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  • Perspective

Installer insights: Stuart Duff Q&A

It is no secret that installers are a key focus for brands operating in the plumbing and heating industry – but connecting with them isn’t always so straightforward.

As the key decision makers on the front line of the industry, nobody is closer to the trends and challenges that shape life on the job. In fact, it’s these professionals who decide which products and solutions get installed, making them an essential part of the puzzle for marketers in the P&H space.

Whether connections are established through traditional PR, influencer relationships, live events or ambassador roles, strong installer relationships can lead to greater loyalty and heightened perceptions of brand and product.

With this in mind, we caught up with the team over at Installer – the minds behind the industry’s go-to publication and the groundbreaking InstallerSHOW – to get their view into the minds of installers and discuss how brands can meaningfully connect with this key audience group.

Stuart Duff – Head of Communications at Lyrical Communications – Stu has been involved in the heating, plumbing and renewables industry for more than 25 years, working across events, digital, social, and print.

Installers are naturally a key focus for many P&H brands. Can you tell us why the installer audience is so influential for businesses in this space?

Influential is the key word here. The impact of their brand choices and product recommendations cannot be underestimated, particularly in the one-off domestic market. Installers are the final link in the chain between manufacturer and end user, and their opinion carries significant weight in determining which products are fitted.

Establishing brand loyalty within the installer community creates an army of advocates who will become long-term sales and marketing assets for manufacturers. This extends beyond their interaction with customers into the world of peer-to-peer recommendations.

What makes the P&H installer audience different to other buyers in the B2B space? How do their needs and expectations differ?

Where forward planning of a job is viable, there’s arguably no great difference. Installers value quality, reliability, and ease of use (for them and their customers) above other considerations – although competitive pricing is obviously a factor. What sets them apart is the urgent need for product availability in distress situations.

Under these circumstances, same day delivery or click and collect options come to the fore. That’s not to say brand loyalty is overridden completely, but it does mean that it’s essential for their preferred brands to have broad distribution coverage to ensure accessibility. A mis-step in product selection, even in an emergency, can have a serious effect on an installer’s reputation and livelihood.

What do installer-focused brands need to consider when targeting P&H installers?

To emphasise the point, ease of installation, quality, and reliability matter. Loyalty and reward schemes are a nice-to-have, but they’re no substitute for great products that remove the need for callbacks. Fit and forget has become a buzz phrase for a reason… every problem with an installation means diminishing returns on the price of a job.

These issues can’t be eradicated completely, of course, so manufacturer support also plays a vital role. Quick access to a technical expert goes a long way towards mitigating a problem, especially when supplemented by clear troubleshooting guides in a visual format. Allied to this, the option of on-site manufacturer support when products are under warranty helps to elevate a brand above its competitors.

What can HVAC brands learn from installers – and how do they get closer to them?

Insight into real world experience is a priceless resource. Installers are as invested as manufacturers in making sure products are the best they can be. Dissenting voices are notoriously loud, and engaging with installers to understand their likes and dislikes is a proven way of minimising that noise. Securing that engagement often comes down to two key factors – trust and authenticity.

The onus is very much on the brand to build rapport, to make the relationship human. People buy from people. More than that, people buy into people. Brand personality has to go beyond clever marketing. This has its place, of course, but as part of a mix that includes appealing to installers on a more individual level. A faceless company with a closed door policy is putting barriers in its own path.

How is the team at Installer supporting brands to connect with P&H installers and become installer-first?

To put it dispassionately, everything we do is built around data. In reality, what this means is that our investment is in the human beings behind the 1s and 0s – whether that’s the brands we work with, the installer community we serve, or our own team. We have built a trusted voice that resonates with installers. That, in turn, allows us to become an extension of the sales and marketing function of our brand partners.

Transparency and collaboration sit at the heart of all our conversations. We talk, but we listen first. We advise, but we understand first. We execute, but we plan first. Only then we can deliver the right messaging in the right way to the right people.

What is it installers are looking for? Can you tell us what content gets the most engagement with Installer?

There’s no silver bullet for generating engagement, which is why it’s so important for us to understand a brand’s aims and target audience from the outset. With a total community of more than 500,000 industry professionals, we need to ensure that we reach them at their preferred point of contact – whether that’s on our websites, in their inboxes, at our in-person events, via webinars, or on social media.

In broad terms, engagement stems from the value of what’s presented. Most often, that translates to a clear business benefit… technical advice, updates on legislation and regulations, information about new products, peer-to-peer reviews, or the chance to meet brands face-to-face. Whatever the messaging, a clear CTA will do the bulk of the heavy lifting.

We see thousands of P&H installers visit InstallerSHOW every year. What are some of the key things HVAC brands need to think about when exhibiting at events like this?

In a nutshell, enhance the visitor experience. Anyone who has been to InstallerSHOW will know that it’s much more than a run-of-the-mill exhibition; it’s an event in the truest sense. Get the basics right, of course – an attractive stand, strategic product placement, experts on hand – but also identify your objectives and plan around them.

If you’re looking for pure data capture, incentivise footfall with something fun. If you want to meet with key customers or prospects, invite them personally ahead of time. If you have a new product to showcase, host a launch event or run drop-in sessions. Ultimately, it’s about making your stand a welcoming place.

What are the three most exciting campaigns you’ve seen from HVAC brands in the past year?

The HVAC sector is incredibly creative when it comes to campaigns so it’s tough to pick out only three. With apologies to those who didn’t make the cut…

How do you see the role of agency partners in maximising the potential of marketing for HVAC brands?

Working with the right agency delivers a host of benefits in terms of wider creativity, insight from other markets, and strong media relationships. Marketing is often the most overloaded function within a business, so having a trusted partner to rely on can be a gamechanger.

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