Social Media Day was originally launched in 2010 to recognize and celebrate the impact of social media on global communication. Whether embraced or not, social media has solidified its foothold in today’s marketplace. If you are a Pest Management Professional offering attic capping or attic restoration services featuring EPA-registered TAP® Pest Control Insulation, social media is a great resource to gain new customers and referrals.
Advertising with Social Media
Advertising your pest management services is critical to your success. However, social media helps you advertise more than just your services. Utilizing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest can be instrumental in communicating your brand, the value your employees bring to their job, the unique services you offer, and the level of service your company offers in comparison to your competitors. Offering insightful posts on prevention and tips to avoid infestation will help your company be seen as the ‘go-to’ expert in your service area. Visit the TAP® Provider site for ready-made social posts or images to utilize in your own unique social posts.
YouTube is a great vehicle for helping customers visualize a typical service call or TAP® Install. Videos should be no more than 60 seconds in length and scripted without all the pest control lingo that may not translate to the viewer. Remember, keep it short and focused on how the topic will benefit the viewer. Visit the TAP® Pest Control Insulation YouTube channel for sharable content to get started.
Customer Service with Social Media
Social listening is the art of monitoring of your company’s social media platforms for customer feedback and direct mentions or general discussions regarding specific hashtags, competitors, or industries. The second part is actually analyzing the information to determine any valuable insight to tweak or change your messaging or the way your company engages with the public.
Twitter is a social platform that can also serve as an additional customer service channel. Create your own hashtag (discussion topic) and encourage your followers to use it when posing a question or needing insight from your company. Using social media as a customer service tool not only helps the current follower with their question or situation, you demonstrate your level of service to other followers who watch the exchange in real-time.
Grow Your Business with Social Media
Asking for referrals is a critical step in the sales process. Social Media platforms, such as Yelp or NextDoor, can help ramp up your referral rate. Utilize these opportunities on a regular basis to increase sales.
Building Community with Social Media
At the heart of social media is the opportunity to connect with each other as well as opportunities to connect with audiences unreachable through normal communication channels. Building community is a great way to gain loyal fans and become the expert or source for pest management in your service area. Here are some tips to build a strong and loyal community:
1. Offer new and exciting content.
Unfortunately, social media has taught us to process content at a much faster pace. We are gifted at knowing what we enjoy and what we have already seen. Therefore, work to post original content or content from a unique perspective to capture and maintain your audience’s attention.
2. Build a better post ratio.
Consistently sharing posts or content that are considered “selling” posts are a huge turn-off. Your audience wants to connect on equal footing, engage, and be entertained. Consider sharing multiple non-selling posts for each selling post you share.
3. Polished and Professional vs. Honest and Raw
Not all of your posts need to be carefully crafted by your marketing geniuses. The key is to share true, accurate and proofed content that speaks to your community of followers. Consider viewing your company from their perspective as a starting point.
4. Encourage your employees and customers to post on your behalf.
Your social channels, and in-turn your company, gain official street cred when your own employees and customers are engaged and posting regularly on your social channels. It isn’t taboo to request them to do so. Sometimes people just want to be wanted and appreciated for their insight and contribution.
5. Host a take-over event.
Allow one of your employees or customers to take over your social media channel for the day. Coordinate this with an annual pest inspection or TAP® installation and have them share a ‘behind-the-scenes” look into how your company operates. You not only gain original and unique content, but you also gain access to their social followers which can expand your community in the long run.
6. Utilize your professional connections to grow your community.
LinkedIn is a great social platform for connecting with professionals across your service area as well as commercial customers. Offer content that helps them with their business by avoiding common pest issues or educating them on pest control issues that affect their business will help gain a nice following.
If you or your company are new to social media, consider these top platforms to utilize in 2020. Remember, you don’t have to master all of the social media options right out of the gate. Select one that fits your business and build upon it over time. Steady and slow wins the race or so we are told. By next year’s Social Media Day, you and your company will have a great social media strategy.
If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.
Next Steps:
Capitalize on Social Media to Sell your TAP® Pest Control Insulation Services.
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