PPC119 | OPINION

In PPC119, Stuart Blair and Kelly Farrant took opposing views on a controversial topic: whether pest management companies should post graphic images on social media.

FOR

There’s a reason people watch wildlife documentaries

By Stuart Blair, Strathearn Pest Control

The general public enjoys watching lions kill prey on TV because it showcases raw nature, survival instincts, and the predator-prey dynamic. 

These scenes evoke awe, excitement, and respect for wildlife. 

It’s my view that this also transfers to the culling of pests. It provides insight into natural behaviours and the food chain, satisfying curiosity and a primal fascination with life and death.

Pest control, including trapping and dead rodents, should not be censored. By doing so, the industry misses out on a real chance at promoting public awareness and hygiene, safety, and transparency.

Hiding these realities fosters ignorance about disease prevention and urban health.

Honest depictions encourage responsibility, community vigilance, and effective pest management, ensuring cleaner environments and reduced health risks for everyone.

Posting images of effective pest control trapping on social media has been a hot topic of late, however I believe it can offer several benefits!

Credibility and trust

Showcasing real results can help build credibility with current and potential clients. It demonstrates your expertise and effectiveness in pest control.

Being seen to use the correct "tool for the job" highlights that you are a professional company. 

Engagement

Visual content tends to attract more engagement than text alone. Where more interesting dialogue can take place! 

Pictures can generate likes, shares, and comments, increasing your reach to potential customers.

Education

Sharing your success stories can educate your audience about pest issues and the importance of professional pest control, increasing awareness and understanding.

Marketing

It serves as a form of advertisement. Potential clients can see the effectiveness of your services, making them more likely to contact you for help.

Community connection

It can help connect with the local community, as people often share concerns about pests in their area. Engaging posts can foster a sense 
of community.

Feedback and testimonials

Encouraging customers to share their own experiences alongside your posts can provide powerful testimonials and feedback.

Brand identity

Regularly sharing real-life content can help establish your brand’s personality and values, making it more relatable to your audience.

Developing technology

If you use innovative traps or techniques, sharing these in imagery can highlight your commitment to using the latest and most effective methods of control.

By leveraging these benefits, pest control businesses can enhance their online presence and attract more customers while promoting conversation and innovation within their industry.

AGAINST

Showcase what’s interesting about our industry, not the dead stuff

By Kelly Farrant, Pest-Tech

Pest-Tech Ltd have been operating for over ten years, and during this time I have always been keen to have a strong social media presence and I’ve done it all myself. 

Right from the very start, I was clear that I did not want to show graphic images of dead animals, as I felt it would have a negative impact on my business. 

Presenting a professional image is crucial for any business, and in my opinion, graphic content may appear unprofessional and weaken your credibility. 

We have built our brand identity focused on helping and educating customers with positive, informative, and engaging content.

Mixed with this are interesting tips, useful infographics and images of success stories. 

I do this to build trust and confidence with potential customers (which is what all our followers are) so it’s essential for lead generation.

By showcasing dead animals, it makes us appear unapproachable, uncaring and can create fear and unease rather than trust, making clients hesitant to engage with your social media or even worse, your services. 

Whether we like it or not, the general public is sensitive to animals being harmed or killed. We do what we have to do in order to resolve pest problems, and it’s sometimes a grim task. 

Customers who love animals just want the issue resolved without knowing or seeing how we did it. It’s the old saying about how the sausage gets made. Ignorance is bliss, and I think that applies here. 

Showing graphic images makes those potential customers uncomfortable or distressed and can cause a negative perception of your brand. You will alienate people, which is the opposite of good business practice. 

And we know that the animal rights community can be vocal, so a negative reaction from animal rights groups can harm your reputation and lead to potential boycotts or even harmful hate campaigns being directed at your business. 

While we may not agree with their aims, it doesn’t help us run our businesses to provoke people unnecessarily.

Social media platforms are a free marketing resource, allowing us to build our brand awareness. The platforms have strict guidelines regarding graphic content, and violating the guidelines can lead to post removals or account suspensions.

The rules are also forever changing, so what is acceptable now may not be in 12 months. 

Sharing graphic images on your social media can be high risk, with the possibility of having to start your business page from scratch.

We are confident our engaging content should not offend anyone, which is a safe strategy to follow.

Pest control is a very emotive subject, and we have to be careful of public perception during the search for new customers and clients.

It goes without saying, you should aim to be professional at all times, and this includes how you present yourself to your audience on social media. 

It is for these reasons that I will continue to post engaging, informative content and no graphic images on my feed.