How to Grow a Pest Control Business

The US pest control industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.31% over the next few years. It will have a $31.94 billion-dollar market value by 2027!

If you’re running a pest control business already, you can grow and increase profits. But you need to know what market opportunities are in your area and how to reach more customers to sell more services.

Because mice, ants, and other pests are always going to be around, there will always be demand for your services. So growth is mostly about offering your pest control services to more of the right people at the right time.

How can you make that happen?

Keep reading to find out how to grow a pest control business. This article dives into everything business owners need to know, including how to identify growth opportunities and differentiate your business from the competition. We’ll also look at tips for developing an effective marketing strategy.

How to Identify Opportunities for Growth

Step one for business growth: identify where and how to expand. Basically, you need to answer these questions:

• Where are the underserved areas of the market?
• How can you meet that demand better than your competitors?

There are two ways to approach this.  First, you can target new customers.  And second, you can offer new services to your existing customers.

Targeting New Pest Control Customers to Drive Growth

Expansion might involve reaching a new geographical area. You can also market to new types of clients or specialize in a specific type of pest management.

Look at your existing customer base:

• Where do they live?
• What are their income range and approximate budget?
• What type of pest control services are they interested in? Rodent control, ant or roach infestations, termite control, or something else?
• How many of your customers are residential? How many are commercial clients?

Once you’re clear on who most of your current customers are, you can start diving into possible opportunities for growth. Get started by listing out the areas of the market you’re not currently serving. Then, decide if any of these underserved areas of the market are a good fit for your company.

For example, if most of your customers are homeowners and landlords, think about marketing to local businesses.

Another possibility is to market to a different income range. If you primarily serve wealthy homeowners, could you offer a more affordable service package to appeal to budget-conscious customers?

According to US Census Bureau data, owners making between $64,000 and $49,800 a year are far more likely to see rodents in their home monthly, weekly, or even daily. Households earning $75,000 are more likely to never see rodents.

This data indicates that marketing to middle-income customers might help increase sales.

Reaching budget customers might involve developing a less costly service, such as one-time mice baiting with no follow-up guarantee, but it could be just what you need to drive growth.

You can also look into geographical expansion. If you hire one or more new technicians or invest in another truck for your pest control company, could you serve customers in nearby towns?

Doing that could open up your business to a wider market.

Expanding Your Pest Control Services

The second path to growth involves expanding your services. Are there add-on services that your customers might be interested in?

Here are some examples:

• Pest control prevention strategies
• Low-impact pest control
• Wildlife removal

Let’s say you live in an area where a particular pest is a common problem, like termites in the Northeast or roaches in the South. Could a yearly prevention service be an upselling opportunity?

You can send out surveys to your existing customers or simply ask them to learn more about what type of add-ons or service improvements they might be interested in.

Try out all of these growth ideas or focus on just one. What will help you increase sales depends on what’s right for your company and how much competition you’ll have.

How to Differentiate Your Company from Other Pest Control Businesses

Before developing your marketing ideas to target a new market or sell a new service, it’s important to research other local pest control companies.

Make a list of all the businesses that serve the local market. Then, look at their websites to find out what their unique value propositions are. This research will reveal where there’s room for growth in your local area and what areas might already be saturated.

For example, if most pest control companies offer affordable services, there might be an opportunity to provide a more comprehensive service for a higher rate.

Here are some other ways to differentiate your pest control company:

• Invest in industry-leading pest control solutions.
• Offer cruelty-free and pet-safe pest control options.
• Focus your marketing around your technicians’ experience, customer service, or service guarantees.
• Show off any positive traits that would increase trust in your brand, such as being family-owned, using honest pricing, and having a track record of positive customer reviews.

7 Tips for Developing a Pest Control Marketing Strategy

Once you decide what growth opportunities are available to your business and how you can stand out in the local market, you still need to convey this information to your target audience. That’s where pest control marketing comes in.

You’ll use several channels to engage your audience, including:

• Website
• Email marketing
• Advertising
• Online reputation management
• Social media marketing

The right marketing ideas and strategies will help your pest control business reach more people who are looking for your services. Here are 7 tips to help you get started:

1. Make Your Website Mobile-Friendly

In 2022, nearly 60% of web traffic came from a mobile phone.

If your pest control company doesn’t already have a mobile-friendly website, you should optimize your website for smartphones and tablets now.

2. Manage Your Google Business Profile

When people in your area search on Google for a ‘local pest control company’ or a ‘pest control services near me,’ the first results they’ll see are the Google Business listings.

If you want your business to show up on Google search results, you need to create a Business Profile. You can easily manage your account by adding hours, location information, photos, and news.

The good news is signing up is free.

3. Publish SEO-Friendly Content on Your Website

More than three-fourths of consumers search online to learn about a local company before contacting them or visiting their location.

If your website is difficult to find, or if you don’t have useful, engaging content on your website, you have a problem. You won’t attract website traffic or convert customers with your website.

Here’s what you can do to make your site more SEO-friendly:

• Include terms that searchers would use when looking for your services online, such as ‘pest control in Austin’ or ‘help with ant infestations,’ to increase web traffic.
• Create optimized category pages for each of your services.
• Publish blog content that will answer your readers’ questions. Blog articles on topics such as “how to get rid of mice,” “signs of a termite infestation,” and “how to stop rats” will help your target customers while positioning your brand as a solution to their problems.

4. Create a Plan for Driving Customer Reviews

Positive reviews are essential in today’s world. Surveys show that 95% of consumers look at reviews before buying, so the more 5-star reviews your pest control company has, the better.

Ask your customers to review your services. You can do this by text, email, or simply letting them know you’d appreciate a review at the end of a service call. And make sure you’re offering high-level customer service on every job.

If your pest control technicians are professional, helpful, on time, and efficient, most people will be happy to leave a good review if you ask them.

5. Use Email Marketing to Remind Customers About Your Services

When people visit your website or sign up for services, ask them if they want to be added to your email list. Your email list can be a valuable marketing tool because these are the people who you know are interested in your services.

Use your list to send things like:

• Seasonal reminders for preventative care
• Updates about your services
• Helpful tips
• Promotional offers

Doing this will help you build relationships with your customers and increase sales.

6. Target Your Market Segments with Advertising Campaigns

You can use online advertising and local advertising to drum up interest in your pest control company.

Use pay-per-click (PPC) digital ads on Google to target your local market. You can also put up posters in locations your target customers might see, or invest in advertising on a local radio station.

For example, if you decide to offer new services, such as rodent control prevention packages or annual termite inspections, you need to let your local market know.

You can do this by putting the word out there through radio, newspaper, and promotional mailers.

7. Keep All Your Messaging On-Brand and Focused on Your Target Audience

As you develop your pest control marketing ideas, ensure all your content reflects your brand. Both the visual elements and text should speak to your audience.

For example, if your brand is differentiating itself by a high level of experience, include your certifications and your technicians’ qualifications on your website.

If your business is trying to target more high-end homeowners, use more words like ‘quality’ and ‘industry-leading’ to appeal to that audience. You’d also avoid terms such as ‘cheap,’ ‘affordable,’ and ‘budget-friendly.’

How to Implement Your Pest Control Marketing Plan and Track Its Results

The key to successful pest control marketing is to have a clear, documented strategy. That way, you can put all the pieces together and track the results.

Here’s what you can do to start building an effective marketing strategy for your business:

• Pick two marketing channels to start working on. These could be your website and your Facebook page.
• Document your goals for each marketing channel.
• Choose one to three metrics for each goal. For example, you might track form submissions on your website for lead generation.
• Decide what marketing tools you’ll use to track the results. You can start with free tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Insights.