By Chris Keenan on October 25, 2018
The end of the year is approaching and that means having to look back at the books for your business metrics. While you may want to glaze over everything and just skim to the bottom line, you do not want to miss out on quarter four being a time to reflect and adjust your pest control operations marketing endeavors.
Make sure to take the time to consider the pieces of information below to ensure your new year begins on a high point for your pest control business and pest control marketing efforts:
You have had three quarters of data to look through and see what is working and what is not. Whether it was an increase or decrease in calls or your Google Ads campaigns created more conversions or less, these are all valuable bits of information.
Perhaps, beyond paid marketing, you sent out mailers or involved yourself in local sponsorships. Perhaps, looking through any feedback or experiences in those types of marketing may be good as well. You will need to see what was a success and what was not as successful and adjust your efforts accordingly. You want to ensure your money is being placed where you receive the best ROI in marketing when it comes to your pest control business.
Beyond the data points and feedback received for marketing efforts, you want to look at the bottom line in terms of dollars and cents. Was this a successful year and are you in the black or did your marketing efforts put you closer to the red when it comes to operations, marketing, and other business costs?
You want to make sure you are not overspending on Google Adwords bids, are remaining competitive, and not offering more than you can afford. While it is great to put money out for marketing, it needs to be a calculated approach, both in organic and paid pest marketing. Always make sure to take time in quarter four to look back at the previous three quarters are compare costs vs revenue.
Beyond paid and organic marketing is the reviews your customers gave. While no business is perfect, are you seeing more positive reviews than negative? If so, that still does not mean you cannot adjust after reading some of the reviews focused more on constructive criticism.
Take the time to look at 2018 reviews and see where the pest control operations succeeded and lacked and adjust as needed. It could be pricing, the employee/customer experience, and follow-up. You are successful as long as customers keep your pest operations in business, so make sure to take what they have said this year into consideration.
Beyond customers and paid marketing, you need to see what is happening with your pest control competition as well. Are they offering services at a better price? Do they have better promotions? Are they move involved with the community and have a better word-of-mouth approach to their business?
These questions all need to be considered as you close out the year. You need to be asking yourself how you can remain competitive while still making money in your pest control business. It could be as simple as a $5 increase in your coupon, offering better hours, or changing a free quote to a free inspection. While these are just ideas, you need to still consider what works and what is in the budget for your personal pest operations. If you cannot remain competitve in one aspect, perhaps being more involved in the local community through sponsorships and in-person marketing events could be where you can place your budget and succeed at a lower price point.
Quarter four can be a great refletive time in any business, including pest control. Make sure to take full advantage of over nine months of valuable insights and metrics to make adjustments for the new year. Need help understanding the metrics and how to improve marketing at the best price point? It may be wise to hire a marketing company or lead generation business to give you the best return on investment.
Chris Keenan WeGetLeads.com
Chris Keenan is President of WeGetLeads.com, a search marketing and lead generation provider. He has over 10 years experience marketing and consulting for local businesses.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/wegetleads/