You may be asking, “What is a mobile-friendly website?” If your website is mobile-friendly, then it will correctly display on mobile devices such as phones or tablets. What does this have to do with local marketing? 57% of all web traffic is viewed on a mobile device, and more than half of all smartphone users have discovered a new company or product during their search. With just a click from their phone, a mobile-friendly website makes it easy and convenient for potential customers to reach you.

• Reviews: Whether good or bad, it’s essential to monitor your reviews. 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Additionally, online reviews improve your SEO ranking. The more people talking about your pest control services, the higher your business will appear in your customers' search. You can read more about how reviews can help your company in our blog.

In the end, inbound and local marketing isn’t always about attracting new customers. The idea is that when you use these tactics, you’re creating strong relationships and making your current customers happy. In turn, they will give you positive reviews and, thus, generate referrals.