PPMA Announces Termite Awareness Week is March 8-14

FAIRFAX, Va. – Spring is waiting in the wings and talk is turning back to termites. Although more and more consumers are beginning to understand the threats these voracious pests pose, the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), which serves as the public outreach arm of the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), knows the importance of keeping consumers engaged in this important dialogue. During Termite Awareness Week, March 8-14, 2020, PPMA is encouraging the industry to take part in the annual observance and use PPMA’s marketing materials to teach consumers about the importance of protecting against termites.

 

Consumers are increasingly turning to dynamic online resources for information, as My SMN, a digital marketing service, found 20 percent of people will read text on a page, but 80 percent of people will watch a video. In order to reach today’s consumers where they are online, PPMA has prioritized digital content to maximize engagement and awareness. On average, online conversations and engagement around the topic of termites have increased by over 130 percent each spring since 2017*.

 

“As an industry, we’ve made great strides in improving homeowner awareness regarding termite threats and prevention, but we’re always working to do more,” said PPMA Executive Director Cindy Mannes. “In order to best engage with today’s time-pressed and digital savvy audiences, we’ve utilized social media campaigns and produced original, eye-catching projects that showcase termite dangers like never before. These assets are part of the comprehensive collection of professional marketing materials available to PPMA investors, helping companies effectively communicate with their customers during Termite Awareness Week and beyond.”

 

Building on the success of PPMA’s Tiny Termite House consumer campaign, which simulated the real-life property damage termites can cause, the alliance recently produced a new video series titled “Will They Eat It?” Over the course of six game show-like episodes, common household items such as shoes, towels and even a hamburger were introduced to individual tanks holding 100,000 hungry termites to show consumers just how devastating these silent-destroyers can be. 

 

Both projects captured consumer interest and delivered unique, high-quality educational tools. PPMA has curated the content and investor companies can utilize the materials for their own marketing efforts, helping emphasize the industry’s unified message about the importance of professional termite control. Digital content, especially video, has become an essential piece of any effective marketing strategy. According to Forbes, 64 percent of users are more likely to make an online purchase after watching a video.

 

Through comprehensive marketing and communications initiatives, PPMA works to grow, promote, protect and defend the professional pest management industry, and is funded solely through voluntary investments from pest control companies, suppliers and other industry leaders. In return, the organization provides PPMA Guardians and Contributors with exclusive access to professional marketing materials on PPMAMainframe.org. 

 

PPMA is asking all pest control companies to join them during Termite Awareness Week and to use the hashtag #TermiteAwarenessWeek in all social media posts sharing termite content. It’s also encouraging its investors to use the 2020 Termite Awareness Week toolkit, which offers press materials, suggested social media posts and photography that can be shared as their own content with local media and customers, as well as published on their websites and social media pages.

 

For more information about PPMA, its marketing programs, or how to offer your support, please visit www.NPMAPestWorld.org/PPMA.