Pest Control and Bug Exterminator Blog

This was my first SMAZ event, so I didn’t really know what to expect.  Besides, I work for a pest control company, so how much is really applicable to killing crickets and scorpions, right?  Sure, we posted our “Black Widow vs. 27 Scorpions” video on YouTube last week, but even I understand that’s barely a drop in an enormous ocean.  For me, the SMAZ event was tremendously fascinating and motivating.  Here are the five most interesting ideas on my notepad. (A notepad! I know…ghetto huh? Next year I’ll be the guy next to me yesterday tweeting on the iPad in one hand, and tweeting from a different handle on the iPhone in the other hand.)

1.  96% of Y Generation interacts with social media.  Think about that.  That’s amazing!  The presenter immediately followed that stat up with “that’s more than Boomers watched television.”  Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare.  Didn’t blogging just come out like 6 years ago?!?  That’s an incredible statistic. Social media isn’t just some fad or popular wave.  It’s now a lifestyle.  My 12 and 14 year old nephews both have Facebook accounts.  My wife, both sister-in-laws, sister, brother-in-law and both brothers all have accounts.  As I think about it, other than our family relationship, that’s probably the one feature that we all commonly share.

2. Complete strangers are interested in my life. Take Twitter for example.  Some people follow 5,000 people, and may be followed themselves by 7,000 others.  Obviously your Ashton Kutchers and Paris Hiltons of the world are going to have hundreds of thousands of followers, but even Joe Shmo can build quite a crowd of listeners.  And I haven’t even specified if his tweets are anything of significance or value.  Maybe he’s tweeting what cereal he’s having in the morning.  Jane Nobody, who lives 1,500 miles away, might actually tweet back regarding his bowl of Cinnamon Life (which I had this morning, by the way). Seeing people connect is cool.

3. Keep your social mediums, company website and newsletters separate. This was a great point!  Keep in mind that while many people tend to gravitate towards one particular medium, there are many others that want all of them.  It’s possible, and likely, that one of your customers is also your Twitter follower, Facebook fan, website visitor, newsletter recipient, rewards member, VIP customers and your free walking billboard when they wear your company t-shirt.  Not everything that appears on your website needs to be a tweet or status update.  You also don’t need to re-post all your tweets and updates back into your monthly newsletter.  While there is a time and place to repeat things, your content should vary from one medium to another.  This reminds me of being a kid, and not wanting my food to invade each other on the dinner plate.  It may all be going to the same place, but I’d at least like to enjoy the flavors individually. Broccoli and hot-dogs shouldn’t be blended together.

4. The press release is still alive. I’ll admit, this was my inner-PR degree speaking from the shadows.  It’s fascinating to think how much the press release has changed and evolved in the last 5 years.  Before we had our list of media contacts, email bombed everyone, and followed up a few days later.  While this is still one way of doing it, the online press release has really changed the game in more ways than one.  Services like PRNewswire can get your release looked at by thousands of gatekeepers.  On top of that, it’s already online, which makes it searchable and viewable by potentially millions more.  On top of THAT, it’s great for SEO, given the fact that once it’s reposted it’s given your website a friendly backlink.  It’s like the gift that keeps on giving.

Shown by Sheila Kloefkorn of KEO Marketing (Phoenix, AZ)

And 5. Optimize EVERYTHING! I’ve even seen this work in pest control.  Last month we had sales close via the company blog.  We also closed sales via Facebook.  And, my boss even brought in a trackable sale via Twitter.  Whether it’s a Facebook post, a blog entry, a tweet, a video or even a photo, make sure all those items are properly optimized with the appropriate keywords.  Photos might be at the bottom of everyone’s “Need to Optimize” list, but just as important as your blog post.  Do This: Go to SERP, type in the name of your company, hit “search”, then hit the “images” option.  What’s on the first page?  I just did this for my favorite Mexican grill, Costa Vida.  All but two images on the first page belong to the Costa Vida restaurant.  (I’m all about the sweet pork salad. Do yourself a favor this weekend and try it out.)  Simply put, you never know how your next loyal customer is going to find you.  So it’s vitally important to make sure that they actually find you.  Imagine that!

Special thanks to everyone that made the SMAZ event a success.  Breakfast and lunch were great, the speakers were all great and it was fun to meet other locals within the same industry.  I even want to give a shout out to the parking garage guy that let us out of the garage for free.  See you all next year.

Steve Bitter
@stevebitter
Bulwark Exterminating

@Thos003

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Thomas: Well it’s been a fun month, all kinds of fun things are happening. We’ve got Jerry the Bug Doctor set up for a Blog Pest Control interview today. Despite his title as the Bug Doctor, Jerry isn’t working to make the bugs feel better. No,  Jerry stays busy doing pest control in Ocala. There are a lot of bugs to keep you busy in Florida.

@pestcemetery

Jerry: Busy is an understatement but it beats the alternative…lol

Thomas:So let’s not waste anymore time here…How many years in the bug business?

Jerry: Started pest control in 1984 with Terminix in Baltimore. I worked my way up from residential to commercial tech and then into sales. I eventually made it to commercial sales and National accounts Rep. before changing companies. I’ve worked for 5 other companies as everything from tech to region mgr. before finally striking it out on my own in 1993–technically 91 as a franchisee but ugh what a waste.

Thomas: From 1984 to present… That’s a lot of years! I think in 84 I was probably just starting my first roach collection, my mom didn’t let that last very long. So over 25 years of experience now.  Impressive.  And after big company headaches you moved on to a family pest control operation? So… who wins your heart a family employee or a non-blood?

Jerry: My wife and I have built this business, The Bug Doctor Inc., from zero and although we’re not huge we are a strong force in the area.  She is a Registered nurse whose paycheck got us through the first few years but now she works Bug Doctor full time. She’s my favorite but Kevin is also special. He’s been with me 8 years and has yet to miss even one day. He’s not perfect but he is faithful and I admire him for that.

Thomas: Hard to beat the wife for your heart I guess, so good response. And having loyal employees makes all the difference.  It is wonderful to have employees you can trust your company and name with.  How do you find and keep good exterminators?

Jerry:

Family Owned Pest Control for 17 years

I guess I break  a lot of rules. They say don’t hire people you know because you can’t be their boss. Kevin for example was a customer and friend long before I asked him on board. We played on the same volleyball team for years. I’m not a micro mgr. at all and there are whole weeks that go by that I don’t even see him. Because he’s a friend I just know and trust that he gets the job done. Diane also was (and still is) a customer, she’s worked out real well. I tried two guys in the last year that I did not know and neither lasted very long and I didn’t feel comfortable leaving them to their jobs & firing them was an unpleasant experience.  I want my people to like me and be motivated by that, not out of fear as so many bosses operate.

Thomas: Good employees are important in setting yourself apart. What other areas set you apart?

Jerry: I’d like to think I am the best commercial pest specialist in town and we handle some larger accounts but WDO (as in wood destroying organisms) inspections is something even other pest companies call me for on a regular basis. We service 5 counties in North central Florida and my favorite bug is the termite WDO.

Thomas: Termites are your favorite bug? Very cool.  They are an interesting lot and the damage they cause each year is unbelievable. I like how active you are online.  Seems like it comes pretty easy for you as a social pest control guy.  How is the bug blog life?

Jerry: I’m building www.PestCemetery.com to be a ‘real go to’ resource for pros as well as DIY and also have an entertainment value–we’ll see.. blogging is a long hard road

Thomas: Yes. But a hard road don’t mean it can’t be a fun road…. And just for fun do you have a favorite author or book?

Jerry: My favorite book was ‘Escape to Witch Mountain’ –The movie stunk.

Thomas: Typical. Why ruin a good book? Thanks Jerry.  Glad to have you doing good things for our industry and the overall exterminator image.

Be sure to check out Jerry’s great blog: The Pest Cemetery

First there was Personalization now there is Localization. Google wants to do all your thinking for you.  They now categorize you by search history and location. Then they provide you with the results that they feel are most relevant to you.

Personalization

Google profiles users based on info above.

Personalization occurs based on web history.  It occurs both logged in and logged out unless you specify otherwise.  So Google search results are based on your profile. Check out info in your Google profile https://www.google.com/history/?hl=en So let’s say that you are a raving Bulwark fan. You search for Bulwark pest control a couple of times and soon enough, you only need to search for pest control and Bulwark comes up on top based on your search history. Personalization based on search history.  As far as profiling you,  Google further looks at what you like or dislike and serves up results.  So two visitors search for titans, the History Geek will get mythology and the Football Fanatic will get an NFL team. But it’s easy enough to turn off your web history.

Localization

Last year Google began offering local search results in the form of a map listings. Google determines local intent to buy based on the searches.  Someone looking for a dentist is most likely wanting to find a dentist nearby.  So local search was born. Last year the local results were only really found in the maps, but recently Google moved beyond just the maps to the organic results as well.  Now when Google deems your search to have local intent, the first few results prior to the maps seem to stay consistent but the results following the maps differ based on users IP address or users chosen location, and this occurs without personalization based on web history or website preferences. And this occurs automatically without users consent.

Both of the following had the same search term: Pest Control

Local Results for Pest Control near Houston

Now watch the organics 4 to 10 change.

Local Results near Phoenix

Perhaps not a big deal to many, but this does change up monitoring results. If I am using a Seattle based SEO team and they tell me I am #15 for pest control without personalization, they are missing the fact that I am #15 for pest control based on a search from Seattle. If you are automating reports, the IP of the search software tracking the positions will now greatly alter the results.

Moreover, the guys at the top of the pile just got a bump in the value of their positions because the localization doesn’t seem to occur until after the maps…. and with the advent of Google Instant and the increase of  impressions you’ll get at the top… Prime Real Estate Just Went Up in Value!

…and the Phoenix localization for “pest control” does not give the same results as a “Phoenix pest control” search.

This insect is found more and more in houses now. Recent news stories have spoken of out breaks of the bugs in movie theaters and clothing stores. In fact my wife, who is a pharmacist, was even asked how to get rid of them.   I don’t suggest looking toward your overworked pharmacist and the grocery store she works in for products that will control these insects.

Bed bugs are about ⅕-inch long and 1/8th-inch wide. They are reddish brown in color.  They are blood sucking insects.   In bad infestations you can smell their odor as soon as you walk in the front door.  Bed bugs feed on the blood of human hosts but they will also feed on other animals such as mice, rats, dogs and cats.   Adult bed bugs can live a year or longer without feeding.   Bed bugs vary greatly when it comes to development.   Each female will lay about 2 eggs a day until she has laid about 200 eggs. They will take anywhere from under a week to just over 2 weeks to hatch.   After hatching, the nymphs will need a food supply.   Some time between 4 and 9 weeks (going back to the greatly varying development time), the bed bugs will start mating and the females will start laying their eggs.

Bed bugs usually stay near their food source.   They can be found in beds (the box springs especially), under beds, under bedside tables, behind the headboard and behind pictures hanging on the walls.   This is only a short list of where I have found them.   They like dark places that are near their food.  Treatment is tedious and can be physically demanding. Under no circumstance should you spray your bed sheets.   They should, however, be washed in hot soapy water.   Beds and box springs should be treated with a non-residual insecticide labeled for bed bugs and approved to be applied on and around beds.   A residual insecticide labeled for bed bugs should be used around baseboards, behind picture frames and other places they are found during a thorough inspection.

Bill Kelty

TheWeedControlGuy.com