How To Get More Customers for your Pest Control Business

As a pest control professional, a large part of creating a successful business is finding suitable leads. An industry that requires more new clients than just repeat customers means constantly being in the market of lead generation. But, how does one go about generating leads for a pest control company?

At Arborgold, we provide business software to a select group of professionals, including pest control companies. Being in the industry as long as we have, we’ve come to learn a few things about lead generation. Here are a few of our top tips.

Local Search Engine Optimization

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a marketing technique used to boost a company’s ranking through search engines like Google. When you Google “pest control in (location)”, where does your company appear in the query results? Marketing experts find that the top 3 ranks in any Google search are most likely to be chosen, and most searchers won’t ever scroll past the first page.

Knowing this, it makes perfect sense to invest in a few SEO improving tactics, such as:

Scope Out the Local Competition – Google yourself and then local competitors. What do you see when you look at the search results? Everything from a company’s meta description to its service map plays a role in future success. If you find that some local or national businesses are topping you in a search for nearby pest control, look over their website and social media accounts to see if you’re missing anything they’ve contributed to their image.

Use Keywords When Possible – Keywords are a great tool when used wisely. They must appear natural, and they should be relevant to the content you’re posting and your business overall. For pest control companies, keywords like “pest control (location)” and “best termite busters in (location)” are some fine examples. Be wary of key phrases, which are too specific or too broad.

Invest in an SEO Manager – If you’re new to SEO and not sure where to get started, contact an SEO management firm. Even if you don’t plan on using the services long term, hiring an SEO manager to get started will show you what you need to do to be successful.

Be Consistent with Content – The content you post says a lot about your brand. If you choose to run a blog, be sure to post consistently. Your customers will come to expect it, it’s great material to be shared with potential leads, and it looks good to Google.

Search engine optimization will help generate leads by putting you at eye level for local pest control searches. It certainly isn’t the only way to earn more traffic and potential customers, however.

Word of Mouth Marketing via Online Reviews

Online reviews are the modern equivalent to traditional word of mouth marketing. Whether they’re posted through social media, Google business pages, or review sites like Yelp. It’s not important that every review is positive, but it is important that every review is reacted to positively. Encourage your past customers to share their experience with your company online. Take the best of these and share them through your website.

The way you react to negative reviews is just as important as receiving positive ones. Always follow up with a displeased customer, empathize, and try to rectify the situation if possible. Not all customers can be mollified after feeling they’ve received a poor experience, but when new customers see how you deal with these negative comments, they’ll be impressed at your flexibility and willingness to right a wrong.

Research suggests that around 70% of consumers believe and trust the online reviews they read, and 90% have faith in word of mouth reviews from friends and relatives. That’s a large chunk of the online population benefiting from reviews you receive, and a good chance it will generate leads for pest control companies.

Social Media Promotional Posts

Social media is an amazing business resource. Research indicates that approximately 42% of the global population uses social media at 3.2 billion users. Of those users, Facebook is the most commonly used platform, although Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are also popular choices. Using social media to post promotional material is an excellent way to increase traffic and generate leads for pest control companies. How? Social media was made for sharing. Individuals see a funny meme, they share it. Someone sees a promotion for a new business offering 50% off first time users, they share it. And the more times your content is shared, the more popular it becomes.

Social media requires finesse from a business standpoint. It needs a balance of professional and relaxed material. Some tips for a successful social media campaign include:

• Post content that is relatable and engaging.
• Comment, like and share whenever possible.
• Take advantage of the private messaging feature to send promotions.
• Make the experience more personal by using photos of you and the staff during the daily grind.
• Use mixed media for posts, such as videos, memes, infographics, and more.

Exclusive Email Marketing Campaigns

Email may be the dinosaur of the marketing world, right after snail mail flyers, but it’s stuck it out for a reason. Email is still a widely used service, generating roughly $38 dollars of income for every $1 you spend on email marketing efforts. It’s also important to note that 99% of consumers check email every day, making it that much more effective for your email marketing campaign to work.

Exclusive email marketing is just as it sounds. It includes information or promotions that are being offered only to an exclusive number of potential clients. As a pest control company, your clients may not be repeat visitors. Hopefully, you’ve fixed their pest problem and they can live happily ever after in a pest-free home. So, it’s crucial that pest control businesses make their services widely known to new clients regularly. By offering “first time customer” discounts, you’re likely to attract a new crowd of service users.

Even with most of your business coming from new clients, it’s good to keep in touch with all those happily resolved cases as they may share your name with potential new clients. And business users may require your services again down the road. Exclusive content for returning users is another wonderful approach to generate leads for pest control companies.

CRM Software Specifically Developed for Pest Control Companies

There are a variety of CRM software providers, and while a generic program may work for most businesses, pest control is a very specific industry. The clients you accumulate are treated differently than those that a grocery store chain or law firm might acquire. Therefore, it helps to use software that was designed with pest control in mind.

CRM providers, like Arborgold, who specialize in niche industries like landscaping, lawn care and, of course, pest control, offer business management tools that work to increase productivity, customer engagement and overall ROI.

One of the most effective tools we offer at Arborgold for lead generation is our integrated email system with SendGrid. Whether you choose to create your own e-mail or customize one of our templates, you’re able to reach multiple customers at once with information designed to entice traffic and sales. Promotional emails including coupons and discounts, follow-up emails for customers who have used your service before, and more.

CRM software of this kind also provides a glimpse into the inner workings of your business model. Through analytics tracking, you can see exactly what works and what needs tweaking. There are pros and cons to every marketing strategy, and our state-of-the-art CRM dashboard will show you everything you need to know to make your next campaign stronger.

Take a Product Tour of Arborgold

For more information on Arborgold and our pest control business software, take a tour online. You can also browse other service industries that could contribute to the success of your pest control company.