Talking Points: Let’s Get Social!

This is your official friend request. It’s time to get social with PCT.

In April, we launched a new weekly social media-themed newsletter, Talking Points, which hits inboxes every Wednesday. Our aim is to keep the industry informed and entertained with PCT-created articles and videos, along with trending social media content in the pest control industry.

The theme is all things social, but Talking Points content runs the gamut, from articles with helpful digital marketing strategies for your business, to mesmerizing macro insect photography that caught our attention while scrolling through Instagram, to viral videos of pests behaving badly.

So why did we choose to dedicate an entire newsletter to the ubiquitous world of social media? First, the members of our staff are regulars in the pest niche of social media, and we wanted to share more of that content with you.

But more importantly, social media use and savvy social marketing have become imperative in the business world, and that’s only projected to increase in the coming years.

Last year, the Harris Poll, a market research and analytics company, surveyed more than 1,000 United States consumers and 250 business executives on behalf of software company Sprout Social to understand the importance of social media marketing. The results revealed that during the pandemic, 43 percent of consumers reported an increase in social media use to discover new products, and 40 percent of those consumers said they expected this behavior to increase in the next three years.

According to the survey, 55 percent of consumers now learn about new brands on social media. Consumers use scrolling as a means of discovery, whether they’re seeing a photo from your business’ Facebook page or a sponsored post on Instagram.

A simple interaction on social media can make all the difference in attracting and retaining customers. The Harris Poll found that 78 percent of consumers are willing to buy from a company after having a positive interaction online. Factors such as responsive customer service via social channels can make a lasting impact on customers, the report found.

On the business side of the survey, 91 percent of the 250 executives surveyed said they plan to increase social media marketing budgets in the next three years. Over half said their social media budgets will increase by more than 50 percent by 2024.

It’s one thing to know that the use of social media is only rising, but to make matters more complex, that landscape is constantly changing as new apps and technologies emerge and fresh trends capture the attention of the internet daily.

We want to break down the best strategies and latest tools our readers can employ to optimize social media use in their businesses. That’s why each week, we’ve been sharing articles in Talking Points that cover topics such as how you can elevate your marketing plans with a strong SEO strategy and ways your company can stay relevant on LinkedIn.

In addition to equipping you with tools to amp up your social media strategy, we hope you get a chuckle each time you open Talking Points. I know I did watching a video we shared of a squirrel scurrying across the field and evading capture during a Columbus Clippers baseball game.

You’ll also spot some more technical videos in the newsletter, like the one Matt Frye, community IPM extension educator at Cornell University’s New York State IPM Program, recently sent us of a juvenile rat hoarding food in its burrow system. Whether you’ve captured a great shot on the job or stumbled upon a funny pest-related video online, we’d love to hear from you and credit you in a future newsletter. You can send them to me at jmitchell@gie.net.

Interested in receiving Talking Points? If you already receive the weekly PCT e-newsletter (delivered every Monday), you will automatically be subscribed to Talking Points. To sign up for both, visit www.pctonline.com/form/newsletters.

The author is senior editor of PCT magazine.