Digital Doesn’t Do It – WOM Wins Hands Down
Word of mouth (WOM) is still beating online in creating new business for installers says Rhonda Ridge. And supplier support is most valuable when it saves time, reduces cost and enables installers to market themselves.
Ridge was speaking as the latest findings from the UK Installer Insights Report series was revealed.
It is essential reading for fabricators that want to understand how they can help their installers capitalise on recommendations and attract more.
The report challenges the assumption that installers are heavily dependent on suppliers for marketing and lead generation. But this in itself creates an opportunity for suppliers. Rather than assuming installers need more leads, fabricators that help installers make better use of their existing marketing activity will win more custom.
This is the second report in the six-part research series, commissioned by Ab Initio and independently conducted by Keystone Market Research. It explores how installers market their businesses and where new work comes from.
Online investment is failing
The findings highlight a striking gap between traditional reputation-based marketing and digital activity. While 70% of respondents rely primarily on word-of-mouth recommendations, just 15% identify online search as their main source of work. This is despite almost half of installers investing in website updates, SEO and social media marketing.
Delighting customers
For Ab Initio managing director Rhonda Ridge, the findings reinforce the importance of looking beyond lead generation to the processes that underpin the customer experience.
She said: “Website investment and social media have an important role to play in supporting credibility and showcasing an installer’s work, yet the research shows that digital activity is not yet translating into the dominant source of work.
“Instead, reputation remains an installer’s most valuable marketing asset by far. And that makes consistency absolutely critical. Robust processes and good internal systems are not simply about improving efficiency, they help businesses protect the quality of service that drives those recommendations in the first place.”
Marketing budgets
The report also highlights cost and time as the biggest barriers to installers doing more marketing, with 47% of respondents identifying cost as their main obstacle. In fact, more than one-third of installers report doing no marketing at all.
Charlotte Hawkes, director of Keystone Market Research, believes the findings reveal an important distinction between being more visible and generating business.
She said: “Installers are clearly investing in digital marketing, however, the results show that visibility and lead generation are not the same thing. Word of mouth continues to dominate, which tells us that an installer’s existing customer relationships and reputation are doing much of the marketing work for them.
“That makes understanding where enquiries come from particularly important. Rather than simply investing more in marketing, installers need to know which activities generate results and just as importantly, what happens after an enquiry arrives. The customer experience can ultimately be the marketing that generates the next job.”
Picture: Rhonda Ridge says every fabricator should read a report that says where installers get their leads. Download the report on the link below.
Marketing & Lead Generation can be downloaded now as part of the UK Installer Insights Reports series examining key aspects of the UK window & doors business.
