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15 Pest Control Marketing Strategies To Grow Your Business

15 Strategies to Market Your Pest Control Business

There are almost 30,000 pest control businesses in America and the entire industry of earns billions of dollars per year. Whether your business receives a contract or not could depend on your marketing campaign. Pest control marketing is effective when multiple strategies are implemented to help more people recognize a business’s products and services. As a business owner, you know how valuable a successful marketing strategy can be. It builds brand awareness and ultimately increases sales and the bottom line. There are many ways to employ marketing to help your business grow.

1. Develop a Plan

Invariable, when something goes wrong it’s usually because there wasn’t a well thought-out plan set in place before hand. A thoroughly developed pest control marketing strategy changes according to the business’s needs and is defined by the key metrics of success, budget and strategy. It encompasses identifying potential clients as well as competition, setting up a tracking infrastructure and establishing guidelines for monitoring the business.

A successful marketing plan for pest control businesses should include:

  • Market Research – It’s important to determine the total potential market and how many customers you can reasonably expect. Instead of competing in national markets, pest control businesses need to concentrate specifically on local ones. The secret to a successful campaign is to customize your pest control marketing messaging and sales pitch to resonate with the buyer.
  • Competitor Research – What other pest control companies are you going up against? What kind of features and benefits do they offer that you don’t? Determine who your primary rivals are and what they are doing to advertise their companies.
  • Customer Research – Do you know exactly who your customers are? Are they residential or commercial? Where are do they live? How educated are they? How do they spend their free time? The secret to successful pest control marketing is to customize your content and sales pitch resonates with your audience, and that requires understanding your customers.

To build a marketing strategy for pest treatment, you don’t need to be an expert. 

One institution that offers marketing plan templates for various business kinds is the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). You can also partner with a pest control advertising agency to help get the job done quicker.

Need Help Creating a Marketing Plan? Get This Free Resource for Implementing and Executing a Marketing Strategy – That Gets Results, Even During Tough Times!

2. Create an Awesome Website

What makes a website awesome? Certainly all relevant information is there, from the mission statement to services offered, pricing and links to social media. The website establishes a business’s tone. It should neither be too busy nor too bare. It should lay out the details of the business in a way that leaves potential clients feeling as though they’ve come to the right place.

Take this example:

Do your techs dress professionally? What about your service vehicles? —are they attractive, branded representations of your company, or are they a jalopy you acquired at a fire sale?

There’s an important reason why you want to show up professionally: first impressions count.

First impressions are important not only in the field but also online. People frequently interact with your pest control business for the first time through your website, and they will form an opinion of your organization based on the look, feel, and overall experience of using your site. In fact, more than 45 percent of users ranked the design of a website as the most important element just determining a company’s trustworthiness, and visitors form an opinion about your website in less than a second after it loads.

To be able to run with the top pest control businesses, your website must have the following features:

  • Easy navigation
  • Contact information easily found
  • Value-enhancing messaging
  • High-quality, captivating visuals
  • Client portals
  • Blog with how-to posts and pest education
  • Search functionality
  • Demonstrate social proof (e.g. reviews and testimonials)
  • Social networking site links
  • Online scheduling

However, in order to appeal to the your primary market, it is also necessary that it meet the following requirements:

Fast – In less than 4 seconds of seeing your website, a visitor must visually see your website and be able to take an action (i.e. form, phone call button, etc.) that will convert them into a pest control lead. Nearly 50% of visitors will hit the “back” button if it takes longer.

Safe – As a result of recent data privacy scandals and consumer data intrusions, individuals are more concerned than ever about their online security. However, if for some reason your website isn’t safe, you have a problem. Google has started identifying unsecure websites right there in the search box.

Mobile-friendly– Mobile devices are used for more than 65 percent of internet searches for terms like “pest control company” and “exterminator”. Your website should be optimized for mobile use as a result. Customers shouldn’t have to strain their eyes to read information, and navigating links shouldn’t be challenging. Additionally, they should have no trouble getting in touch with you, setting up a meeting, and concluding, “that was easy.”

3. Use Social Media

People use sites like TikTok, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with great frequency. Gaining earned media through social represents a massive opportunity to a large pool of potential clients. Social media can help to earn reviews, raise awareness for new services or products, drive traffic to a business’s homepage and run paid campaigns to energize a client base.

Social media marketing allows you to develop your brand and connect with the correct audience for a very low cost, and in some cases can increase your revenue by up to 20% or more if done correctly. Pest control companies can gain several benefits by implementing social media marketing and advertising, including:

  • Increase brand recognition and potential reach
  • Boost incoming traffic and appointments booked
  • Improved customer service capabilities
  • Increase brand credibility, authority, and recognition.
  • Obtain current market and competitive intelligence

Your finest blog posts, videos, and other content may all be used to promote your pest control business through social media. Additionally, you may discover the kind of content that appeal to your followers and direct your efforts accordingly. We typically recommend posting to each of your social media accounts with different types of content (posts, links, stories, blogs, etc.) at least two times every day.

Similar to your email marketing list, social media marketing serves as a great lead growth and management tool. It raises awareness of your brand and the services you offer, enabling customers to find you easily in the future when they need you most.

4. Create a Pest Control Blog

Due to how simple it is to find information on just about anything, modern consumers are now research-obsessed. Consumers use search to improve their lives, according to Google’s study. They can feel less worried and more confident as a result.

With a pest control blog, you may simultaneously sate homeowners’ thirst for knowledge and convert them into leads (or lifelong clients). Additionally, blogs can generate MASSIVE traffic for your website. Blogging can be a powerful form of low-cost pest control advertising, too. By consistently providing valuable and relevant content, a business can establish itself as an industry leader.

Blogging and content topics could include:

  • Pest Identification Glossary
  • Do-it-yourself tips for homeowners
  • Recent events and stories that have an impact on local homeowners
  • Identification guide for bug bites
  • Instructional and educational videos

To reach as many individuals as possible, you should diversify your content marketing strategy. If someone doesn’t have the time to read an eBook, they could have time to view a little movie instead, for instance. Ideally, you should be posting to your blog on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule.

5. Develop SEO  

The activities involved with improving a web page’s search engine ranking in order to increase online visibility is what marketers call search engine optimization (SEO). Search Engine Optimization (SEO) provides more opportunities to turn potential clients into actual ones. It increases visibility and drives more traffic to a business’s website.

It is rather important considering 93% of all purchases begin with an online search, 47% of users visit one of the top three listings, and 97% of consumers utilize the internet to find local services. So, have you made your website crawlable by Google? You’re not alone if you think that sounds like nonsense.

Simple SEO errors can make a website uncrawlable and can seriously hinder traffic to your website and keep you from ranking on Google’s first page of results. Since 90% of users never go past the first page of the search results, if you’re not on it, you might as well not even exist. Don’t be scared to hire a specialist to evaluate your website and make a few minor adjustments because SEO optimization might be complicated.

6. Improve Local SEO

Because Google owns 92 percent of the global search engine market, it’s essential to pay attention to local SEO to help boost online visibility. Local SEO also contributes to voice search visibility on apps like Siri and Alexa.

Alright, so…local SEO. What exactly is it? This particular SEO technique will cause you to appear for local searches in maps like Google’s local pack (that group of the top three businesses on Google Maps listings). For instance:

  • A search query without local intent—one in which the user’s location is unimportant—is “What’s that scratching noise in my attic?”
  • In comparison, Google will deliver localized advertisements if a user entered the search term “squirrel removal near me” – because it has a local intent.

You need to work on your local SEO if you want to rank for local searches and get your business into the local pack (the map listings). This is possible by:

  • Improving your Google Business Profile
  • Connecting each of your companies to a Google Business Profile
  • Making sure your name, address, and phone number are consistent online (including directory listings)
  • Having lots of reviews with 4 and 5 stars

Local SEO also impacts your visibility on voice assistants like Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple’s Siri. Each of these apps source their data from online directories to help potential customers find local businesses for the services they need. Whenever someone asks, “Hey Alexa, who is the best pest control business near me?”, you want Local SEO in your corner to help suggest your business.

7. Implement PPC Advertising

Historically, the majority of businesses spend money on print advertisements. Typically, the same thing happens: pest control leaflets or postcards are slipped into someone’s mailbox or fastened to their door.

Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising is cost-effective because businesses only pay when consumers get to their website. PPC advertising uses demographics and personal interests based on internet browsing history and shopping behavior to target particular audiences.

The first three to four results that appear when someone searches on Google are frequently adverts from Google AdWords. PPC essentially serves as a method of ensuring that the clients you want see your name first when they search for the pest control services you offer — you quickly receive the right calls from the right leads. It is a very scalable and cost-effective pest control marketing strategy.

PPC advertisements are advised by us because:

  • PPC advertising can be started and stopped whenever you choose.
  • PPC campaign budgets are adjustable, enabling you to change your ad spend as you see fit.
  • PPC advertisements bring in targeted visitors with a strong intent to buy pest control services.
  • PPC advertisements are timely, enabling you to run them on any days and at all times of the week, even on weekends and public holidays.
  • PPC advertisements are extremely targeted, enabling you to display your adverts for the highest-converting keywords in your sector.

Popular social media sites like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram have also become a pay-to-play ecosystem for businesses. Organic reach is still achievable, but it takes a lot more labor intensive effort to achieve than it did a few years ago. You might want to consider purchasing online pest control advertisements within these spaces. Although the learning curve can be challenging, social media PPC ads offer some of the better returns of any advertising tactic.

8. Optimize GMB Page

It’s no secret that Google has become increasingly prevalent in our daily lives as the years pass and our reliance on the internet only seems to grow. Examples include its video search engine YouTube, its voice helper Google Assistant, and even just a straightforward Chrome search on your phone. Google My Business, however, is the most crucial Google offering for pest control businesses.

The Google Local Pack, often known as the Google Local Finder, may include Google My Business.

The group of company listings known as the Local Pack can be found in search results below the map. This appears following a user’s local-intent Google search. The top three profiles are initially displayed, but you can expand to see more and explore additional listings on Google Maps.

For instance, if I type “pest control, NYC,” The following will appear:

When pest control businesses properly optimize their Google My Business (GMB) page, property managers and homeowners can: 

  • See where you are located
  • Locate your contact information instantly.
  • View your opening times
  • Review testimonials left by other customers
  • Book your services.
  • View images of your brand, your team, and your previous work examples.
  • Check out your offers, blog posts, and other content

To optimize your Google My Business page, thoroughly fill and complete the following:

  • Select the categories of your business
  • Complete your business description
  • Fill out your operating hours
  • Add the “booking button” feature if you provide online booking.
  • Publish posts weekly
  • Add photos of your business
  • List your available specials and discounts
  • Answer questions that are frequently asked and post responses
  • Respond to reviews as quickly as possible

Simply put, through Google My Business pages, businesses can increase visibility. GMB pages allow for online reviews and can show physical addresses on maps and Google local pack listings.

9. Consider Adopting a Strong Branding Mindset

Put simply, how do you want to be seen? Consumers consider a company’s reputation when making their decisions. A strong brand mindset provides potential consumers with more than a description of services. It also distinguishes a business’s guiding principles, core beliefs and values, each of which can set a business apart.

We’d bet that the competition is fierce because there are undoubtedly several pest control businesses in your service region. Your customers will remember you thanks to branding. Therefore, having a strong brand can help clients see you as one of, if not their best, options. When you work on a strong branding plan, you make your business identifiable and thus simple to recall when clients think of a service provider they can get in touch with right away.

Another reason branding is important is that the most crucial factor between a business and its clients is probably trust. But as we all know, building trust takes time, therefore it’s critical to implement a successful plan that will inspire customers to confidently invest in your pest control business.

Consider the fact that they are allowing you, a complete stranger (at least to new clients), into their house and putting their family’s safety in your hands.

If you were your customers, which company would you pick—one that doesn’t take much interest in its image, has a well-maintained and modern website, and has gathered a ton of positive testimonials and reviews, or one with a generic name and a shady-looking logo?

You can show potential clients that they can trust you to execute the job successfully and keep them safe by developing a strong, credible, and relatable brand.

10. Monitor Online Presence

Keeping tabs on its online presence ensures that a brand retains the position that it seeks to present. For instance, 85 percent of consumers trust online reviews. By monitoring such things, a business can use the information to make changes or reinforce sound policies that are working.

How exactly do you monitor your online presence? First off, using social media is a great way to interact with your current and potential customers. If anyone has a question to ask or feedback to provide, they can easily do so on social media. The existence of your pest control business allows you to swiftly respond in these instances.

The second way to monitor your online presence is to use Google Alerts. This handy tool allows your to see when new results for a subject appear in Google Search, and you can sign up to get emails when they appear as well. You may learn about news, items, or mentions of your brand name, for instance. You can monitor your competitor’s brand name, or other industry keywords like “NPMA” or “PestWorld”.

11. Create Engaging Infographics

Infographics can have an engaging effect that words alone cannot. With the use of visual data, charts, and statistics, they can act as a potent tool for helping people quickly understand information. Information may be made into images that are memorable, attention-grabbing, and even compelling with the right use of color, proportion, and negative space. For instance, you could create an infographic with quick facts about the 5 most common household insects. Another example is an infographic that explains the common places insects can be found living inside a home.

In short, pest control businesses stand to gain authority and credibility by using graphs, tables and illustrations are able to communicate complex data in easy-to-understand and attention-catching ways.

12. Create Online Videos

Household pests are a big concern for homeowners. They frequently require the assistance of a pest control specialist to get rid of an infestation and stop it from happening again. There is competition in the pest control industry, and some pest treatment services are more prosperous than others. Success mostly depends on the kinds of marketing efforts businesses make to be noticed. To do this, video marketing for pest treatment businesses has grown to be a crucial tactic.

Using video content is one of many pest control marketing ideas that often yields favorable results. Videos are more engaging and dynamic than text or images and have the potential to bring to life a brand’s skillset, ethos, and personality. Plus, the statistics clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of video marketing. Customers are more receptive to it and video typically reaches a larger audience. The following are some of the most astounding figures that support video marketing:

  • Compared to organic text results, videos have a 50 times higher chance of achieving organic page ranks on Google.
  • If a website has a video on it, it has a 50 times higher chance of appearing on the first page of search engine results.
  • Organic plain text results have a click-through rate that is 41% lower than videos.
  • A video on your page will encourage visitors to stay longer.
  • Roughly 20% of visitors will stick around to read a complete page’s worth of text, yet 80% of users will do the same for an entire video.

In summary, we recommend that your businesses make engaging and entertaining videos that engage viewers and turn leads into customers if you want to gain from video marketing.

13. Get Lots of Reviews

Online reviews have always been a strong selling point for consumers. It’s one thing for a business to say the right things, but it’s quite another to hear them from clients. Including a selection of top reviews on your website makes good business sense.

In fact, 90 percent of people read online reviews before visiting a business, and 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. If you don’t have a strategy to generate reviews, you’re in danger. Additionally, Google’s search results take into account the number of reviews and average rating you have received.

You should start by requesting more internet reviews if you want more of them. According to my observations, one of the main reasons pest treatment businesses don’t have many reviews on Google or Facebook is that they don’t ask for them. At the end of the day, one of the most important factors in Google Local search rankings is review quality and quantity. Your website’s rating may increase if it receives a lot of positive comments, which will help you stand out from the competitors.

14. Merge Pest Control Marketing Strategies

There are so many tremendous ways to use the internet to help sell a brand, but let’s not eschew marketing plans as they existed before the web exploded. Running print advertisements, applying graphics to work vehicles and generally being visible in the community will help the brand. Fielding a softball team might not score a bunch of accounts on game day, but getting the brand name out there, to be remembered when pest control issues arise, is tantamount to strong pest control advertising.

15. Make Yourself Available

A strong pest control marketing campaign includes features that make it easy for potential clients to communicate with company representatives. These could include a chatbox on the website, an email address, use of social media or scores of other methods. It is important to ensure a quick response when people take the time to reach out in an unsolicited manner.

Strong marketing relies on creative design, technology and strategy. Proecho Solutions offers the best in experience, quality and performance. Contact us for all of your pest control marketing agency needs and let our team help make your vision a reality.

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Why You Shouldn’t Do It Yourself –  Digital Marketing for Pest Control Businesses

Your trusty flashlight is always on your hip, after spending years finding just the right model with the right balance of features, ready to help you in your detailed home inspection. When you open up your email app on your phone you always find a pest control trade newsletter in your inbox, full of the newest and best products to take care of your customers and their ever-changing needs. After all the years you’ve spent with your backpack sprayer it often feels molded to your back, like a well-worn pair of gloves it feels like an extension of yourself.  So, you know there are things in life that are best done by professionals, and digital marketing is among them. Why? There is a lot that may go wrong if you are not 100% committed—and, let’s face it, an owner of a growing business almost never has the time to commit to a fully developed marketing plan.

You’re not keeping track of your progress: How are you able to judge the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts? There’s one simple word: analytics. It’s a small word with an enormous meaning, and if you are not spending hours staring at data points, your campaign is not getting the best return on your investment.

You’re unfamiliar with the jargon: For most people reading this, digital marketing isn’t a native language, and unless you speak it regularly, you may not understand the latest terminology. You should leave things like this to the professionals. We’ll ensure that your campaign runs smoothly.

You’re not keeping up with trends: Are you searching for new trends while eating breakfast in the morning? At the dining table, are you reading digital marketing blogs on your phone or tablet? If you are not consuming the most recent industry news on an hourly basis, you’re likely to make up the ICYMI (in case you missed it) category.

You’re not adjusting your budget: Your budget always needs to be monitored when it involves a digital marketing strategy. If you don’t know the last time you checked your ad spend or worse yet do not know how to adjust your spend, your hard-earned money isn’t getting used to its full potential.

You’re not keeping up with the big picture: Most people are able to list some SEO benefits, and may even be able to list a few reasons they should be posting on Facebook—but are you taking full advantage of all of the digital channels that are available to you? Are you active on all of the acceptable social media platforms? Is your website mobile-friendly? These are some of the questions you should be asking yourself, and if you do not know the answers to some of them, it’s past time to find the answers.

We understand that online marketing takes plenty of your time, effort, and knowledge—and we’re here to help!

We are fully equipped to manage your online presence and assist you in growing your business as a full-service pest control marketing agency. Allow Proecho Solutions to lift the burden off your shoulders so you’ll have more time for other aspects of running your business. For more information, book a discovery call with us today!

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Simple Ways to Improve Your Pest Control Business’s Online Reputation

What do potential customers see when they Google your pest control company?

Something that will compel them to pick up the phone and make an appointment?

Is it something that will make them run to your competition?

These are questions that every owner of a pest control business should ask themselves.

Why? Because the Internet is the most popular tool for consumers to find the services they need!

This means that your online reputation (your website, online listings, customer reviews, and so on) will be what makes or breaks your business now and in the future. 

Your online reputation influences:

  • Your company’s first impression on a potential customer
  • Your position in the local search results
  • Your inclusion in Local Services Ads (LSAs)
  • And a lot more…

So, how can you improve your online reputation and attract more job opportunities to your company?

Here are 7 Ways to Enhance Your Online Reputation:

1. Maintain the accuracy of your online business listings

Ensure that your NAP (name, address, and phone number) are correct across all of your online business listings, particularly Google My Business.

It can be difficult for your website to appear in local online searches if your listings contain incorrect information.

2. Claim your company’s profiles on sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Houzz

If you do not create your own profiles, these sites may do so for you so that customers can leave reviews about your company. By creating these profiles yourself, you ensure that online users have accurate information about your company, such as its name, key services, and hours of operation. After you’ve set up your accounts, make sure to keep an eye on them and respond to customer feedback.

3. Make sure your customers know where to leave all the positive feedback to the excellent services you provide

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The best way to generate positive feedback is to provide above-and-beyond customer service that distinguishes you from your competitors.

Don’t just help your customers with their pest issue; educate them on why the problem showed up in the first place and what they can do to avoid it in the future.

Don’t just thank your customers when they hand you the check at the end of a job—send them a handwritten thank-you note as well. Include your contact number in the note, and let them know they can call you directly if a problem arises in the future.

These are just two simple examples of above-and-beyond customer service.

After you’ve provided exceptional customer service, be sure to let your customers know how and where they can leave a review for your company.

However, do not offer incentives for leaving a review (such as discounted/free goods or services), as this is unethical and may result in the removal of your reviews or even your profiles.

4. Create useful digital content and promote it on the internet

As a pest control marketing agency, we suggest that you create digital content that educates your potential customers and answers some of their most frequently asked questions. Blog posts, articles, and how-to videos could all fall into this category.

The more useful your content is, the more likely it is that potential customers will regard your company as the local industry authority.

5. Maintain an active presence on social media

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Maintaining a high level of engagement on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram demonstrates to online users (and search engines) that your company is relevant.

Post content that is likely to engage your audience, and be sure to respond to any comments made in relation to your content as soon as possible.

6. Maintain an eye-catching, user-friendly website

Almost every new customer will visit your website BEFORE calling you.

That means your website should be fast, well-designed, and it should be easy to get in contact with you. It should also be filled with useful information and persuasive calls to action (for example, “Schedule a free estimate today!”).

If possible, include testimonials from previous customers on your website, as well as a portfolio of your previous work.

7. Simplify your branding

Maintain consistency in your company’s branding across the Internet, from your website to your social media profiles to your digital ads.

This will streamline your online presence and ensure that everything that represents you (company name, logo, taglines, etc.) is consistent.

Professionalism, attention to detail, and streamlined branding make your company a more compelling partner for potential customers.

If you want to boost your home service business’s online reputation and get more work, NOW is the time to get started. Contact us directly at (828) 457-7461, or send us a message here, to begin building a stronger online presence.

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Pro-tip for Pest Control Businesses Who Want More Seasonal Projects This Winter: Make The Most Of Local Services Ads

Imagine the following scenario…

A couple is hosting a holiday party for 25 of their closest friends and family at their home, and they’re busy getting everything ready—the turkey is in the oven, they’re prepping the side dishes, and are tidying up the house and kids. 

Then, at the worst possible time: Little Jimmy comes into the kitchen with a mouse dangling by the tail and exclaims that the rest of the mouse’s family has taken up in his toy bin. The husband rushes into Jimmy’s room and sees a tiny overlooked dime sized hole in the floorboard near the box of toys.

With no time to waste and knowing that the other end of the hole is what needs to be dealt with, the husband searches for “emergency pest control” on Google.

He sees three local pest control companies with 5-star ratings and the words “Google Guaranteed” at the top of the page, which gives him a good starting point for finding a pest control specialist who can come to his house right away.

He clicks on one of the company names, learns more about it, and calls to schedule a service appointment.

Three Google Local Services Ads are visible to this customer at the very top of the page (LSAs).

This is a perfect example of a pest control company that used LSAs to capture more business at a critical time…when their services were in high demand.

In this post, we’ll look at how home service businesses can use LSAs to get more calls and jobs during their busiest times (which includes the winter for many types of home services companies).

Seasonal business equals opportunity for your company.

Discovering a rodent in your home in the winter is just one example of what could lead to increased demand for home services during the winter season.

After all, wintertime is when the pests and animals try to seek shelter inside our warm homes and businesses, and it’s common to discover mice, spiders, and cockroaches scurrying away when you flip the lights on in a room. More homeowners also require carpet cleaning services, house cleaning services, and companies that can decorate their homes’ exteriors to prep for the many types of holiday parties and entertaining. 

Then there’s the increase in demand for weather-related services like frozen pipe repair, broken heater and furnace repair, and emergency roof repair.

There’s no doubt that there’s plenty of business to go around at certain times of the year—but even with the increase in customer demand, home services professionals still have to compete for those seasonal-driven jobs.

This is where effective digital marketing can help.

As a pest control marketing agency, we’ve seen time and again that utilizing the Internet to reach the appropriate customers at the appropriate time

When pest control businesses invest in advertising strategies such as Local Services Ads, which place their companies front and center in Google search results, they are essentially ensuring that their business is in the right spot at the right time.

Why is this so significant?  Because it increases the likelihood that their company will be discovered and chosen by customers who have an immediate need for their services (as in the case of the homeowner who needed his new rodent family relocated and their point of ingress closed up before 30 people arrived at his door).

So, as you begin your busy season (whether it’s winter, spring, summer, or fall), it’s critical to pause and consider your home services digital marketing strategy. Now is the time to ask yourself…

  • Are people finding my business first when they search for the services I provide?
  • Is my brand visible to the right types of potential customers, such as those in my community?
  • Do my advertisements elicit immediate trust and a desire to contact my company?

When you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, you’re on the right track to attracting more calls and higher-quality jobs during your busy season.

Why are Local Services Ads an excellent marketing strategy for your peak season?

When it comes to marketing your company during the busy season you want to “capitalize on an advantage”

If you work in a seasonal industry, you can only count on people needing your services during certain months of the year, so you’ll want to capitalize on that increased demand as much as possible while the opportunity exists.

One method is to use Google’s Local Services Ads, and here’s why:

1. LSAs increase your visibility to people searching for your services on Google because these ads appear first on the results page.

2. Customers see LSAs based on proximity (how close your business is to the customer), so you can get calls from locals rather than people outside your service area. (Remember, you’re not just looking for more calls; you’re looking for the best calls.)

3. LSAs show your company’s star rating as well as a “Google Guaranteed” badge, indicating to potential customers that your company has been vetted and approved by Google. These ad features help to boost your company’s credibility during peak season when competition is already at an all-time high.

So, if your home services company hasn’t already begun investing in LSAs, now is the time!

Ready to learn more about Local Services Ads and how they can help your company generate more business during your busy season? More information can be found by clicking here.

Brand Marketing

How Effective Branding Can Help Grow Your Home Services Business

Why is My Brand Important?

Ever wonder why effective branding is important?

Here’s an example to think about: What is the first thing that comes to mind when people hear the name of your home services company?

Is there a thought that comes to them? What about a visual?

Do they consider anything at all?

Whatever comes to mind, it is because of your branding.

Branding is an important component of your company’s marketing strategy, and it may already be having an impact on your business more than you realize. With a well-executed branding strategy, you can make your home services business memorable to prospective and current customers, and you can become their go-to company when they require the services you provide.

We’ll go over what goes into a successful branding strategy, but first, let’s go over the fundamentals…

What is the Definition of a Brand?

Your company’s brand is much more than its name, logo, and slogan; it is how customers perceive your company.

Let’s conduct a quick test. When you read the names, what comes to mind…

  1. Apple
  2. IBM
  3. Coca-Cola
  4. Amazon
  5. Samsung
  6. Mercedes-Benz

You’ve probably heard of these brands before. And why not? They are one of the top ten brands in the world.

You most likely also considered something you associate with the brand, such as innovation, quenching your thirst, convenience, or luxury.

Check out how these businesses have aligned their brands through catchy slogans over the years:

  1. “Think Different” says Apple.
  2. “Taste the Feeling” by Coca-Cola
  3. “Better Normal For All” by Samsung
  4. “Earth’s Most Customer-Centric Company,” according to Amazon.
  5. “The Best or Nothing,” says Mercedes-Benz.

As we can see, how consumers perceive a company is not by chance; it is heavily influenced by how that company structures itself in the public’s mind—specifically, through its brand message.

How Can Good Branding Help You Get More Job Offers?

When you have strong branding for your home services business, it becomes more meaningful, relevant, and enticing to the people you want as new customers.

With a high level of brand awareness, the potential customer:

  • Easily locates your company among a list of service providers.
  • Keeps in mind what you stand for, and
  • Has a conscious or subliminal desire to collaborate with you.

When a prospect is deciding between you and your top competitors, this tips the scales in your favor.

Remember, better branding equals more sales!

3 Tips for Developing a Stronger Brand Strategy

So, how do you create a brand that people want to do business with?

Follow these three suggestions for developing a stronger brand strategy:

1. Match Your Brand to Your Mission and Value Proposition

Consider what is most important to your home services business as well as what your objectives are. What is the main goal you want to achieve for your customers?

Quick service?

A fantastic customer experience?

Do you want to relax?

Define your value proposition or the most important benefits you provide to clients. This should be what distinguishes your home services company from the competition.

2. Maintain Consistent Branding

Nothing kills a brand faster than a lack of consistency!

Customers will be confused or have difficulty connecting with your business if your website does not include the correct business name or logo, or if it does not include a consistent brand voice or tone throughout.

Effective branding involves maintaining consistency in your online presence by:

  • Website
  • Blogs
  • Videos
  • Online business listings
  • Social media profiles

3. Increase Brand Awareness Using Online Marketing

When you’re first starting, your goal is to get your company in front of as many potential customers as possible—especially those who fit the profile of your ideal customers (i.e., homeowners, people in certain locations, multi-family residential property owners, etc.).

The Internet is an excellent medium for raising awareness and effective branding.

Why? Because 93% of adults in the United States are now online.

Here are a few of the many online marketing tools that your home services company can employ to get viewed online:

  • Website: Your website is your company’s digital face, and it makes an important first impression.
  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO): SEO allows you to be found by people looking for home services similar to the ones you provide.
  • Paid Search Ads: These ads increase the visibility of your business on search engine results pages and are targeted based on keywords, location, and other factors.
  • Social media ads get your business in front of prospective customers while they’re scrolling through their social media feeds. Audiences can be targeted based on user demographics, location, interests, and other factors.
  • Display Ads: You can place display ads on websites that your potential customers are likely to visit, such as news and industry-related sites.
  • Content marketing entails creating digital content that provides useful information to prospective customers, and plays an important part in customer retention. This includes content such as how-to videos and blog posts that answer frequently asked questions. A content marketing strategy can help you get your name out there and positions your company as an authority in your industry.

Do you want to develop an effective branding strategy that will increase your home services business’ exposure and lead to new job opportunities? Send us an email or call (828) 457-7461.

Content Marketing For Your Home Services Business

3 Essential Content Marketing Strategies For Your Home Services Business

If you’re trying to spread the word about your home services business and find new customers, you might want to consider implementing a content marketing strategy.

What is a Content Marketing Strategy?

Content marketing means creating media content that educates potential customers to become attracted to what your business offers. These can be anything like blog articles, press releases, social media content, marketing videos, infographics, ebooks, case studies, and whitepapers.

This is an easy, effective, and low-cost way to get your home services business in front of a large number of potential customers by using the right content and promotion strategy, all while demonstrating your industry expertise.

Improve Your Organic Search Engine Rankings

When people use search engines to find a product or service, the engine sifts through its catalog of indexed web pages to find the most relevant results for you.

Essentially, the search engine searches for content that relates directly to the specific keywords and phrases entered into the search bar, but it also looks for answers to questions related to your query.

As a result, only the most trustworthy and valued content will gain the top rankings of the organic (i.e. unpaid) search engine results.

What’s the bottom line?

The objective should be to create high-value content on a regular basis. High-value content should be content that serves to provide an answer to your potential customers’ most common questions and needs. It’s important to include the relevant keywords that your customers are searching for within your blog article.

Establish Your Company as an Industry Authority

For a content marketing strategy to work, it requires creating massive amounts of content and is an excellent way to demonstrate your expertise in your field. You become a teacher and guide when you generate and distribute great content – especially with instructional videos and how-to posts. This allows you to build trust with future customers while also being used as a tactic to keep your company in the minds of existing customers.

51% of smartphone users have purchased from a company or brand other than the one they intended because the information provided was useful.

Google

Increase Leads and Revenue

If done correctly, marketing with content can generate revenue for your company at a high ROI. The trick is to develop content that is useful to customers at all stages of their purchasing journey, so you’re always there at the right time of need.

One in every three smartphone users has purchased from a company or brand other than the one intended because of information provided at the time they needed it.

Google

Try to consider what your potential customers require at the start of their journey when they are just becoming aware of their problem. What kind of questions do they ask? What information are they looking for?

The same goes for each step of the customer journey. Determine the kinds of content they require in the middle of their journey when they’re looking for specific solutions? (such as products or services).

And finally, it’s important to determine what content they are expected at the end of the journey when they are ready to contact and hire a service provider.

Here are a couple of examples…

Beginning:

  1. Blog posts and articles that address specific issues
  2. Posts on social media (repurpose blog content)
  3. Infographics
  4. Reasons Why Videos (i.e. videos that talk about the problem you solve)
  5. Checklists & Calculators

Middle:

  1. Blog posts and articles that focus on solutions
  2. Website landing pages about your specific services
  3. Downloadable educational resources, such as ebooks or user guides
  4. Customer testimonials and case studies

End:

  1. Customer testimonials/case studies
  2. Emails
  3. Your website’s call-to-action (CTA)
  4. Form-based landing pages

If your content is relevant to your prospective customers and you deliver it at each stage of the buyer’s journey, more people will start to find your company online, get their questions answered, and decide to pick up the phone and call you. That means more money in your bank account. And more customer retention.

Are you ready to collaborate with a team of professionals who can help you develop a content marketing plan that will propel your home services business to new heights? Contact us today.

Full Funnel Market Strategy

A Full-Funnel Marketing Strategy: Keeping Your Business at the Top of Your Customers’ Minds

An Introduction to the Marketing Funnel

When is the best time to contact prospective customers? When they need something repaired and are prepared to hire a home service professional such as yourself?

Wrong. All of the time is the answer.

Here’s what we mean by using the marketing funnel as an example. Consider a marketing funnel to be a funnel that you would use to add oil to a bottle. The marketing funnel looks kind of like this. It depicts the typical customer journey and how you should market to customers at each stage of that journey.

While there are numerous theories regarding the various layers that comprise the marketing funnel, they all effectively boiled down to these layers:

These are the stages that a consumer goes through when becoming a new customer. The marketing funnel, like the funnel you use to change your oil, is widest at the top and gradually narrows as you move down. This represents the fact that when you market to customers at the top of the funnel (those who are just beginning their customer journey), you will start with a large audience, and that audience will shrink as you target more serious prospects (those who are ready to hire a professional).

Why is the Marketing Funnel important?

To be visible in all of the layers of the customer journey, you must have a full-funnel marketing strategy, which is especially important given that people tend to interact with a business several times before deciding to use their services.

Implementing a full-funnel marketing strategy can help you position your company to stay in front of customers and attract more jobs.

A Breakdown of the Marketing Funnel

Here’s a breakdown of each of the marketing funnel’s layers to help you better understand the consumers’ mindset at each stage of their purchase journey (and how to best appeal to them at these times). As you can see, as you move down the funnel, the consumer’s level of intent to make a purchase decision rises.

Low Intent: Awareness & Discovery

The awareness level is at the top of the funnel, where the consumer first makes contact. They may not even be aware that they require your services or who you are, but your company is gaining visibility in their eyes. The first step toward acquiring a customer is to ensure that they are aware of your existence!

Top-of-the-funnel advertising examples include:

  • Campaigns on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.)
  • Marketing and advertising through video (YouTube and Facebook)
  • Blog entries
  • Billboards
  • Commercials on the radio
  • Commercials on television

The goal of awareness is to build your company’s brand by being visible across multiple platforms. It’s well-known that when it comes time for a consumer to make a purchasing decision, they’re more likely to go with a company or brand with which they’re already familiar. Being active and visible to potential customers before they need your assistance will increase the long-term success of your business.

Moderate Intention: Evaluation & Purchase Intent

This is the funnel’s center. At this point, the potential customer is aware that they have a problem and are looking for specific solutions. They may also be aware of your company (due to the visibility you created with an upper-funnel marketing strategy) and are now deciding whether your company is the best choice. The research phase is another name for the consideration phase.

Examples of common mid-funnel strategies include:

  • Targeted content marketing via social media platforms
  • Email marketing campaigns
  • Product specifics
  • Coupons and specials
  • Referrals by word of mouth
  • Reviews

During the consideration stage, your goal is to ensure that your company stands out from the competition. You must be able to articulate why your company is superior to the competition.

High Intent: Purchase & Loyalty

This is the point in the funnel where the person searching has the greatest desire to book a job. They have finished all of their research and are ready to hire you.

Consumers with high intent are likely to respond favorably to:

  • Google paid advertisements (pay-per-click ads that appear in the search results)
  • Personalized search ads (ads that appear when someone searches for your business by name)
  • Display advertisements (ads that appear while people are browsing other websites)
  • Advertisements for remarketing (ads that appear to people who have already visited your site)
  • Local Services Ads (the “Google Guaranteed” advertisements that appear at the top of search results)

Conversion is the process of converting a prospective customer into a paying customer.

Using a funnel to combat weather changes

Because the home services industry is heavily influenced by seasonality, it’s critical to stay in front of potential customers as much as possible all year. If someone sees your trucks, billboards, or Facebook ads on a regular basis, they will be much more likely to contact your company when the time comes to hire a home services professional.

Consider the HVAC industry as an example…

As we near the end of the summer and enter the fall season, the HVAC busy season is coming to an end, which means that search volumes for HVAC services will drop significantly.

What are you doing to keep potential customers aware of your business during a time when they are unlikely to seek out your services? A full-funnel marketing strategy will help you stay visible and memorable in this situation.

If you’re not running social media awareness campaigns, writing helpful blogs, or advertising your company on TV or radio, one of your competitors will. When the cold season arrives, the customer will already know who to call. Make certain they will contact your company!