Wanted to thank all of those who participated in our first PCOC Board of Directors Meeting in Carlsbad in nearly two years! 

From the golf tournament to the reception, it was an action-packed meeting with a terrific turnout and it was awesome to see everyone back together again. 

I especially want to thank all our sponsors who helped make this event possible. We look forward to seeing all of you in Palm Springs in December.  

Chris Reardon
PCOC Executive Vice President
chris@pcoc.org
(916) 372-4363

December Board of Directors Meeting — IN PERSON

Our meeting will be held at the Hilton Palm Springs December 9-10, 2021.

We will have our Golf Tournament on Thursday, December 9, 2021.

Committee Meetings (8:00 am - 12:00 pm) and our BOD Meeting (1:00 pm - 4:00 pm) will take place on Friday, December 10, 2021 and will conclude with our reception at 5:30 pm.

We will have similar vendor opportunities as the September BOD. Registration for that and Golf will be released mid-October.

Looking Forward...

PestEd Series Dates & Locations TBD

Termite Academy Dates TBD

April BOD Meeting & Legislative Day
March 7-9, 2022
Hyatt Regency — Sacramento
Golf — Course TBD — Mar. 7
Committees & BOD — Mar. 8
Leg Day Event — Mar. 9

2022 Expo 2022
June 8-10, 2022
Disneyland Hotel — Anaheim
Schedule TBD

We have sad news. One of our leaders, Pat Clark, passed away in late August. As many of you know, Pat was a past President of PCOC and was very active in the association for many years. His unmistakable smile and caring nature will be sorely missed.

Pat's family held a beautiful service that was filled with heartwarming memories and special requests from Pat. Pat was instrumental in the formation of our Educational Foundation. It was something that he was deeply passionate about. Before Pat passed away, he donated $150,000 to our PCOC Educational Foundation. In the early months of 2021, Pat was nominated for the Harvey Logan Lifetime Achievement Award.

As you know, we typically present these awards at our Annual Convention in June but since we were going to have our first in person meeting in September, we held off presenting it to Pat. Pat passed away before we were able to present this award to him. We were honored to have Pat's wife, Penny, his son, Sean, his daughter, Erin, and his brother, Jim join us to accept the award at our Reception. Our hearts and prayers go out to the Clark Family as they mend from their loss.

PCOC Educational Foundation is honoring his memory by naming the top awarded scholarship each year the Annual Pat Clark Award.

Why Stress Is a Safety Problem

Short-lived or infrequent episodes of stress pose little risk. But when stressful situations go unresolved, the body is kept in a constant state of activation, which increases the rate of wear and tear to biological systems. Ultimately, fatigue or damage results, and the ability of the body to repair and defend itself can become seriously compromised. As a result, the risk of injury or disease escalates. —NIOSH

We all know that continuous exposure to stress damages health. NIOSH, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, reports that it also creates increased risk of injury at work.

According to NIOSH, exposure to stressful working conditions (called job stressors) can have a direct influence on worker safety and health. NIOSH defines job stress as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the worker. It cites the following as possible causes of job stress:

• Task Design. Heavy workload, infrequent rest breaks, long work hours and shiftwork; hectic and routine tasks that have little inherent meaning, do not utilize workers’ skills, and provide little sense of control.
• Management Style. Lack of participation by workers in decision-making, poor communication in the organization, lack of family-friendly policies.
• Interpersonal Relationships. Poor social environment and lack of support or help from coworkers and supervisors.
• Work Roles. Conflicting or uncertain job expectations, too much responsibility, too many “hats to wear.”
• Career Concerns. Job insecurity and lack of opportunity for growth, advancement, or promotion; rapid changes for which workers are unprepared.
• Environmental Conditions. Unpleasant or dangerous physical conditions such as crowding, noise, air pollution or ergonomic problems.

Exposure to stress sets off our natural “flight or fight” reaction. The nervous system is aroused and hormones are released to sharpen the senses, quicken the pulse, deepen respiration, and tense the muscles. While this reaction serves an important function in protecting us from immediate danger, long-term exposure to stress can lead to health problems.

Stress-related conditions that could affect your workers’ compensation claims include:

• Musculoskeletal Disorders On the basis of research by NIOSH and many other organizations, it is widely believed that job stress increases the risk for development of back and upper-extremity musculoskeletal disorders.
• Psychological Disorders Several studies suggest that differences in rates of mental health problems (such as depression and burnout) for various occupations are due partly to differences in job stress levels. (Economic and lifestyle differences between occupations may also contribute to some of these problems.)
• Workplace Injury Although more study is needed, there is a growing concern that stressful working conditions interfere with safe work practices and set the stage for injuries at work.

What About Stress Itself? Is it Compensable?

Although the conditions that stress can cause may be compensable, many states specifically exclude mental stress claims from coverage under workers’ compensation. In many states, such as Connecticut and Indiana, workers’ comp regulations state that emotional stress must result from a physical injury. Other states, such as Oregon, take a middle ground — a job must be extremely stressful to be covered by workers’ comp. In these states, the claimant must clearly prove the job caused the stress. In California, regulations dictate that the job must account for at least 51 percent of the stress in order to be covered.

At least one state, Montana, categorically excludes emotional or mental stress as a legitimate workers’ comp claim. Some states, such as New York, exclude any stress claim that arises from lawful business pressure, i.e., long hours. However, court cases in New York, Pennsylvania and elsewhere have overruled the regulations and awarded damages for unusually stressful situations.

What Can Employers Do to Reduce or Minimize Job-Related Stress?

Individuals under stress often display several symptoms. Managers and supervisors can use these as early warning signals of job-related stress:

• Headache
• Sleep disturbances
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Short temper
• Upset stomach
• Job dissatisfaction
• Low morale

Factors that can help to reduce the effects of stressful working conditions include the following:

• Balance between work and family or personal life
• A support network of friends and coworkers
• A relaxed and positive outlook.

Employee assistance programs (EAPs) can help workers under job-related stress address their problems and find a better work/life balance. A quality EAP can provide counseling and referrals on a broad range of subjects, including personal problems such as substance abuse, financial problems and family conflicts that can also affect job performance.

For more information on controlling workplace stress and other factors that can influence safety and productivity, contact the Insurance professionals of the PCOC Insurance Program. Call us at: 877.860.7378.

Paul Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Principal, Programs
EPIC Program Solutions
10877 White Rock Rd. Suite 300 Rancho Cordova, Ca 95670
paul.lindsay@epicbrokers.com
916.576.1545 direct  |  877.222.0000 |  916.952.1609 cell
epicbrokers.com  | ca license 0B29370

It has been an eventful couple of months for this state in Sacramento. Our governor has kept his job, for now. The legislative session ended without fanfare and bills were signed.

The recall was a distraction to many people in Sacramento. Whether that is good or bad is up to you and your perspective. But, as of September 14th, Newsom is still our governor. The polls had it touch and go for a little bit, but the majority of the voters decided to keep him in office. But that also means that he will need to start running for re-election here in the not-too-distant future. But whether you like the outcome of the election, whether you voted for or against the recall, our ability to even have this opportunity is a testament to democracy and how it is alive and well in the state and country. Your voice through your vote was heard. And that vote is important to cast.

The legislative session ended this month. That means that no other bills can move through the legislature. If they haven’t made it out by now, then they won’t this year. There were a few that made it through and were signed that are of interest. The first is AB 332 (Committee on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials) addressing the disposal of treated wood waste. This one moved through the process without any issues. The governor signed this bill with an immediate implementation. But for us, that just means business as usual. We can go back to disposing of this wood waste in the way that used to.  Another bill that we care about (kind of) is AB 1298 (Bloom) updating the rodenticide bill that was passed last year (AB 1788). This one allows for the Department of Fish and Wildlife to be able to use second generation anticoagulants in their managed lands for the control of invasive rodents if needed. This is of interest because it shows that even that department sees the value in these products.

There may be a few other bills that we will need to deal with next year…but only time will tell.

Darren Van Steenwyk, M.S., BCE
Director of Learning and Technical Services
Clark Pest Control
Office: (209) 368-7152 ext. 235
Mobile: (209) 224-4629
Fax: (209) 334-5040
darrenv@clarkpest.com

What Are the Pros and Cons of PPC Advertising?

Is PPC advertising suitable for your pest control services? To answer that question, let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pros

Pest control companies focus on a local service area. After all, people look within their city or township for a professional exterminator. That being the case, there are some strong advantages to PPC for building your clientele…

Cost-effectiveness

If done well, PPC is very cost-effective.

You only pay when a visitor comes to your page. Plus, you get to decide exactly how much you're willing to spend.

That makes it easy to determine (and stick to) a marketing budget.

Customization

You can adjust your pest control campaign and keywords along the way, constantly optimizing them for better performance.

If a campaign isn’t working the way you expect it to, you can course-correct on the spot.

Targeting

You can target your audience of homeowners and commercial businesses based on things like language, geographical location, and even device type.

That makes it really easy to go after the job type or price point you want to go after—whether they are located in a large metropolitan area or in a specific neighborhood.

Speed

PPC ad campaigns yield almost immediate results, making them much faster than organic campaigns.

Cons

As strong as the advantages are, PPC ads aren’t for every pest control company. There are a couple of cons you should be mindful of.

Technical skills

PPC is more technical than other forms of advertising. While this guide is enough to get you headed in the right direction, it’s hardly everything you’ll need to know to run successful PPC campaigns.

If you want to get the most out of PPC ads for your services, you’ll need to do one of two things:

• Become a PPC expert, yourself. That means pouring over multiple PPC guides, learning how to run campaigns, doing your own keyword research, and keeping up with changes as Google adjusts how PPC ads perform.
• Hire an expert to handle PPC for you. This option is far more efficient but comes at a cost. If you’re not prepared to budget for both the PPC ads and the professional help needed to make them successful, this may not be a good option for you.

“If you want your PPC campaigns to remain effective, you have no choice but to evolve. In some cases, that evolution will mean thinking about things very differently than before.” – Search Engine Journal

Cost accumulation

If you don't manage and optimize your campaigns constantly, their costs can increase while the conversion rate drops. You could end up paying a lot for not much in return.

In other words, PPC is not a “set it and forget it” strategy. You (or your PPC partner) will need to monitor results and adjustment as needed.

How to Set Up PPC for Your Pest Control Business

Whether you choose to work with a pro or tackle PPC campaigns on your own, it’s helpful to have an overview of the setup process. This is a high-level summary of what it takes to actually set up PPC ads.

1. Research the Competition

Before you design your campaign, you’ll want to do some quick competitive research. If you know what your competitors are doing, that will give you an idea of what currently works.

For example, you’ll learn about keywords you may want to target, Google searches that include PPC ads for other pest control services, and what kind of landing pages those PPC ads are pointing to.

Pay special attention to their ad text and their landing pages.

2. Find the Right Keywords

Keywords are the heart and soul of a PPC campaign.

Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to find out average click-through rates (CTRs), cost-per-click (CPC), and search volume for various keywords. Google Keyword Planner will even show you a difficulty score for each keyword. That will tell you how hard it is to get your ad to show up in organic search results.

3. Focus on a Specific Location and Service

To attract local projects, you’ll need to include your location and specific services in your ads. 

Why? Because a shocking number of people use basic, location-based searches when looking for service providers on Google. Terms like “pest control companies near me” or “bed bug treatment in Los Angeles, CA.”

The better you know your ideal audience, the more specific you can get with location and services.

4. Build Your Ad Account

You’ll need to define your ad campaigns by adding keyword groups. Each campaign will have a total budget, and each ad group will have a list of keywords.

You’ll need ad copy for each ad group. This copy is what will get property owners to click through, so it’s important.

Keep the following in mind:

• Use the target keyword in the headline and body of the ad
• Use action-oriented language
• Use language that differentiates your services from your competitors
• Highlighting the benefits of your pest services
• You should also have a well-designed landing page with a clear call to action (CTA) that further entices visitors to make an appointment.

5. Start Your Campaign

Once you have everything in place, all that’s left to do is actually launch your PPC campaign.

Next Steps

PPC is complex. That’s as true for pest control businesses as it is for any other home services industry. 

A PPC expert can help you create and run your campaign. They’ll research keywords relevant in the pest control world, set up your ad accounts, track your ads, and optimize your content for high conversions.

When you work with a specialist who has handled PPC for pest control companies, you will be drawing from a wealth of knowledge on how to market your expertise successfully. Contact us today for more information about how Market Hardware helps pest control companies launch high-converting PPC ads that pull in more jobs!

Market Hardware is happy to offer Web Marketing consultations — give us a call to learn more! Contact us today if you’re interested and want more information! You can email PCOC@markethardware.com or call (888) 381-6925.

Frequently Asked For Websites

The Quick Start PPC Guide for Pest Control Companies

In this article, we’ll walk you through the basics of what to know before you attempt PPC advertising for your pest control services. Whether you plan to take the self-taught approach or hire a digital marketing professional, this information is critical for you to know.

What is PPC?

PPC stands for Pay-Per-Click. As the marketer, you only pay for the ad when someone clicks on it. Hence the name.

You likely see PPC ads on a daily basis, even if you aren’t familiar with this type of marketing. Frequently, PPC ads appear right at the top of Google search results, giving them prime placement.

PPC ads are a good option for contractors to take advantage of because you can target your specific audience—both by location and the type of pest control service they’re seeking. However, you’ll only pay for your ads if/when someone actually clicks on them.

“PPC can pay off if you have the budget. It’s a guaranteed way of getting your ad the best placement …” — Forbes

Keyword

The keyword for your ad should be a specific word or phrase related to the pest control service you’re promoting.

Examples include: “pest extermination”, “rodent removal” or “safe pest control”.

You’ll want to identify several of these phrases depending on the types of pest control services you offer, use them as a set, and determine the maximum amount you’re willing to pay per click.

Finding the right keywords for a PPC campaign is a bit of an art. For that reason, many pest control businesses seek out marketing services who are familiar and experienced within the pest control industry. The goal is to maximize performance while minimizing cost.

Landing Page

Every PPC ad links to something. That “something” is almost always a landing page on the advertiser’s website.

While you could use your homepage (or any other existing page) for your PPC ad, we recommend against it. PPC ads perform best when the associated landing page includes copy that closely aligns with the message of the ad.

Your best bet is a custom landing page for each separate PPC ad you run.

SERP

SERP stands for “search engine results page.” It’s the list of results you see when you do a Google Search.

Google’s algorithm will analyze searches and determine if your ad is relevant. Relevance is based both on your keyword and on the content of the landing page your ad points to.

This is important. Strong keywords and well-crafted ads aren’t enough. You need relevant, compelling landing pages.

If Google determines that your ads and the linked landing page are a good match for the pest services search an online user is looking for and you’ve bid enough on the related keywords, your ad will display with organic search results.  

Ad Campaign

Your selected keywords, text ads, URLs, and landing pages are all included here.

The better the overall package, the higher the quality score Google will associate with your pest control ad.