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Why ‘trust’ is the most important part of your marketing mix
Our CEO, Andrew Scott discusses why it’s essential to create a trusted brand in today’s construction and window industry.
20 years ago, when TV, radio and print media were the marketing channels of choice, customers had more time to digest information and make informed decisions.
The world is very different today; with an explosion of information, new marketing channels and more products and suppliers fighting for our attention, the average human brain consumes the equivalent of 34 gigabytes of data every day and makes 35,000 decisions. In this situation consumers gravitate towards brands they trust.
Building trust in the home improvement market
In a B2B environment, trust is built over time through multiple touch-points and relationship building. In the construction and fenestration industry, PR is the most powerful way to drip-feed news and information that builds a picture and positions your business as a trusted company. Advertising and direct marketing reinforce your proposition and your website serves to validate your brand and provide a ‘deeper dive’ into your products and services.
In a B2C market, construction and window companies need to work harder than ever to build trust because the purchase is often a one-off transaction, competition is fierce, and the industries have a tarnished reputation – not helped by high profile failures such the recent Safeglaze fiasco in the double-glazing sector and question marks surrounding some Insurance Backed Guarantees. Similarly, with the collapse of the construction giant Carillion, shockwaves were sent through the industry which damaged its reputation.
With so much competition, how can quality firms stand out as a trusted supplier?
One mistake many companies make is to confuse marketing with lead generation. You can’t build trust if your entire marketing strategy is focused on sales-ready leads. Building trust starts earlier in the process, before the homeowner is ready to buy.
When homeowners engage with your brand in a non-sales environment and have a positive experience, they are far more likely to buy from you when they are in the market for home improvements.
That’s not to say lead generation isn’t important, it is crucial. But to build trust and ultimately to build a successful, sustainable and valuable company you need a marketing strategy that creates a trusted brand alongside a robust lead generation strategy.
Third Party Validation
You may believe your products and services are great, but so do thousands of other building and window companies out there. It is much better for a third party to endorse your business and products/service.
The three most powerful third-party validation tools are:
- Recommendations and testimonials
- Accreditations and awards
- Third party Reviews
Having genuine, recent testimonials from existing and previous customers is one of the most powerful ways of building trust, particularly if the project is like the one a potential customer is considering.
Perhaps the biggest shift in purchase decision making is being driven by reviews. Reviews are a quick and easy way for someone to form an instant opinion on a company or product and can seriously influence buying decisions.
With Brexit just around the corner, economic uncertainty and consumer confidence low, there has never been a more important time for companies to focus on building a trusted brand so that customers have the confidence to do business with them.
Over the last 14 years, Purplex has worked with hundreds of companies across the fenestration and construction industry to build strong, sustainable businesses that are trusted by their customers.
For more information, call 01934 808132 or get in contact below.
This entry was posted in Marketing Strategy
