Pest control companies have a problem. And odds are high yours has it, too.

When people go online to find a pest control company, they know they have a serious issue on their hands. Either they saw evidence of an infestation or they spotted actual pests roaming the halls. A pest control company delivers real, meaningful value – expertise they need so they can have peace of mind.

Yet, many people treat pest control as a commodity rather than a premium service.

Since they don’t know what goes into the process of managing pests, their first question isn’t “Can you do the job?” but “Will you do it for cheap?”

This thought process is incredibly common, and it limits the growth opportunities for your business.

What’s the solution?

Once someone has these thoughts, it’s hard to change their mind. But you can use pest control marketing to educate would-be customers and get off on the right foot. Without marketing that sets the right tone for the discussion, you’re just another face in the crowd. And even if customers choose you the first time, they may very well go on to someone who has a lower price later on.

Long story short, your marketing is the key to breaking the cycle, showing your value upfront, and getting the repeat and referral business you want from customers you’ll look forward to working with.

Let’s look at both parts of the equation, then see how they work together.

Pest Control Companies Need To Expect More From Their Websites

The majority of your future customers will find you online, so your website is their first impression.

What impression is it making?

Most pest control companies don’t get much business value – if any – from their current website. There are a few reasons why this is, but they all come down to one central oversight: The website talks too much about the company and not enough about the potential customer.

Go to Google and type in “pest control companies” and your city. The top five listings may not be the best pest control companies in the area, but they are the best at spotlighting information the customer cares about. While they’re very helpful, we want to look at the results on page three right now.

Check them out. You’re bound to notice a few patterns.

Most pest control companies focus on talking about their team, their technology, and maybe some of the techniques they use. If they have a specific focus – like environmentally friendly pest control, for example – they’ll devote a few pages to explaining this and how it works.

But, in the end, they haven’t said much that will make them stand out.

That’s because they’re not thinking about how people use their website and what they want from it.

Here are three ways most pest control companies can make their website more useful:

1. Publish Helpful, Informative Content That Gets People Taking Action On Their Pest Problem

Many pest control companies are afraid of posting advice articles. By doing so, they feel like they’ll be “giving away the store.” But nothing could be further from the truth. No matter how much information you give someone, it won’t turn them into a pest control professional.

Oftentimes, they’ll be motivated to try something, then find they still need more help.

Homeowners are going to seek out pest control information from one source or another. Why should they get it from a freelance writer at a lifestyle magazine when it can come directly from the source? With a robust library of content, you demonstrate you’re up to date on all the latest pest control trends.

Just as importantly, embracing online publishing gives you more search engine visibility.

Search engine optimization – the science of increasing your presence on search engines, backed by data – relies on having valuable content aligned with what your customers are searching for. A Central Florida marketing agency can do the research behind this so your efforts are focused and lead to real returns.

With professional blog writing services, you don’t even need to do the heavy lifting yourself. A team of marketers will dive in, learn about your business and the important issues in your industry, and do it all for you. This is faster – and can be far more effective – than trying to do it all yourself.

2. Make Sure Your Website Is Easy To Use – Not Only On Desktop But Smartphone And Tablet

The internet is changing, but it might be tough to notice the signs.

For several years now, online traffic from mobile devices, especially smartphones, has been growing. Mobile now makes up about half of all digital traffic. There was a slight downturn in 2020 as more people stayed home, but the trend is on pace to resume and continue in coming years.

Unfortunately, many businesses don’t know how this affects them.

And when it comes to website ROI, what they don’t know can hurt them.

To compete, your website needs to use a responsive theme. That means the layout, typography, and inputs change automatically to provide a convenient experience for mobile users, while desktop users see no changes. Most customers will browse on mobile, but some will switch to desktop to buy.

This is such a crucial factor, Google now looks at the mobile version of your website first when deciding which websites rank where in its listings. Having a mobile-friendly website also helps tick the box on one of Google’s other growing concerns, fast page load times.

3. Ease Visitors Into The Consultation, Then Make The Process Easy

Have you ever clicked “Make a Reservation” on a restaurant website only to have it start up FaceTime and place a call without warning?

“I can’t explain to you how much I don’t want that,” quipped one user, and he has a point.

“Customer self-service” is the name of the game online. People are looking for information, and they want to control the tempo of when, where, and how they get in touch with you.

For pest control companies, that means two things:

• Finding ways to deepen the relationship before the call is made
• Giving lots of options to get in touch – phone, email, and more

It’s not just pest control firms that overlook the importance of #1. Companies of all sizes, in all kinds of industries, are always hoping first-time website visitors will jump straight into a partnership before they’ve even said “hello” first. In truth, the outcome they’re hoping for almost never happens.

A tiny fraction of a fraction of 1% of your first-time visitors will call you for information.

The rest need a little more time. And your website can give that to them.

The answer is email marketing, one of the least expensive and most effective digital marketing tactics. Since it can scale up to thousands of subscribers with virtually no increase in costs, it’s long been seen as the marketing approach with the highest return on investment.

Plus, it enables you to help inspire customer activity in a personalized, humane way:

• Highlighting seasonal pest control issues that customers need to watch out for
• Showcasing limited time offers that can bring you an instant influx of business
• Sharing reviews and success stories your subscribers might not see otherwise
• Making a connection based on up-to-the-minute news, data, and information

The best way to get new people to reach out to you is to prove your value again and again with email marketing. Your ability to bring them onto your list, in turn, depends on the quality of your website’s design and content. Everything works together to generate the results you want.

Once people see you around their inbox, they’re more likely to talk to you – even clicking straight from an email to set an appointment. But be sure they have a range of options; provide phone, email, and social media handles at least. Many pest control companies are also introducing chat on their website.

With several choices, you put power in their hands and never look like you’re giving a hard sell.

Then, your social media works to enhance it all.

Pest Control Companies Active On Social Media Are More Likely To Have Full Schedules

Even when they’re dealing with the toughest vermin around, pest control companies don’t drop into the neighborhood from an office a thousand miles away. They need interested prospects from their own local area. Likewise, customers are more likely to trust local businesses than large national chains.

It’s surprisingly easy to zero in on these local customers using the right social media strategy.

If you’re doing everything right with your pest control website, you’ve already paved the way to terrific social media results. Every piece of content you publish on your blog can be amplified through your social media. Followers respond especially well to seasonal content.

Many platforms use hashtags to make their content discoverable, and these will help you ensure the system surfaces your content for people in your area. Likewise, you can piggyback off the traffic of the busiest relevant hashtags to spark near-immediate attention for your website.

For instance, a platform like Instagram has an active community of real estate watchers. Many are homeowners dreaming of trading up soon. They have both the disposable income to pay for a pest control company and the responsibility to take action against pests because no one else will.

Just responding to a few of these posts can get people clicking to learn about you.

The trouble with social media is also its greatest engineering triumph: It’s addictive. Businesses know that if they wander social platforms with no real plan, they’ll get no results. So, many Central Florida pest control companies are turning to digital marketing experts who can do it for them.

Professional social media marketing means you can stay focused on what you do best.

Not Sure Where To Begin To Bring Life To Your Pest Control Website?

There are plenty of people out there ready to charge you thousands of dollars to redesign your website.

They may be following the latest design trends, but they’re not putting thought into what will make your website relevant and compelling for your customers. Far from being an online product brochure, a good website is a relationship-building tool. It helps people to know, like, and trust you.

From there, they do the hardest part: Reaching out to you.

New York Ave is here to help. To learn more or get started, contact us today.