Andy Patel talks internet marketing with Corey Arnold, the owner of Atlanta-based Peachtree Pest Control company. Corey is a second-generation owner in the pest control industry, his father having founded their business in 1976.
Common Challenges In Running a Business
As with any business owner, Corey is met with a number of challenges in running Peachtree Pest Control. Even with 42 years of experience, exposure, and credibility, the company needs to “always be in the right places at the right time.”
Hiring and firing, finding and maintaining top talent, controlling liabilities and other expenses, and understanding the inflow and the outflow, these are just some of the challenges Corey faces day by day. “It’s a balance, really,” says Corey. “It’s like keeping a stack of marbles on the tip of your finger all the time.” He then adds, “It’s like pushing a boulder uphill.”
Mastering Internet Marketing is a Never-Ending Process
Success in business is not an event, but a process. Corey believes that continuous education is non-negotiable. What worked in yesterday’s marketing world is outdated today. Especially in the age of internet marketing, being on the cutting edge is critical for any business to stay afloat. Partnering with a marketing agency is a great way to do this.
Case in point, during the 2000s, Corey “spent tens of thousands of dollars a month” on phone books. At the time, it was the only way for businesses to reach their customers.
Less than a decade later, Corey could see that the marketing landscape was shifting, but did not really know how his company could specifically adapt to this new internet marketing world. It was around that point that Corey met Andy and subsequently spent the next few months picking his brain in order to hone his skills for the future of Peachtree Pest Control.
Internet marketing itself is an ever-evolving subject. “Google changes the game on a regular basis. They keep moving the goalpost, and we keep trying to figure that out as we go along.”
Today’s Google as a “Pay-to-Play” Program
Speaking on the topic of SEO, Corey says that there was virtually nothing else that he focused on merely three years ago. Peachtree Pest Control wanted to be number one, keyword-wise, in their regional area.
Nowadays, Google is forcing organic placements further and further down on the first page of results. It has gotten to the point that pure, organic SEO is now impractical. Ever since Google has morphed into a “pay-to-play program”, Corey considers SEO as “a smaller part of a greater whole.”
The Importance of Google Ads
If you are a business owner in the home service industry, Corey states that Google Ads is absolutely necessary. If you are not doing paid ads today, you will never become relevant. Corey assumes, however, that it is not so much recognizing the validity of this that business.
Listen here to the first PCIM podcast episode in which Andy interviews Corey Arnold, the owner of Peachtree Pest Control in Atlanta, GA.