Double glazing companies fall for internet marketing scams
Posted on 21/03/2014
Unwitting installers are signing up to online marketing services that could harm their business, claims Purplex Marketing, the specialist window industry agency.
Adi Day, head of online marketing at Purplex, says that many installers are switching to online marketing without knowing all the facts; “Marketing has changed dramatically in the last five years and traditional lead generation methods are no longer as effective. In an effort to step up their marketing, installers are moving online, unfortunately many of them are being taken for a ride.”
Companies are being sold online marketing such as SEO (search engine optimisation) and sponsored advertising (pay-per-click) on the promise of getting to the top of Google by companies who don’t understand the double glazing industry.
“Since launching our free marketing audit we have now heard from dozens of disgruntled fabricators and installers who have paid companies to manage their online advertising with no little or no results.”
“Because online marketing is unregulated, everyone is jumping on the bandwagon. Even business directories such as Thompsons, Touch Local, and Yellow Pages are now selling websites or online marketing, with no experience of the industry” says Adi.
Yellow Pages recently hit the headlines when it rebranded as HIBU and subsequently went into administration, leaving thousands of customers in the dark.
Other horror stories concern the use of online design and price engines, which enable installers to offer visitors a design and quote service on their website. Installers are paying for this service from third-party companies, some of whom are collecting the data behind the scenes and selling the leads via internet lead suppliers.
Adi comments: “Online design and pricing engines are a great idea, but if the system is managed by a third party it means they can access all your leads and share or sell this information. Installers are doing all the hard work in attracting visitors to their website, but running the risk of the leads being harvested and re-resold elsewhere.”
Purplex launched its free marketing audit as part of a new initiative, Purplex Advantage, which is designed to help home improvement companies improve their traditional and online marketing results in a transparent, professional way. The company employs 30 specialist staff backed by 25 years’ experience in the window industry.
Read more about Purplex digital marketing services.
