Fresh Ideas Spark New Business

Advertising in the local Yellow Pages used to mean a company’s marketing and advertising plan was complete. Today, advertising tactics encompass TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, newsletters – even city buses and buildings. Unfortunately, as the promotional options grow, most budgets don’t.

Attracting the attention of new customers through marketing and advertising campaigns is essential for most businesses, and the pest control industry is no exception. Distinguishing yourself in a crowded field can be a daunting task, but creative PCOs find ways to make an impact.

“When we began, marketing wasn’t a commonly used word,” said Marty Byer of Suburban and Magic Exterminating in Long Island, N.Y. Marty and his brother Hal founded their company in 1962. “My brother and I would bang on doors and cold-call people. That was the marketing of the early ‘60s.”

Over the years, the Byers became more savvy marketers. “We were one of the first companies to use a termite detection dog, a beagle named Sidney,” said Byer. “We leased Sidney for about $25,000 a year plus handler’s fees. He was a great attention-draw as well as a termite locator.” Furthermore, Byer said, Sidney appeared on Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee and other popular television shows, helping to generate even more excitement about company. But the Byer brothers didn’t just count on a beagle to carry their message. Shortly after training Sidney, they created a jingle for their radio advertisements, for which they received numerous awards. Today, the Byers still have a termite detection dog, a beagle named Seemor, which goes out on termite inspections and also appears in the company’s advertisements.

MEASURING SUCCESS. After launching an ad campaign, the Byer brothers track its performance. “About 40 percent of our calls come from a recommendation or a past customer,” said Marty Byer. “It is the other 60 percent that attracts our interest. If we are advertising somewhere and getting a good response from it, you can bet we will advertise there again.”

Always looking for new and innovative ways to attract new customers, the Byers try many different advertising tactics. Advertising with TV, radio, newspapers, billboards, the sides of their trucks, a customer newsletter and the Yellow Pages have produced varying levels of success. “We’re really excited about our new contract with our Yellow Pages program. We have the back of the book in four different directories,” said Byer.

The Byers do all of their own advertising, from general pest control to battling termites with the Sentricon* Termite Colony Elimination System, and believe that success happens when the entire business works as a team. “Some people think that when the phone rings, the hard part is over. That’s just the beginning,” said Byer. “Having trained, professional salespeople who know all aspects of the business, along with the support to back them up, is imperative to a successful business.”

GROWING MEDIA EFFORTS. For businesses that want to grow, using the right advertising media is an important key. Tracking results ensures your money is well spent. In the past, many PCOs didn’t thoroughly analyze their advertising and marketing plans. Nowadays, more pest control companies are employing people to do just that.

Take Hulett Environmental Services in Riviera Beach, Fla. Tim Hulett, president, hired a well-known marketing and advertising team, the Rice Twins, in 1990 to help out. Greg Rice is on staff full-time at Hulett Environmental Services, and John Rice helps out as needed. Together, they develop and implement the advertising and marketing plan for this company, which includes an average of four TV commercials a year, produced by and starring John and Greg Rice.

The Rice brothers also travel around the country teaching others how to achieve unlimited success by Thinking BIG! Over the last 18 years, they have become international media personalities appearing on countless TV shows and in print articles. Together, they have helped Hulett Environmental Services increase its sales almost 800% in just seven years.

IMPORTANT PIECES TO THE PUZZLE. A crucial aspect of Hulett Environmental Services’ business plan is committing significant dollars each year to advertising and marketing. Tim Hulett budgets for advertising in the same way he budgets for payroll – it’s part of the plan. “Money needs to be set aside for advertising. It can’t be left up to some profits in the good months,” said Hulett. “You’ve got to commit to a budget, make it part of your total business plan and stick to it just like everything else in your business.”

Another important piece to the puzzle is patience. It took two years before the public fully recognized Hulett from his commercials. “I had to continually believe in what I was doing and be patient. It wasn’t easy with the income and budget that I had,” said Hulett.

To support their efforts, Tim Hulett and Greg Rice take advantage of free help from Dow AgroSciences, which offers advertising and marketing materials to their customers. “Dow AgroSciences took a giant leap when they rolled out the Sentricon System. They deluged the airwaves for the first couple of years at their own expense, playing generic ads that we could use to our benefit. They also have brochures, direct mail pieces, videos and fact sheets available to us at little or no cost,” said Rice.

“When Tim started advertising, he could only afford to buy time on one TV station a month,” said Rice. “He was spending more money buying that one station than he was taking out of the company for himself.”

Patience persevered. Today, Hulett Environmental Services enjoys the benefits of its rigorous climb to the top 5% of its market. “Marketing goes beyond advertising. It’s creating and maintaining a certain image,” said Rice. “Distinguishing your company through that image is tricky, but when done correctly, it means you’ll be recognized and hopefully remembered.”

Hulett’s goal is to get the customer to call his company first when a pest problem arises. “We want Hulett Environmental Services to pop into the customer’s mind when they have a problem, whether it’s termites, carpenter ants or another pest problem,” said Hulett.

“How we do that,” added Rice, “is by keeping our name in the customer’s mind as much as possible. We advertise on all the major local broadcast networks, cable TV stations, the Yellow Pages, radio, direct mail, some billboards and we have a web site. We’ve made some mistakes over the years. Fortunately, we’ve learned from those mistakes.”

Allocating marketing and advertising dollars is an arduous task, but one that’s becoming increasingly important. Finding ways to stand out in a crowd can be challenging, but it’s imperative to succeed in an industry where competition is escalating. Attracting customers through advertising and marketing, calls for creativity, perseverance and patience in this day and age of increased marketing options for PCOs all around the country.

* Sentricon is a trademark of Dow Agro-Sciences LLC.