If you've invested in a pest control franchise, you're off to a good start. One of the most difficult aspects of building a business is creating a brand. With this difficult hurdle in the rearview mirror, you can focus your attention on your marketing strategy and your charted plan to reach its growth goals.
Advertising And Marketing Spending
Before you select advertising venues and a marketing strategy, you have to consider how much growth you're looking to achieve.
Businesses that spend 5 percent or less of their annual revenue on advertising and marketing can expect to have no growth. If you're happy with the size of your business, 5 percent is a good metric for keeping business flowing and preventing entropy.
Businesses that spend between 5 and 7 percent of their annual revenue on advertising and marketing can expect to see slight and steady growth. If you like to take it easy and make sure you're on top of all the inevitable challenges that come with growth, this is a good mark to hit.
Businesses that spend 8 to 10 percent of their annual revenue on advertising and marketing can expect to see strong growth of 10 to 20 percent. If you're aiming for the moon, and your goal is to be a top 100 pest control company, this is the mark to hit.
What Works
There was a time when television, radio, and newspapers were the bedrock of advertising and marketing. However, in this modern age of social media and internet access through mobile devices, a pest control company needs to look no further than its web presence to generate leads and find customers. Here are a few essential services you'll want to invest in.
Website development. A high-quality webpage design can create trust with potential customers. A poor quality webpage design can drive customers away.
Optimization for mobile devices. You need to make it easy for customers to hop from mobile apps directly to your webpage and navigate to your contact page with ease.
Search engine optimization. The vast majority of Louisiana residents are using search engines to find pest control. Your goal should be to get to the top of the search engine lists. An SEO professional can help you achieve this.
Social media campaigns that drive website traffic. An effective social media campaign will not only drive traffic to your webpage, it will also help you climb the rankings on the search engines.
Monitor Your Online Presence And Reputation
Once you've created an online presence, you need to protect it. There are many ways your brand can be tarnished. A bad review on a key platform can make potential customers change their minds. A bad comment on a social media post can quickly sway a reader's opinion of your company, even if the comment isn't accurate. If you are actively monitoring the platforms that matter, and responding to concerns and criticisms, you can steer the conversation rather than being the victim.
Does this seem like a daunting task? Don't worry, there are companies that handle this type of work. You don't have to do it yourself. You just need to put some of your advertising and marketing budget toward this vital maintenance for your reputation. Franchises are not immune to having a damaged reputation. Customers will come to you with certain expectations because they know your name, but they are savvy enough to know that all businesses within a network of franchises do not provide the same level of service.
What If You Aren't A Franchise?
If you haven't taken advantage of all the benefits found in a franchise, why not take the next step? As of this writing, Truly Nolen currently has franchise opportunities for Alexandria, Baton Rouge, Houma, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, Lafayette, and Shreveport. Reach out to us today to see how you can grow your business into a thriving franchise within the Truly Nolen network of businesses.
