By Kate Ashley-Norman, director, VAST PR.
Over the years I have worked with and admired many people within the window industry – their drive, passion, energy and entrepreneurialism have shaped companies and provided a living for thousands of families over the years, through good times and bad.
And the one thing that they all have in common is the willingness to hold themselves publicly accountable within an industry which has also seen its fair share of charlatans!
It’s not an easy choice putting yourself and your opinions out there. But the window industry has always had a strong sense of community when it comes down to sharing ideas and demonstrating successes, and I have had much pleasure in writing about many of them over the years.
Visibility is a key differentiator when it comes to decision makers choosing one particular brand over another. A scroll through Linkedin, a flick through a trade magazine, and there are names and faces there who appear so regularly you think you know them.
Business leaders who seem to be driving the industry with knowledge and authority, and whose businesses are recognised as sector leaders with a large and loyal customer base.
Are you one of them? Could you be one of them?
Decision-makers – or in other words, your potential clients – will always gravitate towards brands they recognise and trust. Confidence in a business relationship will allay fears and anxieties, and make that decision making process so much easier. And that confidence is rarely built in a single conversation.
It’s built long before a buying decision is made.
When a business is rarely seen or heard, uncertainty fills the gap. Buyers don’t consciously think ‘this company is risky”, but subconsciously, unfamiliarity introduces hesitation. In contrast, brands that are consistently visible in trusted industry channels feel established, stable and credible.
Visibility, in this context, is not about ego. It’s about reassurance.
A vehicle for trust transfer
Public relations is often misunderstood as being about headlines or self-promotion. In truth, effective PR is about trust transfer – a long-term strategic drive towards establishing a deep-seated authority.
There’s a third-party element (the trade press) that is putting its own reputation in your hands by giving you the freedom of its platform to espouse your views and opinions.
When a respected publication features your business, credibility is borrowed. You are no longer simply telling the market how good you are, someone else is validating it for you.
This is why PR continues to outperform many other forms of marketing in uncertain times. Advertising asks for attention. PR earns belief.
Over time, consistent PR activity creates familiarity. Familiarity builds confidence. Confidence reduces perceived risk and that is what ultimately influences commercial decisions.
In this very magazine, Danny Williams of Pioneer Trading Company and Gerda Doors has been using his Rear Window column for many a year to vent his views and frustrations on the industry, the state of the economy, politics, the supply chain… agree with him or not, it has helped to position Danny and his company as a titan of the industry.
Authority Compounds Quietly
One of the most overlooked aspects of PR is its cumulative effect.
Authority doesn’t arrive overnight. It builds through repetition: being seen, being quoted, being referenced and being associated with meaningful industry conversations. Eventually, a shift occurs.
Instead of being asked who you are, you are asked what you think.
At that point, your voice begins to carry weight.
Alongside traditional trade PR, LinkedIn now plays a crucial supporting role.
A strong LinkedIn presence humanises a brand. It demonstrates leadership confidence, stability and openness.
Used together, PR and LinkedIn form a powerful flywheel: PR builds credibility, while LinkedIn amplifies authority and reach.
You may not be able to measure this with specific ROI/CPL statistics, but you will when it comes to real conversations, nurtured relationships, and long term success.
