As a B2B organization, we typically focus our marketing efforts on our distribution partners and the pest management professional, the consumer of insect control products, to keep them aware of our offerings in each of the vertical markets we serve. However, some situations benefit from messaging directed to the pest management professional’s client, the homeowner, in an effort to create pull-through demand for our products. This is one approach we are currently taking in the green pest control market.
Demand for natural insect control has grown quickly as consumers become more environmentally conscious. A recent study showed that 55% of American consumers surveyed have made at least modest changes to their purchasing behaviors to be more sustainable.
To keep pest control operators ahead of this important shift, Central Life Sciences has committed to the growth of our Essentria® line in recent years, developing what now stands as the most comprehensive collection of botanically based pest control solutions in the industry.
To help promote this product line, we knew it was critical to develop a marketing plan aimed at homeowners as well as pest management professionals. By implementing a pull-through campaign, we sought to help pest management professionals grow their businesses by generating awareness of Essentria® products to the homeowner audience that’s more environmentally conscious than ever.
We began by surveying a target audience in Florida and Georgia, two states where insects are prevalent threats year-round. Our targeted audience consisted of female heads of households in owned single-family homes within a specific income range. We asked these women questions that gauged their interest in using botanically derived insect control products in their homes. We also asked about their pain points when it comes to insects along with the drivers that influence their purchasing behaviors.
This research proved that naturally derived insect control was a growing demand in these markets, and it prompted a marketing campaign featuring three goals:
- Generate greater awareness about the importance of professionally applied green insect control
- Educate homeowners on the benefits specific to our Essentria® product line
- Make it easy to connect homeowners with a local PMP who treats with Essentria® products to help fuel business growth for our partners
We executed this pull-through campaign across a wide variety of print and digital mediums targeting homeowners in Florida and Georgia, with messaging built around our survey findings. We created eye-catching traditional out-of-home advertising collateral such as door hangers and lawn signs that grabbed the attention of our target communities in addition to billboards in high traffic areas throughout both states. We created social media ads, digital ads and paid search ads to target our messaging to our precisely defined audience. All efforts drove to an easy-to-use landing page prompting users to find their local pest control company with a ZIP code search and ask them about Essentria® products.
This campaign has made an immediate impact since launching earlier this summer. It’s spread awareness of softer, green-based insect control and the Essentria® product line by generating millions of impressions, driving tens of thousands of visitors to the landing page to find and connect with local pest management professionals.
As a manufacturer of pest control solutions, we don’t often find ourselves putting up billboards or running large-scale social media campaigns targeting homeowners. However, we understand the value of exploring all options available to us, and pulling certain “levers” when needed. By launching a campaign dedicated to a consumer audience, we have been able to build awareness for our product line, drive demand for pest control operations of all sizes and help generate pull-through demand for our valued distribution partners.
