2012 sees the launch of an all-new service from Insight Data - the Insight Index – and the company believes it will transform the way people find suppliers, research information and source new products in the window, door, conservatory, glass and building products industry.

The Index is a new online portal that combines an industry-specific search engine with a product finder and supplier directory. Helen Costeloe-Hughes, Commercial Director at Insight Data explains; “The problem with general search engines is the sheer volume, relevance and accuracy of information.  For example, there are 204 million listings for ‘hardware suppliers’ on Google.  People want key information quickly and accurately when searching for products, technical data or suppliers which is why an industry-specific business-to-business portal works so well.”

Visitors can use the Insight Index to find all the products, components, services and suppliers they need. From window manufacturers to suppliers of architectural ironmongery or silicone sealants.  The Index is aimed squarely at the window, door, conservatory, building plastics and glass and glazing industry including installers, fabricators, glazing contractors and industry-specific buyers.

Suppliers can showcase their products on the Index and provide valuable information and PDF downloads, ranging from sales literature to technical data sheets and case studies.

A nationwide marketing campaign has been launched to promote the Insight Index including extensive press advertising, online marketing and a major direct mail campaign that targets every fabricator, installer and glazing contractor in the UK.

Insight Data also has the largest email database in the industry, with 40,000 contacts updated daily by the firm’s own research team and this will form part of a monthly email broadcast promoting the Index.

“We also want to help raise awareness of fenestration and glazing products across the wider construction industry so one of our key marketing drivers is to promote the Insight Index to architects, specifiers, builders, developers, main contractors and house-builders” adds Helen.

Insight Data has put substantial resources behind the Insight Index and believes the Industry needs a central information hub, however the company is under no illusions it will happen overnight as Helen explains:

“We had the inspiration for a product finder when we exhibited at Glassex in late 2010. After considerable research this evolved into a full search engine and window industry supplier directory.  Like any new technology or innovation The Index will take time to establish and it will develop and evolve to meet the needs of the market. We want to encourage those forward-thinking suppliers and business leaders in the window, door, conservatory and glass industry to get involved and showcase their companies and products.”

For further information about the Insight Index visit the website at: http://www.insightindex.co.uk or call Insight Data on 01934 808293. You can also follow the Insight Index on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/insightindex

For those that aren’t familiar with Insight Data and what we do let us take a moment to introduce ourselves. Insight is the leading supplier of prospect data and direct marketing services for the window, conservatory and building industry.

Headed by a team of marketing professionals with over 20 years industry experience, Insight Data was established as a result of frustration with the poor quality of information available from existing data providers. The business has grown from 3 people to a 20-strong team in the past four years.

 Because we specialise in the building industry, we are able to develop niche databases that provide clients with in-depth market intelligence not available elsewhere. And our dedicated, state-of-the-art research centre, with a highly experienced telephone research team, ensure clients benefit from the most relevant and accurate information.

Currently Insight holds the details of potentially 60,000 new prospects for your business, including;

• 15,011 fabricators and installers in the UK and Ireland (now with over 10,000 email contacts)
• 800 fabricators and installers in the Republic of Ireland
• 27,414 Local builders and contractors
• 15,052 Architects & Specifiers
• 5,022 Roofline installers
• 1,142 IGU manufacturers

To find out more about Insight Data and our range of UK and Irish databases call Sonia Punter on 01934 808 293 or visit www.insightdata.co.uk

Specialist prospect data supplier, Insight Data, has turned its attention to the Irish market with the launch of a new Republic of Ireland window and conservatory prospect database.

Helen Costeloe-Hughes, commercial director at Insight Data, explains why the company has developed the new database; “The Irish market is seeing a resurgence of interest amongst suppliers. Forward thinking companies such as Edgetech are active in Ireland as demonstrated recently by their Journey to C seminars, while events such as the G10 Regional Exhibition in Belfast attracted significant interest from suppliers. One of the barriers to trading successfully in Ireland has been a quality, reliable prospect database, which is why Insight has now addressed this problem.”

The Republic of Ireland database consists of 814 fabricators and installers updated live in real-time. Client’s access data via Salestracker, the world’s first online prospect database developed for the window industry. Users simply log-on, create a target list by county, product, or size, and instantly create a mailing or telesales list. Salestracker also incorporates a CRM system so that users can track leads, manage prospects and drive sales activity.

Helen continues; “Composite windows and coloured frames are particularly popular in Ireland, and the adoption of the Building Energy Ratings (BER) scheme – similar to the UK’s Window Energy Ratings – means energy efficiency is also a hot topic. Our new database allows clients to market energy efficient products to Irish fabricators and installers and turn them into new customers.”

Insight Data has continued to expand its range of databases and now employs 20 staff across research, software and marketing services divisions. “We have invested over £150,000 to develop Salestracker and have over 250 users subscribed to the system. The Irish database is the latest in a range of new databases for the window industry designed to help clients find and win new customers” added Helen.

For more information contact Insight Data on 01934 808293, visit www.insightdata.co.uk or follow us on www.twitter.com/insightdata

 In the first of a series of guest blogs on Insightlive, Neil Roberts, Account Director of Purplex Marketing discusses his views on social networks and how they present companies in the window industry with a valuable opportunity to discover what their customers really think.

Once solely used by teenagers and students to chat and organise their social lives, social networks and social media are increasingly being used in a business context.

 The window industry is no exception. Glass Talk, the ‘facebook for the glazing industry’ (www.glasstalk.co.uk)  recently been launched to provide industry figures with somewhere to discuss and stay up to date with the latest issues, while blogs such as the ‘Renegade Conservatory Guy’  keeps us entertained with industry related gossip. Meanwhile systems companies, fabricators and industry magazines continue to set up Twitter accounts in order to communicate better with prospects and existing customers (why not follow Insight Data at www.twitter.com/insightdata)

 By using social media, marketers in the window industry are able to gain a valuable insight into what their customers are thinking and get feedback they can apply to their business. The problem is, social networks are unregulated places that move at an incredible pace. This has led to some companies burying their heads in the sand with a policy of not getting involved – but is this the right approach?

 No matter how big or small your company is, the likelihood is that somebody, somewhere is saying something about you online through either a blog, Twitter or on another social network. Would you rather pretend this isn’t happening or would you like to set the agenda and position your brand correctly in the mind of this user group?

 f you don’t use social networking you’re maybe missing a valuable opportunity to discover what your customers really think. By engaging in social media, you have the ability to improve people’s perception of your brand and influence their behavior.

As most of us already know, quite often it’s the unhappy customer who will be the most vocal and they will often use online forums to vent their frustrations. Rather than ignoring these people, we should use social media to find out what the customers issues are and address them immediately. Often the best approach with those complaining online is to drive the conversation offline. This has two positive effects – the conversation will not remain on Google forever and people are often more reasonable when speaking to a “real” person.

 In contrast, those who are vocal about our businesses in a positive way offer one of the best opportunities we have as marketeers. By nurturing advocates we can improve brand image and drive more traffic and conversations to our websites. This comes down to peer-to-peer recommendation.

 Social networks can and do drive the bottom line – we just don’t always see the connection because its impossible to fully understand what motivates our customers purchases. Very often the deciding factor is what a customer has seen online which has swayed them to your services.

Setting up a Twitter account isn’t too difficult. It shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to do and if you get stuck you are bound to know someone who can do it for you. If you haven’t got time to blog and tweet you can buy in the resources by appointing a suitably experienced external agency. Many “new age” PR agencies include social network monitoring as part of their services.

But a word of warning before you do engage in social media – make sure your website is polished and up-to-date. Social media should be used to drive traffic to your website – where the bulk of your company information will be located – and if this isn’t up to date your blogging and tweeting efforts will be wasted.

 In conclusion, I believe social media presents companies in the window industry with a valuable route to market and while the benefits may not be entirely obvious, you cant afford to ignore it.

 If you would like to discuss your online marketing with Neil, please call 01934 808 132 or visit www.purplexmarketing.co.uk

According to a recent study published by Dr Nora Barnes, senior fellow and chair of the society for new communications research at the University of Massachusetts, more than a quarter of Fortune 500 firms have set up Twitter accounts.

Eric Mattson, chief executive officer of Financial Insite and co-author of the report, said: “The continued steady adoption of blogs and the explosive growth of Twitter among Fortune 500 companies demonstrate the growing importance of social media in the business world.”

This trend is echoed in the window industry, with the number of windows companies using Twitter rapidly increasing.

Insight Data’s Business Development Manager Justin Ball comments “many businesses are using social media to communicate with their target audience and the window industry is no exception. We regularly ‘tweet’ our latest news and it is great way of keeping our customers up-to-date with any new developments.”

While twitter may not be an obvious route to market for window companies, Justin Ball believes the growing presence of systems companies, fabricators and industry magazines using the medium is evidence this is beginning to change.

“Lots of people who have desk based jobs in the window industry are likely to visit social networking sites such as Twitter in their lunch-break. Some of these people are using this time to set up business accounts while others are simply following window industry companies using their personal accounts. This means there is a great opportunity to communicate with potential customers and prompt them to find out more about your company or visit your website. Exploring these less obvious routes to market can yield excellent results and we would encourage any of our customers looking to find new customers to embrace this new technology.”

To see Insight Data’s Twitter account follow this link www.twitter.com/insightdata

If you would like any more information on this blog or Insight Data in general, please call 01934 808 293 or visit www.insightdata.co.uk