The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA), NPMA’s consumer and media outreach arm, created National Pest Management Month (April), Termite Awareness Week (March 13-19), Bed Bug Awareness Week (June 5-11), and Rodent Awareness Week (October 23-29) to enable the public to learn more about the work industry professionals do to protect health, food, and property from the dangers and diseases of pests - and learn more about the insects and rodents themselves. This year these occasions will once again be recognized by Chase’s Calendar of Events, the world’s foremost authority on observances and celebrations.
With all these wheels in motion bringing attention to the industry, how will you capitalize on the added business focus? Unfortunately, for many busy offices, the important task of connecting to these marketing-oriented events is often overshadowed by urgent priorities that surface. If your company hasn’t yet identified how to jump on the marketing bandwagon provided by these events, here are some ideas to jumpstart your brainstorming:
General
Develop flyers or brochures that technicians can leave with current and prospective customers
Issue a company press release calling attention to any - or all - of these observances
Call attention to these events on your company’s home page
For Termite Awareness Week
Call attention to problematic species in your region, use company call statistics, customer stories if possible, offer tips
Post only termite-related posts to your Twitter feed
Use the hashtag #TermiteWeek in all posts and interactions
Devote your Facebook page to termites for the week
Create a termite-focused board on Pinterest
Solicit pictures of wood damaged by termites; offer a prize and help for the most damage you see
For National Pest Management Month
Use company information to illustrate the positive role of professional pest management in society; outline specific examples your company has handled (as appropriate)
Mention the NPMM designation during media interactions during the month of April to underscore role of pest professionals in regard to household pests
Invite your Facebook fans and Twitter followers to share stories about help they’ve received from their pest professionals
If possible, use direct quotes from customers in Tweets and Facebook posts to illustrate how pest professionals help consumers
Host an open house or some kind of community event
For Bed Bug Awareness Week
Post only bed bug information on your Twitter page
Seek out those who have mentioned bed bugs in their Tweets and engage them in conversation
Use the hashtag #BedBugWeek in all posts and interactions
Convert your Facebook page to a bed bug hub for the week. Post bed bug related posts, news, photos, videos and focus your fan engagement on sharing bed bug information/stories
Create a milestone/favorite post on the page
Create a bed bug board on Pinterest offering travel advice and telltale signs of an infestation
For Rodent Awareness Week
Post only rodent information on your Twitter page
Seek out those who have mentioned mice or rats in their Tweets and engage them in conversation
Use the hashtag #RodentAwareness in all posts and interactions
Convert your Facebook page to a rodent hub for the week
Create a milestone/favorite post on the page
Find out the strangest spots people have seen rodents
Create a board on Pinterest dedicated to help users keep rodents out
PPMA Guardians and Contributors that subscribe to Mainframe will find complete turnkey marketing collateral, including suggested social media posts, on PPMAMainframe.org. The opportunities are endless. Let us know what you come up with and join us in the conversation online!
