Tips for Applying a Grassroots PR Strategy in a Digital Age

Whether your business has launched digital ad campaigns for years or you just created your company Facebook page, you understand the power of building relationships with potential customers online. The digital world is a great way for consumers to become acquainted with your business and to earn their trust in your capabilities.

According to an October 2021 study from Hootsuite, the average social media user spends approximately 2 hours and 27 minutes on social media every day. By meeting your customers halfway on social media, you have the opportunity to establish yourself as a trustworthy business by utilizing digital grassroots tactics.

GO DIGITAL WITH EDUCATION. One of the greatest benefits of digital marketing platforms is accessibility. Social media platforms are free to use and user-friendly. Even the smallest business can launch a Facebook page and produce great content. For businesses with larger budgets, digital advertising also may be a viable option to drive engagement on social media platforms and improve results on search engines.

Although the ultimate goal for being on these platforms is to win over customers, using tools to educate consumers is a great way to garner trust in your brand. By sharing valuable information about pests with your audience, you empower potential customers to be on top of their pest control needs while establishing your company as a trustworthy resource.

Offering educational information is a great way to bolster your content and drive user action. It can be difficult to continuously promote your company’s services in unique, interesting ways. Try brainstorming content based on the pests that are commonly encountered in your region or seasonal pests that are seen during the current time of year.

STAY UP TO DATE. Staying on top of current pest events is also key. The emergence of Brood X cicadas across the East Coast last summer generated a ton of hubbub across social media and news outlets. If your company is based in an area with invasive pests such as spotted lanternflies, marmorated stink bugs or even (gasp) murder hornets, chances are your customers will appreciate learning about these trending insects from a trusted source.

Don’t forget to add in visuals. When creating content to share on social media, engaging, eye-catching content such as high-quality photos, custom graphics or video content are proven to grab users’ attention much more effectively than a block of plain text. According to a 2019 study from Wyzowl, 86 percent of people surveyed wanted to see more video content from companies and brands.

INDUSTRY INITIATIVES. Nationally recognized awareness events can be great opportunities for pest control companies to dive in on grassroots efforts and share information on social media. The Professional Pest Management Alliance, the consumer marketing arm of the National Pest Management Association, has established many special observances that the industry can join in promoting. These events (see box above) are formally recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events and can even be officially proclaimed by local governments. Be sure to mark them on your marketing calendars for 2022.

With termite season coming into full swing, Termite Awareness Week (March 6-12, 2022) is a great opportunity to educate customers about termites and their destructive nature. Sharing information/pest activity alerts on social media, posting blogs on a website and distributing a press release are great ways for companies to join in.

PPMA utilizes these awareness weeks as opportunities to share timely information with consumers, commercial outlets and the pest control industry.

For Termite Awareness Week, you can expect to see big pushes from our media relations efforts and strategic social media initiatives across Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, TikTok and YouTube. Take advantage of these campaigns and piggyback onto our efforts!

Termite Awareness Week also inspired some of PPMA’s most popular large-scale consumer campaigns, including Will They Eat It? and the Tiny Termite House. Those video campaigns are great examples of engaging, educational content that pest control companies can share on their social platforms.

Subscribers to PPMA’s Mainframe also have access to exclusive toolkits, which include downloadable materials such as customizable press releases, social media content, logos and headers, media training documents and high-resolution photography and video assets. Those toolkits are designed with pest control companies’ marketing needs in mind, so businesses like yours can use these materials in your own promotional efforts.

TRADITIONAL TACTICS. While those Mainframe toolkits do include several digital assets, a balanced marketing mix using traditional methods for grassroots initiatives is still the strongest approach. Sharing customized press releases with local news outlets is a great way to build rapport with your community and to get your company’s name out there.

When pitching your releases to local media, consider preparing talking points in the event of an interview. Keep them simple for consumers to understand and emphasize the importance of working with a licensed pest control professional when facing infestations.

As we continue positioning the professional pest control industry as an essential and valuable service to home and business owners, we can all work together to educate consumers about the industry and pests. While finding a balance between digital grassroots tactics and more traditional methods can be intimidating, this balance is key to establishing and strengthening your reputation with your local community.

Cindy Mannes is executive director of the Professional Pest Management Alliance and senior vice president of public affairs for the National Pest Management Association. For more about PPMA, visit www.npmapestworld.org/ppma.