Adam: Welcome to Pest Control Marketing That Actually Works, the podcast for pest control operators who want real growth, not empty promises. I'm Adam Bennett.
Elisabeth: And I'm Elisabeth Pallante. We're from Cube Creative Design, and for 20 years we've helped pest control companies stop wasting money and start growing.
Adam: Today's episode: social media for pest control and what actually works in 2026. Here are your three key takeaways.
Elisabeth: First, which platforms actually generate leads for pest control and which ones don't deserve your time and effort. Second, the content types that get engagement and the ones that get ignored. Third, how much time to invest and what ROI to realistically expect from social media.
Adam: Let's dive in. Social media is probably one of the most misunderstood marketing channels for pest control companies. Today we've got Hannah Kilpatrick, our social media manager. Hannah, let's start with the hard truth. Does social media actually generate leads for pest control companies?
Hannah: Yes, but not the way most people think. Social media is not a direct lead generation channel like Google Ads where someone searches, sees your ad, and calls you. It's a visibility and trust-building channel that supports your other marketing.
Elisabeth: So you're not going to post a picture of a dead cockroach and expect people to call you immediately.
Hannah: Exactly. Social media works in three ways for pest control. One, it keeps you top of mind with people who already know you. Two, it builds trust with people researching you after finding you elsewhere. Three, it generates some direct leads through engagement, but that's your smallest percentage.
Adam: Let's set some expectations. If I invest five hours per week in social media, what should I expect?
Hannah: Realistically, in the first three to six months you're building an audience. You might get two to five leads per month directly from social media. After six to twelve months of consistent posting, you might get ten to fifteen leads per month.
Elisabeth: That sounds low compared to other channels we've talked about.
Hannah: It is. That's why I tell pest control companies social media is your supporting actor, not your lead actor. Your lead actors are your Google Business Profile, your website, and paid ads. Social media supports those channels.
Adam: How does it support them?
Hannah: Someone finds you on Google. They visit your website. Then they check your social media to see if you're legitimate and active. If your Facebook page hasn't been updated in six months, they question if you're still in business. If your Instagram shows recent work and happy customers, it reinforces trust.
Elisabeth: So social media is more about credibility than direct lead generation.
Hannah: For pest control, yes. It's different for B2C retail or restaurants where social media can drive immediate sales. For pest control, social media is part of the trust-building journey, not the starting point.
Adam: Let's break this down by platform. Hannah, which ones matter for pest control and which ones can you skip?
Hannah: I'll rank them by ROI for pest control companies: Facebook, Google Business Profile posts, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok.
Facebook is still number one for pest control. Your customers are on Facebook. They're in local community groups asking for recommendations. That's where you need to be.
Adam: What should pest control companies post on Facebook?
Hannah: Three content types: educational posts about pest problems and prevention, behind-the-scenes content showing your team and trucks, and customer testimonials with photos when possible.
Elisabeth: How often should they post?
Hannah: Minimum three times per week, ideally daily. But walk that fine balance of not overloading your customers. Consistency matters more than frequency. Three posts every week beats seven posts in one week and then nothing for a month.
Adam: What about Facebook groups? Is that different?
Hannah: Join local community groups. Don't spam them with sales posts. Answer questions when people ask for pest control recommendations. Be helpful. That's how you get leads from groups: by being a resource, not a salesperson.
Elisabeth: That makes sense.
Adam: Let's talk about Google Business Profile posts.
Hannah: You covered this in episode five in a lot of depth. It's technically not social media, but you need to post regularly as if it is. Post to your Google Business Profile weekly. These posts appear in search results and drive more traffic than most social media platforms. If you're only going to do one social media activity per week, post to your Google Business Profile. It's higher ROI than any actual social media platform.
Adam: And they're free.
Elisabeth: What about Instagram? I see some pest control companies posting there.
Hannah: Instagram can work, but it depends on your market. It's a visual platform, so you need good photos. If you serve younger demographics or higher-income residential areas, Instagram is worth it. If your customers are primarily 50 plus, your time is better spent on Facebook.
Adam: What performs well on Instagram for pest control?
Hannah: Before and after photos, short video clips of treatments, team culture content, and educational carousels. Instagram rewards visual content. If you're just posting text updates, don't bother.
Elisabeth: What about Instagram Reels?
Hannah: Reels are huge right now. Short-form video gets 10 to 20 times more reach than static posts. We're going to do a whole episode on Reels in April, so stay tuned. But the quick answer is yes, if you can create 30 to 60 second videos, Reels are the best way to grow on Instagram.
Adam: How often should you post on Instagram?
Hannah: Three to five times a week minimum. If you can't commit to that, skip Instagram and focus your energy on Facebook.
Adam: Let's talk about LinkedIn. That's a whole different social media crowd.
Hannah: LinkedIn is for commercial pest control only. If you're targeting property managers, facility managers, or business owners, LinkedIn is valuable. If you're residential only, skip it.
Adam: What works best on LinkedIn?
Hannah: Educational content about commercial pest management, case studies, industry news, and thought leadership. LinkedIn rewards professional content, not memes or casual posts.
Elisabeth: For our audience, we're planning to do a whole episode on LinkedIn for business-to-business pest control in September. Look out for that if you're interested.
Adam: Here's a big one we hear about all the time. TikTok. Every young person is on it. Should pest control companies be there?
Hannah: Maybe, but probably not yet. TikTok's audience skews younger, 16 to 34 years old, and that's typically not your pest control buyer. Plus, TikTok requires a lot more content. Daily posting at minimum, sometimes two to three times a day to get traction. It's very trend-dependent. If you don't have someone to dedicate to just that, it's probably not worth it.
Elisabeth: So skip TikTok then?
Hannah: For most pest control companies, yes, skip it for now. If you're already crushing it on Facebook and Instagram and you have extra capacity, maybe experiment with TikTok. But don't start with TikTok.
Adam: We're going to do a deep dive on TikTok around November because we've had people ask about it. If you want to explore that, we'll go deeper then.
Elisabeth: Let's talk about content that actually works and is worth your time.
Hannah: Platform matters less than content. You can post on the right platform with the wrong content and get zero results. Let me break down what actually gets engagement for pest control.
The first type is how-to and did-you-know content. These consistently perform well. Examples: "Did you know mosquitoes can breed in a bottle cap of water?" Or "How to prevent ants in your kitchen this spring." Or "Three signs you have termites."
Adam: Why do these work?
Hannah: They provide value without being salesy. People save them, share them, and comment with their own experiences. When someone has a pest problem later, they remember you as the helpful expert, not the pushy salesperson.
Elisabeth: That makes sense. Nobody wants to be the loudest used car salesman. You want to provide value so people come to you. What's another kind of content that works well?
Hannah: Behind-the-scenes and team content. People want to see who they're inviting into their home. Post photos of your team, your trucks, your equipment. Show your morning team meetings. Introduce new hires. Celebrate work anniversaries. People connect with people.
Elisabeth: This seems like it wouldn't generate leads.
Hannah: Not directly, but it builds trust. When someone's choosing between two pest control companies, one with completely dead social media and one showing a friendly team and clean trucks, who do you think they're going to call?
Adam: Let's talk about another content type. I really love the before and after photos.
Hannah: These are engagement gold. Wasp nest removal, rodent exclusion work, termite damage repair. People love transformation content.
Adam: What do you have to watch out for?
Hannah: Make sure you get customer permission before posting photos of their property. And don't post anything too graphic that makes people uncomfortable. You want impressive, not disgusting.
Elisabeth: The next content type we've talked about is customer testimonials and reviews.
Hannah: Take those five-star Google reviews and post them as graphics. Or film short video testimonials in person with your customers, with permission. Social proof performs incredibly well.
Elisabeth: How often should you post testimonials?
Hannah: Once per week at minimum. Any more feels braggy or too salesy. One per week feels consistent and credible.
Adam: Pest control is extremely seasonal. Seasonal tips and reminders are probably a good thing to post.
Hannah: These are timely and relevant. Spring: "Ant season is here, here's how to prevent them." Summer: mosquito prevention tips. Fall: "Rodents are looking for winter shelter." I also love in the fall when people dress their pets up as spiders and bumblebees. That's just something fun to add. Winter: "Why you still need pest control in December," because people don't think about that.
Adam: These are easy pieces of content to plan ahead for.
Hannah: Exactly. You can batch create seasonal content and schedule in advance.
Adam: Let's talk practically. How much time should a pest control company invest in social media? They're pest control companies, not social media agencies.
Hannah: If you're doing it yourself, three to five hours a week. If you're outsourcing, 30 minutes a week to provide photos and approve content.
Elisabeth: What's a good weekly workflow someone could plan and execute?
Hannah: Here's the three-hour-per-week workflow. Monday: 30 minutes to plan the entire week's content. Gather photos from the field, write your captions. Wednesday: another 30 minutes to create graphics or edit videos and schedule your posts. Friday: the last 30 minutes to respond to comments and messages.
Elisabeth: Then throughout the week you're monitoring and engaging?
Hannah: Just 15 to 30 minutes a day responding to comments, answering questions, and engaging with local community posts. That's one and a half to two hours a week on engagement. You really don't want to miss DMs that come to you. Don't accidentally ghost people.
Adam: That's three to four hours per week. I know a lot of PCOs don't have time for this. Are there any tools that make this easier?
Hannah: Canva for graphics. We love Canva. Pest control companies can create professional-looking posts in five to ten minutes with templates. Meta Business Suite for scheduling Facebook and Instagram posts in advance. And CapCut for quick video editing right on your phone.
Elisabeth: Are these free?
Hannah: The free versions work fine. If you want advanced features, Canva Pro is $13 a month and totally worth it.
Adam: When should a pest control company hire someone to manage their social media?
Hannah: When you're spending more than five hours a week on it and it's taking time away from higher-value activities. Or when you're just not doing it consistently because you don't enjoy it.
Elisabeth: When you outsource, what does that typically cost?
Hannah: For pest control, social media management runs $500 to $1,500 a month depending on posting frequency and whether you include paid ads. At that price, you're getting three to five posts a week, community management, and monthly reporting.
Adam: Hannah, thank you so much for joining us today. That was a lot of great information. Let's recap our three key takeaways.
Elisabeth: Number one: Facebook and Google Business Profile matter the most for pest control. Instagram works if you serve younger demographics. LinkedIn is only for commercial. Skip TikTok for now unless you just want to experiment.
Number two: content that works includes educational how-tos, behind-the-scenes team culture, before and after photos, customer testimonials, and seasonal tips. Not sales posts or stock images. People tend to gloss over those.
Number three: invest three to five hours per week if doing it yourself. Expect two to five leads per month initially, growing to ten to fifteen after six to twelve months of consistent posting.
Adam: We've created the Social Media Content Calendar for Pest Control. Ninety days of post ideas you can customize. Download it free at marketingthatactuallyworks.ai.
Elisabeth: And if you want us to manage your social media so you can focus on running your business, book a free strategy call.
Adam: Next Tuesday: Email Marketing That Brings Customers Back. We're talking about the $36 ROI per dollar channel that most pest control companies completely ignore.
Elisabeth: Please subscribe, leave us a review, and let us know what topic you'd like us to cover next.
Adam: Thanks for listening to Pest Control Marketing That Actually Works. We'll see you next Tuesday.
