[Focus On Marketing] Don't Break The Bank

Pick up any marketing book and you’ll find hundreds of ideas that could be used to market your pest control services. But before deciding to implement any of the ideas you find, answer these questions:

Exactly who is my target audience? How old are they? How much money do they make? Where are they located?

What is the primary benefit that I provide my customers that my competition doesn’t?

Exactly what results do I want to achieve with marketing this year?

What is my marketing budget in dollars?

What is my marketing budget in time?

When you have answered these questions, you are ready to examine the following low/no cost ideas for marketing your services.

The ideas listed below do not include the standard marketing methods used by pest control companies like Web sites, Yellow Page ads, radio, TV, direct mail and other high-ticket marketing methods. It is a list of marketing activities that can be accomplished with a very low budget.

Like integrated pest management, using integrated marketing is the most efficient and effective way to keep your name before your target audience. Integrated marketing involves the use of multiple marketing methods coordinated around a specific goal. The effect of integrated marketing is greater than the sum of each activity. Think of it this way: You want to reach your customers and prospects in many different ways, each with a consistent message.

LOW/NO COST MARKETING IDEAS. Following are some ideas that pest management professionals can use to help market to their current customers.

Develop relationships. People like to do business with people they know and like. One of the best ways to increase business is to get to know more people by networking so when they need pest control services, they will think of you. There are countless networking groups that welcome service companies. Take advantage of the groups to which you belong and let everyone know what you do. Always have plenty of business cards with you! Remember to follow up with the leads you gained at the networking group by sending information about your services.

Invest a half-hour developing your 15 to 30 second self-introduction. This should answer the question "What do you do?" in a memorable way that focuses on the benefits you provide.

Referrals. Networking is about generating referrals. You meet people, they like you, they tell their friends and you have an invitation to consider doing business. Some pest control companies provide incentives to employees who bring in referrals as well as to customers who refer others to your company. Make referral generating an active marketing strategy in your firm. Don’t sit back and wait for referrals. Go after them!

Keep in touch. This means doing everything you can to stay in front of your current customers. You’re invisible if you don’t stay in touch. Keeping in touch is not about bugging your customers. It’s about keeping them informed about your services and any other pertinent information. For example, in light of the spread of West Nile virus, send information on how to avoid mosquitoes. Let your customers know how you solved specific problems for other customers. Use the phone, letters, newsletters, mailers, postcards and e-mail to keep in touch with your customers.

Customer education. Keeping your customers aware of all the services you provide is a valuable method of increasing your business. It’s possible that your residential customers, for example, don’t know that you provide commercial pest control services as well or other add-on services. Publish your complete list of services on all your literature, contracts and perhaps even your business cards.

Tip sheets. To get publicity and keep your customers informed, produce "tip sheets" on various aspects of pest control and pest prevention. Have your technicians leave tip sheets with each customer and mail the sheets to prospects.

Letters. Use any holiday as an opportunity to write a letter to your customers, sending your best wishes. Check out Bizarre American Holidays at www.pctonline.com/holidays to find a list of quirky and unusual holidays.

Community involvement. Becoming involved in your community sets you up as the expert. Donate services to charitable organizations and provide gift certificates to local charity auctions. See www.pctonline.com/involvement for more ideas about community involvement.

LOW/NO COST MARKETING IDEAS. Following are some ideas that pest management professionals can use to help market to prospective customers.

In-house promotion. Your employees have high credibility with their friends and relatives when they recommend your services. One company, for example, encourages the staff to say, when asked what they do, "I work for the best pest control company in town."

Free publicity. Publicity is worth a lot to you. A story about your company may generate more business than an ad of similar size. It’s what you do with the stories after they’re published that can bring in even more business. Make copies of any published story about you and mail copies to current customers, leave them behind after service, take them to networking events, etc. If your state pest control association publishes a newsletter, inquire about writing articles for the association’s newsletter.

The simplest form of free publicity is a letter to the editor of your local paper, trade magazine or professional newsletter. Your odds of getting published are high and the letters section is the second most read part of the paper (after classified ads).

Press releases. Sending press releases to your local paper may attract the editor’s attention and result in a call to consult as an expert in future topics.

Public speaking. Giving talks in your community is one of the best methods for becoming known as the pest control expert. The newspaper calendar section lists the names of organizations meeting in your area. Determine the groups that may benefit from your message and contact their program chairperson. Inquire with your local school district about the possibility of presenting to schools.

Business cards. Print professional business cards for all employees and encourage them to distribute them.

Service samples. One of the best methods for marketing products is sampling . Although it may not seem like it, PCOs can sample their services — offer free inspections or free information.

Newspaper ads to targeted publications. Though newspaper advertising is not free, you can find some inexpensive and effective advertising if you look into lesser-known newspapers that target a particular demographic, i.e. women’s publications.

One last tip is that you should always keep an eye out and be aware of how other service companies are marketing and emulate those methods that you think would work for your company.

The author owns Compelling Communications, a firm specializing in help pest management companies market their services. She can be reached at 800/779-0067 or via e-mail at jvanklaveren@pctonline.com.