As a pest control company, you know that a certain amount of unpleasantness comes with a customer’s search for you. Your prospective clients are experiencing something they want to get rid of as soon as possible, and it’s your job to make sure that you’re the top priority when it comes to helping them do so.
As with any other business, advertising a pest control company requires a certain skill, plus the right wording and knowledge of who’s most likely to read the advertisement. With this knowledge comes the realization that even as a pest control company, fear no longer sells. Let’s look at why.
Why Fear Doesn’t Sell
With the average consumer now privy to advertising and marketing methods, it’s worth treading carefully when choosing your wording. Here’s why it no longer pays to use fearsome language when addressing your customers:
- Fear causes panic. Someone who has just discovered bed bugs (or believes they may have them) will be already feeling freaked out and likely embarrassed. There are a lot of preconceptions about having bed bugs, and so your job is to make them feel like they’re in safe hands – your hands.
If you panic them they’re much more likely to try and do the fastest option possible, which is usually grocery store chemicals or DIY options. Not only are these ineffective, but they’ll spend money that could be better spent on a solution.
- Fear makes people feel unhappy and even depressed. When we’re faced with fear, the stress hormone cortisol is released into the system. Cortisol doesn’t make us feel good – it makes us feel under threat and mistrustful. If you’re the business that made them feel that way, they won’t want to go near you.
- Scaremongering makes people feel judged. No one likes to feel shame or guilt. If you try to scare people into using your services with language that makes them feel guilty or shameful about their situation, they’re not going to want to listen to anything more you have to say. Positive and non-judgemental wording is the best way to sell.
How to Choose the Right Brand Voice for Your Business
When it comes to addressing your customers, your tone is everything. While there’s a lot your brand’s tone can do for you, the voice of your bed bug business should be any or all of the following:
- Reassuring
- Authoritative
- Calm
- Easy-going
- Knowledgable
- Available
- Supportive
- Discreet
How to Promote Your Business Without Using Fear
Whenever you create a piece of marketing, whether it be an advert, blog post, or video, look at it through the eyes of a customer who has just discovered something they believe to be bed bugs. They’re looking for answers, reassurance, and a clear path forward. Rather than trying to scare them into a sale, teach them what they need to know to book a heat treatment with you.
For example, someone who has just discovered a small indiscriminate bug in their bed may want to know what bed bugs look like and how to identify them. They’ll want to know what other signs of bed bugs are, and then they’ll want to know how to get rid of them. It’s your job to help them identify what’s going on in their home or business, how to identify the cause for sure (with a visit from you or a K9 inspector), and then how to get rid of them for good.
If you are the business that explains things thoroughly to them so they know what the answer is and also know you are the expert that has supported them in this stressful time, they’re not going to book with anyone else.
We’re here to help guide you on your journey to being the most popular bed bug business in your area. To keep learning, why not read these blogs next?
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