Word of mouth remains by far the most important source of new business for UK window and door installers, with 70% identifying recommendations as their main source of work, according to the latest findings from the UK Installer Insights Report.
The second report in the six-part research series, commissioned by Ab Initio and independently conducted by Keystone Market Research, explores how installers market their businesses and where new work comes from.
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.
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.
“Website investment and social media have an important role to play in supporting credibility and showcasing an installer’s work, but the research shows that digital activity is not yet translating into the dominant source of work,” she said.
“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.”
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.
“Installers are clearly investing in digital marketing, but the results show that visibility and lead generation are not the same thing,” said Charlotte Hawkes, director of Keystone Market Research. “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 inquiries 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 inquiry arrives. The customer experience can ultimately be the marketing that generates the next job.”
