Tough Mudder Phoenix Arizona – Bulwark Extreme

Awhile back I participated in the Phoenix Warrior Dash, well that was tough enough for me. But a couple of my co-workers here at Bulwark Exterminating decided to do the Tough Mudder. Here is their video clip… produced by the Bulwark Exterminating Marketing Department.

Yes that was a Back Flip into that muddy water… Yes there were 1000 watts running through those wires, which caused Derrick to fall forward after loosing muscle control. Certainly not an event for the weak. Crawling through water filled tunnels. Swimming through ice cold water, chilled to the bone by dry ice. But apparently not too much for the Phoenix Scorpion Control team that kills the most deadly US scorpions you can find on a regular bases. Kicking butt and taking names.

Bulwark Exterminating… Hiring guys who aren’t your average pest control guy. You may call it over the top… I call Bulwark Extreme.

Thanks Team Bulwark for the awesome event and awesome footage.

Are you a Bulwark fan, customer, or employee? Want a sponsor for your local sports event? Contact me:

Bulwark Exterminating
40 N Central Ave #1400
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 652-2251
http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com/phoenix/

New Ad Space in Google Maps?

I was doing a little check up on my local maps section for Houston Pest Control, and I came across an ad space that I have never seen before. Google now places ads under a businesses name. Very interesting.

Residential Pest Contol Service in Houston

I wonder how effective this ad is. It does have the benefit of finding an audience that is searching for relevant businesses. Those that buy from Orkin would be potential consumers for Bulwark Exterminating. This could indeed be a great ad space. On the other hand, those that are looking for Bulwark will most likely not be interested in a competitors ad, so long as Bulwark is taking care of it’s customers. In which case this ad will perform poorly. I guess the only way to know is to test. If you are going to test these ads then you may want to consider long and hard about what you will use to differentiate yourself from your competitor. If Google would allow me to create a unique ad for each of my competitors then I could see this as being even that much more effective.

“Have you considered buying from a Family Owned Pest Control company?”

“We offer a guaranteed scorpion control service in writing, do they?”

“Does your service suck? Tired of Corporate pest control?”

“We are the only Houston Pest Control Service with an Angie’s Award.”

As always, test, review, improve.

Related articles

• Update: Google Local Mixed Results Hit the Blender (dreamsystemsmedia.com)
• Google Maps Rolls a Ball Through Cube City in a Video Ad Spot (great-ads.blogspot.com)
• Bulwark Exterminating Customer Comment (pestcontroltulsaok.com)
• Big List of Local SEO’s to Follow on Google Plus (niftymarketing.com)
• Tiger Wood’s Ex Levels House = $12 Million in Pest Control (blogpestcontrol.com)

And if you need Houston Residential Pest Control Service:

Bulwark Exterminating‎
10900 Brittmoore Park Drive
Houston, TX 77041
(281) 668-4930
http://www.bulwarkpestcontrol.com/houstonpestcontrol.php

The paparazzi finally found me!

Need some help here... no thoughts come to mind.

I am at a loss of words for what to put in this photo above.

“OH PLEASE STOP… NO REALLY… YOU ARE IN THE WAY”

“YOUR NOT A FAVORITE PLACE, BUT THEY ARE!”

Oh... No.. The paparazzi finally found me! Please stop!

Now showing on google maps.

Get a load of this guy! Its not him its the google maps they are after! Local hot spots are becoming hotter as google maps dons businesses with “We’re a Favorite Place on Google.” Okay… maybe not this hot.

Please give me your ideas on what to say or which one you like better.  Thanks!

Business Marketing – Pest Control – 101

What separates you from the competition? This question is the key to any marketing strategy and often the key to success for any business. Although some may venture through life never asking this question, enjoying success, and never giving any thought to the multiple variables that make them successful.  Again, what separates you from the pack, answered or not is a key element to business survival. It may be your location, it may be your name, it may be your excellent service, but for whatever reason, your customers have a choice and they choose you.  Knowing why they choose you can be huge!For those that leave this question unanswered and are still successful, you most likely could amplify that success by answering and exploiting your differences.

One example for Bulwark has been their ability to focus and conquer a very difficult pest, scorpions. Constant and successful scorpion control does not come by mere luck.  Bulwark’s owner took the time to research, test, and evaluate different scorpion control methods and ideas.  After success and failure, a real scorpion solution was found.  Bulwark, as a modest and small family pest control company, didn’t do much to expound upon this success.  However, the customers that realized the magnitude of effective scorpion control spoke out and communicated this to their friends.  Now, after hearing the voices of thousands of happy scorpion free customers, Bulwark doesn’t just get noticed for scorpion control, no its better then a mere pat on the back, they get recommendations from other pest control companies.  They get referred to by local Home Depot representatives as the scorpion specialists.

Now,  the goal of a good marketing team is to magnify and amplify those voices and that service.  Today, its hard not to find Bulwark if you search for scorpions in the areas they serve…  or if you search for just scorpion control period.

Family Pest Control or a Pest Control Family?

What are the benefits of a family pest control over a big corporate run pest control?

What are the disadvantages?

Is there a happy medium?

One of Bulwark’s customers put it best for us… “Small enough to care, but big enough to do it right.”

But even beyond that is what Gerry touched on in a recent post.  A family business may have some flaws… what you may be shooting for instead is a business family.  Drawing from my experience with other family owned companies in the past, specifically a restaurant I worked for, it was almost hard to leave them because the owner and other employees had developed a real concern about each other.  I have even had one family company ask to keep me on for about 10 to 15 hours a week in the evenings, and I felt like I needed to stay to help them out.  The pay wasn’t great but it wasn’t about the pay.  It was about the family.

So does your family pest control company fall into the pitfalls of family members getting away with murder and ultimately ostracize the non-family employees? Or does your franchise run a tight ship were every sailor on board would risk life and limb for another?

Franchise, privately owned, or corporate…

Its not about family businesses but about business families.

Pest Control Companies – Google Maps

After a recent horrible experience with Google maps changing Bulwark Pest Control’s map result in Las Vegas, Bulwark posts it thoughts on Google Maps and Pest Control

It really is interesting how google’s recent update has affected so many different companies and industries. Google’s new update puts map results in all results that appear to be looking for local companies. In most searches now these results appear at the top. So the very first thing you see are what google deems to be local companies pertaining to your search. Unfortunately, there are a few hiccups. If your IP address doesn’t correspond with your actual home address then you will be served up different results. Some may not be so local. This is easily fixed if you login to google though and have them save your location. Which means they now have more info to spy on you with and better target you for their advertisers.

What is unsettling about this is the inaccuracies. I can go through and find several listings showing up in the top 10 of google’s results that are completely fake addresses. Or worse yet, are the same company with multiple addresses. But this may not be the fault of the business owner as other advertisers and online marketers are trying to sell leads and gather more visitors.

I will tell you one thing, if the results are wrong, its not an easy fix. Or if it is an easy fix for unclaimed listings then watch out, because devious individuals may hi-jack your listings.

Customer Reviews – Las Vegas Pest Control

The best bang for your buck is your customers. Just read “Purple Cow” or “Satisfaction: Every Good Company Listens to its customers.”

Before you spend $1000 a month on another marketing tactic why not look at your current system and find a way to take that $1000 and improve your product or quality of service. Its a slower burning fire but the results are much more far reaching.

Check out how well Bulwark has done with its Las Vegas Pest Control reviews.

Not only do these reviews get traction but they show up on Google.  Try a search for Las Vegas Pest Control.  You will notice that next to Bulwark’s map listing there are 9 reviews.  More reviews then any other Las Vegas service in that area.  And their average review is 4 stars or better.