Pest Control Marketing Strategies To Grow Your Business

Pest control is a future-proof business in Australia, as the number of pests grows alongside the number of people. Pest control companies must take advantage of countless untapped opportunities to grow their business through a tactical digital marketing strategy.

We’ve done the hard work and compiled an exhaustive list of pest control marketing ideas below. They are designed to set you apart from competitors and bring in more leads to grow your business ultimately.

10 Pest control marketing ideas

Here are our top pest control marketing ideas we recommend implementing to elevate you above competitors in the pest control industry.

1. Start with Google Ads

When it comes to pest control advertising ideas, our first recommendation is always going to be Google Ads. Now, we’re aware that Google Ads can be both expensive and highly competitive. However, PPC (pay-per-click) online advertising is hands down the number one way to attract new customers.

When a homeowner has an emergency or immediate need for services like plumbers, locksmiths, or professional pest control, they immediately turn to Google and Bing search engines for someone to solve their problem. With the first three to four results on Google being ads from Google Adwords, you ideally want your pest control services up the top when a potential customer needs them most.

Microsoft Ads or Bing Ads is a great lower-cost medium that can replicate how Google performs, with a lower rate of competition and CPC (cost-per-click). Social media advertising (specifically Facebook for pest control businesses) also delivers some of the best returns.

Besides new customers, here are further benefits of paid advertising in the pest control industry:

2. Vary your pest control marketing strategy based on seasonality

We all know that the types of bugs that frequent our Australian homes vary based on the time of year. Therefore, your marketing strategy needs to differ too. We’ve compiled a list of insights below for use in your paid marketing activity:

1. Cockroaches

Cockroaches are ubiquitous across Australia but particularly prevalent in warmer tropical regions. There are also approximately 450 species in Australia. They are less seasonal than some other pests, but there may be a slight increase in activity during the warmer months.

2. Mosquitoes

Mosquito populations can surge during the rainy season (November to April), particularly in Northern Australia. In Southern Australia, they tend to be more active in the summer months (December to February).

3. Termites

Termites can cause significant damage to homes and other wooden structures. There are around 360 species of termites in Australia. They’re found nationwide but are particularly prevalent in warmer, wetter regions—the risk of termite infestation increases during the warmer months when termites are more active.

4. Spiders

Australia is home to various spiders, with some species being more common in certain areas than others. For instance, redback spiders are found throughout the country, but Sydney Funnel-Web Spiders are predominantly found in New South Wales. Spider activity tends to rise during the warmer months.

5. Fleas

Fleas can be a problem for pet owners all year round, but they are particularly troublesome during the warmer months. They can be found across Australia but are more prevalent in regions with high pet ownership. With over 62 per cent of Australians owning a pet (and 72 per cent of pets being dogs), you have a large target audience.

6. Rodents

Rodents such as rats and mice are found throughout Australia and can become a significant problem, particularly in urban areas. Their activity increases during the cooler months as they seek shelter and food inside homes and buildings.

7. Ants

Australia has over 1,300 species of ants. Ant activity can grow during the warmer months, becoming a significant nuisance in urban and rural areas.

8. Bed Bugs

Bed bugs can be problematic in accommodation services like hotels and hostels. They don’t have a specific seasonality but are found more often in places with a high turnover of human occupancy.

Varying your strategy seasonally enables much more granular targeting options. For example, for Sydney-based pest control businesses, we’d recommend focusing on rodents such as rats and mice in inner-city or densely populated urban areas like Zetland. Then you should also target terms like Australian Funnel-Web Spiders and Sydney Funnel-Web Spiders.

In contrast, if you’re a Darwin-based pest control company, from the list above, you’d want to focus on fleas, mosquitoes, and termites.

3. BUILD your online reputation

As the saying goes, it takes years to build a good reputation and just a few minutes to ruin it. We want to avoid seeing this happen to your pest control business. Social proof is one of the most prominent buying/trust signals that local companies can have. You want to establish yourself as a trustworthy local brand that delivers high-quality pest control services.

GATHER Google Reviews

So, what we recommend is a solid review strategy. It might be linked with your CRM (customer relationship management) or done manually. For example, include a link to Google Reviews when you email clients their invoices and send a follow-up email if needed.

Here are several reasons reviews are instrumental to the pest control industry:

Once you set up your Google Business Profile (more on that below), we recommend thanking customers for leaving reviews (even negative reviews). If you think a review is inappropriate, you can flag it for Google to determine whether or not it wants to remove it.

Now you have all of these positive customer reviews, transform them into website testimonials by creating a separate page or using a plugin. Testimonials offer valuable insight and are another easy way to capture the attention of new customers.

Social media

Another way to build your online reputation and encourage customer engagement is via your social media pages. Social media marketing is one of the best ways to increase brand recognition, credibility, and reach. But it’s also a great way to find new customers, as 74 per cent of consumers turn to social media before making a purchase decision. In that way, it’s an extension of Google Reviews.

You can post informative content about the pest control industry or show off your personality with fun, everyday, behind-the-scenes content. Following up with customers who post about your pest control business is vital to build rapport. Keeping an eye on who interacts with your content is also a helpful way to identify your target audience.

branding

A final way to build trust and identity is through cohesive branding. This might include a colour scheme, specific fonts, or a logo. When customers associate your logo and marketing material with your brand, this builds your identity and sets you apart from competitors.

4. Build a professional website

First impressions count, and in most cases, potential clients will get their first impression of your pest control business through your website. Ideally, this is what it should include:

Optimise your website

Your website and SEO (search engine optimisation) go hand-in-hand. If your pest control website isn’t optimised for SEO, you’ll want to change this strategy immediately. Over 90 per cent of people don’t scroll past the first page on Google, so you desperately want to be on the first page for pest control businesses in your area.

Here are some of our top DIY SEO tips:

Become best friends with Google Search Console and Google Analytics as they quickly outline vital metrics. This includes what terms you rank for and where customers are coming from. For further keyword research, check out websites like Ahrefs that offer a free keyword generator tool so you can understand what potential customers search for in the local pest control industry. Then you can appropriately optimise your landing pages and content.

Include target keywords in your title tags and meta descriptions.

Build backlinks, as this is another one of the critical metrics search engines use. To build backlinks, reach out to relevant websites (for example, real estate agencies) and offer to write a guest post or ask them to link to your website.

Build your blog and then focus on internal linking. When you add a link, ensure the anchor text features a relevant keyword.

5. Create service-specific landing pages for your pest control business online

Whilst this may seem straightforward, many businesses need specific pages for each service. In the case of pest controllers, we recommend that you have pest-specific pages on your website for two main reasons:

6. Improve local seo

Whilst we’re on SEO, let’s focus on local SEO search results for pest control businesses. Google displays local results at the top of page one when clients type in terms like pest control solutions, pest elimination services, and pest control near me. Specifically, do you know that map at the top of the Google search with the top three results? That’s local SEO and, more specifically, Google Local Pack search results.

Also known as the Google Map Pack, these local pack listings are what Google’s algorithm believes are the most relevant to the search term. These are also the first local businesses with voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, so local SEO is integral to pest control marketing strategies.

There are two main things you can do to improve your local SEO search results:

7. Create offline material

Whilst these pest control marketing ideas are predominantly designed to grow your business online, don’t forget about traditional advertising tools! This includes dropping flyers and brochures (bonus points if they have an introductory offer) in local letterboxes. Special deals always entice consumers.

8. Sponsor a local event

This is an unconventional pest control marketing strategy. But by sponsoring a local sports team or charity event, you’re helping get your business’ name in front of potential pest control clients in the local market.

9. Reward loyal customers

Whilst these pest control marketing ideas are predominantly designed to grow your business online, we must remember traditional advertising tools. This includes dropping flyers and brochures (bonus points if they have an introductory offer) in local letterboxes. Special deals always entice consumers.

10. Focus on your content marketing strategy

Another piece of the online marketing puzzle is content marketing. Here’s an example of what this can include:

Emails

Email marketing strategies predominantly involve emailing newsletters to new and existing clients about promotions or the latest blog posts to help build a relationship. Include an opt-in option when invoicing clients and a pop-up on your optimised website. Remember to personalise the emails to grab their attention immediately.

Blog posts

Create informative pest control blog posts to set your business apart from other pest control companies and position yourself as an expert. This can include long-form content on common Australian pests, FAQs, checklists, case studies, educational videos, a pest identification glossary, and new pest control tips.

Infographics on topics like local common pests are another great way to grab the attention of potential customers. In your blog posts, use high-quality photos or find free stock images on Pixabay or Unsplash (and make sure you optimise them so they don’t slow down your website).

Social media marketing

We’ve previously spoken about social media, but posting consistently to social media and using paid marketing tools like Facebook ads should be a part of your marketing strategy.

Videos

If you have a buddy videographer on your team, posting videos to social media and your website is another way to attract potential clients. If you don’t believe us, just look at these statistics:

Therefore, making videos a part of your online marketing plan as a pest control service provider definitely pays. Use your skills or invest in a local videographer.

Pest control company marketing plan

This is a basic outline of a marketing plan your pest control company can implement:

01 Define your target audience

For many pest control companies, this is typically local homeowners. But you can also target local real estate agents and property managers who need pest controllers for their clients. Do customer research and build an ideal profile that includes demographics, education, and social media use.

02 Define your marketing goals

We recommend making SMART goals that are both measurable and achievable.

03 Take a peak at competitors

It never hurts to do competitor research to see which elements they’ve implemented to promote their business.

04 Define your marketing strategy

Determine which marketing ideas you will focus on to grow your business.

05 Monitor your results and adjust as necessary

A marketing plan is designed to be flexible. So monitor your results, determine which sales funnel is best, and make adjustments as necessary. This might include changing strategies or implementing a different element after three months.

The next step for pest control companies

Now, you have this comprehensive guide to pest control marketing strategies and an example marketing plan. It’s time to put them into practice. Start small, measure your success, and we’re sure your marketing efforts will pay off and lead to more potential customers and positive online reviews.

If you need a helping hand, the digital marketing specialists here at Evolving Digital are ready to help you create a successful campaign.

FAQs

+ How do I get more customers for pest control?

This post is filled with ways to attract more customers to your pest control company. But to break it down for you:

Online advertising
Content marketing
Building your brand’s reputation through reviews and social media.
Improving local SEO
Creating a professional and optimised website that includes service-specific landing pages.
Focusing on seasonal content.

+ What is the target market for pest control?

The general target market for pest control services is homeowners in your local market.