By 2026, the pest control market will hit over $29 billion in value. Are you interested in getting a slice of this billion-dollar pie? If so, you may be considering starting your very own pest control brand.
Pest control businesses serve residential and commercial customers. They employ hundreds of thousands of hard-working professionals throughout the US. And they prevent countless dollars of property damage each year.
Pest control is a surprisingly fulfilling business. But if you want to keep doing what you love for life, you need to grow your business. That means getting more pest control leads and keeping customers loyal to your brand.
How do you attract new customers and retain the ones you have already? That is the exact question we intend to answer with this guide. Keep reading for the top do’s and don’ts of growing your pest control business in 2023.
Don’t Charge Too Little
If there is a lot of competition in your market, you may be tempted to undercut your competitors. Low prices may attract clients initially. However, your low prices could be damaging your reputation for quality.
Consumers know that high-quality services cost more. Some pest control consumers may search for the cheapest option available.
Yet, these are not the clients you want to cater to. Their loyalties will switch as soon as a cheaper option becomes available.
And cheaper services do not just mean lower-quality customers. They also mean smaller margins. Make sure you are charging what your valuable services are really worth, and your customer base will grow.
Do Maintain a Web Presence
In 2023, 71% of small businesses have websites. Perhaps that is because 81% of consumers research a business online before signing up for their services or purchasing their products.
Your pest control business can’t afford not to have a web presence. You may think you can get by on referrals alone. But even the best pest control companies use their websites to attract new prospective clients.
After all, you can optimize your website for SEO. Search engine optimization (SEO) allows you to increase traffic to your website and, ultimately, get more customers. SEO may be the single most effective lead-generation tactic today.
Don’t Forget About Reviews
Another benefit of having an online presence is accumulating reviews. 55% of consumers read reviews before choosing a new service provider. And reviews are also a great way to improve your brand’s credibility.
Reviews will not only help you attract more clients, improve sales, and increase your site’s organic visibility in search engines. They can also help you understand where your business model needs improvement.
Getting positive reviews from happy customers is even more critical for new businesses. You do not have a brand or reputation to work off of. Getting reviews can legitimize you in the eyes of prospective customers.
Do Use Local SEO
85% of consumers run a local Google search to find businesses near them. Local SEO is a strategy that falls under the hat of organic marketing. It helps your business show up in local search results.
For example, say you provide pest control services in Holmdel, New Jersey. A local SEO expert would optimize your website to show up when users search “pest control companies in Homdel” or “pest control companies in Homdel, NJ.”
Don’t Ignore Automation
You may think you can not afford the latest technology to automate your operations. Yet, recent innovations have made software solutions more affordable than ever.
Plus, the return on your investment is not to be ignored. For every dollar you spend on automation, you can guarantee you will save in the form of customer satisfaction and fewer administrative tasks for your staff.
Spending a little bit on a great software system can end up saving you a lot in the long run. Consider automating invoicing, digital record creation and storage, marketing and follow-up emails, and other tedious manual tasks.
Communications are another area of your business you can digitize. After all, the majority of customers today prefer online or other forms of digital communication.
Do Consider PPC Ads
Optimizing your website for local search is all well and good. To push your organic marketing efforts over the top, consider incorporating pay-per-click (PPC) advertising.
With PPC, you publish an ad for your website, which appears at the top of the search results. Then, you pay a small fee each time a prospective client clicks on your ad in the results.
Local SEO is virtually free, while PPC ads are not. Yet, these two strategies used together can double or even triple your results from using either PPC or SEO alone.
Don’t Neglect Your Socials
The US has more than 302 million social media users. And each user has an average of about seven social media accounts. So, you can guarantee your prospective customers are on one social media platform or another.
It is not enough these days to have a business website alone. You also need a presence on social media. Social media platforms like Facebook are great places to collect reviews, engage with your fans, and find new clients.
Facebook and YouTube are the most used social media platforms in 2023. But make sure to consider which platforms your prospective customers might use.
Are You a Pest Control Brand Looking for Marketing Help?
Building a new pest control business from the ground up may seem intimidating. But with these eight marketing tips, you can drive business growth at your company and increase your client base in no time at all.
Do you need help with marketing your pest control brand? At MarketingPests, we specialize in helping businesses like yours. Book a strategy session with us today to learn how we can help you grow your business.
