Whether you’re an experienced pest control business owner or running your own pest control business for the first time, you’ve probably asked yourself whether your business needs digital marketing. An online presence gives companies in every industry the opportunity to grow and increase profits, so you should be asking: “What will happen to my business if I don’t use digital marketing?”.
What is digital marketing?
Digital marketing includes all marketing efforts that use the Internet or digital communication to promote a brand and communicate with potential customers. It includes social media, email and content marketing, and any other marketing that communicates messages to customers online.
It’s a popular form of marketing, and it’s widely used in the UK. In 2021, digital ad spending in the country increased by 16.8% to over £19 billion, and businesses spent 62% of their budgets on digital advertising in 2020.
Why your pest control business should use digital marketing
In the same way that businesses are moving away from paper systems and using Pest Control Software to boost efficiency, more pest control businesses are shifting from traditional to digital marketing because of the benefits it offers. Let’s look at the top reasons why digital marketing is important and why successful companies use it.
It gives your business a competitive edge
In a competitive market, your business needs to stand out. More people are using the Internet to search for products and services than ever before, so potential customers won’t be aware of your brand if you’re not using digital marketing. You can use digital marketing to boost brand awareness, share your unique selling point (USP) and improve brand recognition. A strong brand identity online gives your business credibility, and potential customers will trust your business.
You can track and measure campaigns
Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing is trackable and measurable. You can measure the results of your campaigns in real-time and make changes once you’ve found a strategy that works. If campaigns aren’t performing well, you can adjust your marketing budget and put more money into adverts achieving the best results.
It’s an affordable way to reach your target audience
Digital marketing is often cheaper than traditional marketing, and you can expand your reach or target niche market for less money. If a campaign isn’t performing well, you can switch it off to avoid spending money on adverts that aren’t reaching your goals or increase the budget of campaigns performing well.
You can connect with potential customers
Traditional marketing is limited because there’s no way of knowing what your target audience thinks about the advert, and you can’t respond to their queries. With digital marketing, you can connect with potential customers in real-time, and it’s easier for them to respond directly to adverts. It’s also easier to collect feedback from your target audience as they can share comments and reviews online.
How to get started with digital marketing
Digital marketing offers countless benefits for your pest control business. There are different types of digital marketing, so let’s look at how each one can be used to attract potential customers and grow your business successfully.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is the process of optimising your web pages to increase visibility when people search for services related to your business with search engines. With 68% of online experiences starting with a search engine, SEO is important if you want people to find you online. Some of the factors that determine the ranking of your page include keywords, bounce rate, links, page speed, metadata, mobile responsiveness, and domain authority.
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is an online advertising model where an advertiser pays a fee every time a user clicks on their advert. There are different types of PPC ads, but the most common one is paid search ads, which appear on search engine results pages (SERPs). Because so many online experiences start with a search engine, PPC advertising is an effective way to find potential customers searching for your service. You can use PPC adverts to increase website traffic, sales, and enquiries.
Content marketing
Content marketing is a form of marketing focused on creating and sharing content to attract and retain your target audience. It includes blogs, social media, newsletters, videos, and other content designed for your audience. Businesses with blogs receive twice as much email traffic as those that don’t, and this is just ways content marketing can add value to your business. Content marketing can be effective as long as you share high-quality, relevant content.
Email marketing
Email marketing is a form of digital marketing that uses emails to promote your business, and it includes newsletters and emails with promotions and exclusive offers for subscribers. You can use it to keep customers informed, attract potential customers, and encourage customers who’ve left your business to return. Some have argued that email marketing is outdated, but it is still a relevant form of marketing as it’s cost-effective, can increase traffic to your website and improve brand awareness.
Social media marketing
Social media marketing is the process of creating and sharing content on social media to promote a business’s services, reach new customers and build a relationship with existing consumers. With social media marketing, you can target a specific audience based on demographics like age, location, interests, behaviour, and education, making it easier to reach people most likely to use your service. You can also measure the performance of your adverts with analytics and use statistics to improve campaigns.