[2005 State of the Industry Report] How the ads add up

For businesses everywhere, advertising can mean everything. The techniques and methods used to get a business’ name, mission and logo out to the public can mean the life or death of that business. This is especially true in the competitive pest control market.
With so many advertising options available, choosing the right ones is important to the success of any marketing effort. Owners must decide between Yellow Pages ads, newspaper ads, the Internet and radio, among numerous others. Pest management professionals also must choose how much revenue they’re able to devote to advertising, which can get tricky.
Tim Brock, vice president of Brock Pest Control, Lynn Haven, Fla., seems to have found the ideal balance for his company. Brock said he spends between 5 and 10 percent of his company’s annual revenues on advertising. He also said he uses nine advertising outlets, including TV, billboards and direct mail.
“I don’t think there is a ‘most successful way,’” Brock said of choosing the “right” form of advertising. “I think using a variety of methods produces an overall positive advertising campaign.”
Deciding on the best form of advertising is more than just “seeing what’s out there.” For Brock, it’s putting himself in the consumer’s shoes and figuring out what would appeal to the person making the pest control buying decision.
“I’ve tried to look at advertising through the consumer’s point of view,” he said. “I see ads from competitors that I understand — because I’m in the industry — but I don’t think the average consumer would understand.”
Because advertising can get confusing with the use of jargon in commercials and other ads, Brock said he knew that if he put himself in the consumer’s position and put his service in terms the consumer could understand, it would be a technique that would work.
Another method that works for Brock is centering his advertising campaign around the fact that his company is a “community company.” He wants customers to understand that his firm is involved in a variety of community outreach efforts.

While some companies rely strictly on the Yellow Pages to market and advertise their services, others are finding that a variety of advertising methods work best. Finding that balance and which venues are most successful can sometimes be harder than many people think.

VARIETY WORKS. While Bill Haynes, owner, Haynes Exterminating, Buford, Ga., tried a variety of methods to figure out the best way to advertise, he found an array of techniques worked for his company.
Haynes said he spends about 10 percent of his company’s revenues on advertising, which includes Yellow Pages, the Internet and yard signs.
Haynes Exterminating finds new homeowners and targets them via door-to-door visits, delivering brochures and talking with potential customers face-to-face. “That way, they know they should be our customer,” Haynes said.
What Haynes found works best for his firm is a diversified advertising effort.
“There are some companies that are kind of flat and they just rely on the Yellow Pages,” Haynes said. “Doing what we do is more likely to grow our company more successfully than just the Yellow Pages.”
Haynes also said relying solely on the Yellow Pages can have a negative impact on companies because with so many firms in these books, customers are not likely to call every one of them to figure out which company would be their best bet. Utilizing a variety of advertising venues gives companies the best opportunity to get their name out, some say.
“We need to be taking full advantage and not just be in the Yellow Pages where there are many other people,” Haynes said. “It’s a really tough game.”

ON THE ROAD. Rusty Markland, general manager, Superior Pest Management, Sterling, Va., found a way to both advertise and market his company to thousands of people a day. His investment in a new design for his service vehicles has turned heads in the community while his technicians are performing their services.

After bringing in several companies to present new marketing ideas, Markland and Superior Pest Management decided on the following: a truck “ensnared” by a web and spider with the company logo, Web site and phone number. “Kids are fascinated and intrigued with spiders and the webbing effect over the vehicle really gets their heads turning as they pull up beside the vehicle on the highway,” Markland said. “We think it’s an eye opener.”
Markland explained that this form of advertising is called a “wrap” and that it is growing in popularity for businesses everywhere as a new way to raise a company’s market visibility.
Markland would not give an exact amount, however he did admit the cost of the wrap’s application is expensive, but “not compared to other marketing dollars.”
No matter the cost, there is something priceless about getting Superior Pest Management’s name out there.
“The kids and their parents today formulate our image as an industry tomorrow,” Markland said. “No one said that being a professional cannot be fun. It’s great to see the kids pressed up against their windows, staring and pointing at these trucks. Plus, we consider it marketing dollars well spent. It’s different, but one has to admit that it is hard not to notice it.” soi

The author is a contributing writer to PCT magazine. She can be reached at jwagner@giemedia.com.