Pest Control Marketing: Sell the Bug They're Seeing Right Now
Seasonal pest messaging, neighborhood canvassing after sign-ups, and GBP Q&A. Hyperlocal pest control marketing.
A pest control company in Tampa ran the same Google Ads all year: "Pest Control Tampa - Free Estimates." Decent results. Then in March they switched the headline to "Termite Swarm Season Is Here - Free Inspection." Click-through rate tripled. Cost per lead dropped by half.
The difference was not budget or targeting. It was relevance. The ad matched the exact pest homeowners were seeing at that exact moment. A homeowner who just watched winged termites pour out of their bathroom wall does not search for "pest control." They search for "termites in my house."
Seasonal specificity is the single highest-leverage move in pest control marketing. Every other tactic in this article builds on that principle: sell the bug they are seeing right now, not a generic service.
The GBP Q&A Strategy Nobody Uses
Your Google Business Profile has a Q&A section that most pest control companies ignore entirely. That is a mistake, because Google indexes those Q&As and they show up in local search results.
Go to your GBP and ask yourself questions that match what homeowners actually search: "How much does termite treatment cost in [city]?" "What are signs of bed bugs?" "Do you offer same-day service for rodents?" Then answer them thoroughly, with your company name naturally included.
This is free SEO that takes 30 minutes. Each Q&A pair becomes a mini landing page that Google serves to local searchers. A pest control company in Orlando added 15 Q&As to their profile and saw a 25% increase in profile views within two months.
Update the Q&As seasonally. In spring, add termite and ant questions. In fall, add rodent exclusion questions. Match the content to what people are actively searching.
Sign a Customer, Canvass the Block
Pest problems cluster geographically. If one home on a street has German cockroaches, the apartment building next door probably does too. If a homeowner finds carpenter ants, the three homes sharing that tree line are at risk.
The tactic: every time you complete a service call, canvass or drop door hangers on 20-50 surrounding homes. But do not use generic messaging. Name the specific pest and the specific street.
"We just treated a home on Maple Drive for carpenter ants. Carpenter ant colonies can span multiple properties. We are offering free inspections for Maple Drive residents this week."
This works because it is true, specific, and urgent. The homeowner cannot ignore it the way they ignore a generic flyer. They know the pest is real because it is on their street. Response rates on pest-specific, street-specific door hangers run 3-5% versus less than 1% for generic pest control mailers.
Seasonal Campaigns That Match the Calendar
The pest control companies that dominate local markets do not run the same ads year-round. They rotate messaging on a strict seasonal calendar:
January-February: "Rodents are seeking warmth. Is your home sealed?" Target attic and crawl space inspections.
March-April: "Termite swarm season. Free WDI inspection." Partner with realtors for spring home sales.
May-June: "Mosquito and tick season. Protect your yard for summer." Target homes with large yards and pools.
July-August: "Ant invasion? Same-day treatment available." Fire ants, carpenter ants, and sugar ants peak.
September-October: "Rodent exclusion before winter. Seal your home now." Prevention messaging converts higher than treatment messaging.
November-December: "Holiday travel? Bed bug prevention tips." Plus indoor rodent control.
Change your GBP posts, door hanger copy, and Google Ad headlines monthly to match. The company that talks about termites in March will always outperform the company running "general pest control" ads all year.
Realtor Partnerships for WDI Reports
Nearly every home sale requires a Wood Destroying Insect report. This is a built-in lead generation channel that most pest control companies underutilize.
Offer realtors fast-turnaround WDI inspections: 24-hour scheduling, same-day reports. Realtors live and die by transaction timelines. The pest control company that can deliver a WDI report by tomorrow morning gets the call every time.
Each WDI report is a sales opportunity. The inspection itself costs the seller $75-$150. But the new homeowner is a prime candidate for a termite bond ($150-$300/year, 90%+ renewal) and a quarterly pest plan ($400-$800/year). One realtor doing 25 transactions per year can feed your company 15+ new recurring customers annually.
Build the relationship by being reliable, fast, and easy to work with. Drop off business cards at the real estate office. Attend the broker's open house. Become the name they think of before they think.