Are you trying to generate leads for your solar business by cold calling or flooding the inbox of the target audience with emails?
If yes, you’re doing it the wrong way, thereby wasting your precious time and, of course, money. Aside from poor response rates, poorly planned marketing tactics are likely to tarnish the image of your brand.
With increasing competition, generating solar leads that turn into customers is important to carve a niche in the solar industry. Otherwise, your business won’t survive.
We won’t deny that lead generation is one of the most complicated tasks for every business, but it is crucial for making a profit by establishing a healthy sales pipeline. If figuring out the right strategies for generating quality leads have left you perplexed, this guide is well worth a read.
Today, we’ll walk you through the nitty-gritty of lead generation tactics to reach your target audience and increase conversion rates. So, let’s dive in to generate solar leads, shall we?
Solar Lead Generation: Buying vs. Organic
For any business owner, capturing the audiences’ interest in their products or services and convincing them to make a purchase is no easy task. As most of them aren’t sure about the right ways to reach their potential buyer, they resort to buying solar leads to boost sales.
While it’s profitable and rewarding, you’ll have to fork out a bit to purchase high-quality leads compared to generating them on your own. Irrespective of whichever method you rely on, keep in mind that both come with their own perks and pitfalls, which we’ve discussed below.
Pros of buying solar leads
Here’s why business owners should consider buying solar leads to amplify the growth of their business.
1.) Buying solar leads saves time
At times, no matter how much resources or effort you invest in advertising, email marketing, and other marketing strategies, generating quality leads may seem like an impossible task.
So, if traffic flows in like a trickle into your website, buying solar leads will be the best bet. Instead of spending time on planning strategies and waiting for customers to drop into your e-commerce site, you can nurture the leads purchased from third party sellers.
2.) Acquiring third-party solar leads can help you simplify your business model
When you purchase leads, your only task is to convert them into customers. This means business owners can spend their time and resources on simplifying their business model by focusing on what the company is good at.
That is to say, you can research the market and tailor your services according to the diverse needs of the audience.
3.) Purchasing leads can help you stand out from your competitors
There’s no sugarcoating it: surviving the cut-throat competition in a market where there is a vast number of companies marketing solar panels is daunting. That is why designing strategies that will make you stand out from your competitors is important.
For startups, purchasing leads instead of generating them on their own might be the best bet, as they can spend time nurturing them and outperforming their competitors.
Cons of buying solar leads
Here’s why solar companies need to think twice before buying leads from third parties.
1.) High-quality solar leads are expensive
Want to acquire leads that are genuinely interested in the products and services your brand sells? Well, then shelling out extra cash is the only way to get access to premium leads. Even then, there is no guarantee that those people will turn into customers.
2.) Fierce competition
Perhaps, the leads that you can purchase from third parties have already been sold to other solar companies. This means your marketing strategies should be a notch above to attract them to your business. Compared to organic solar leads, it will cost you a lot of resources and effort.
Pros of generating your own solar leads
Generating leads organically might be the biggest hurdle for business owners, but it can turn out to be profitable if done the right way. Here we have enlisted some reasons why you should consider generating leads organically.
1.) Authentic interaction
When you generate leads through organic methods, it clearly indicates that they are interested in the products and services you sell. Therefore, you can establish a rapport and trust through various marketing strategies, such as email marketing, targeted ads, and so on.
At the same time, the possibility of conversion is higher compared to those that you’ve acquired from lead generation sites.
2.) Relatively cheap
No matter how much you invest in paid Google ads, content marketing, and other strategies, generating your own leads is way cheaper than purchasing them.
Keep in mind that only people who are genuinely interested in solar installation services or products will visit your website. So, you can target that particular group through social media ads. Not only that, but your sales team can also send personalized emails and inform them about ongoing offers and deals.
Cons of generating leads on your own
In solar marketing, generating online leads on your own has only one disadvantage that you must keep in mind.
1.) ROI is difficult to measure and the process is time-consuming
The downside to generating leads yourself is that the return on investment (ROI) is difficult to measure, especially if you resort to a hybrid approach. Therefore, business owners cannot decide which marketing approaches they should focus more on to attract leads.
As against buying leads, generating them on your own is no doubt time-consuming. Your strategies can take any time, between six months and a year, to show results.
Types of Solar Leads
Broadly, there are three types of leads – commercial, residential, and government. So, let’s take a look at them.
1.) Commercial solar leads
Many solar companies sell products and services for commercial establishments, such as retail stores, tech firms, and furniture stores, among others. Companies focused on the commercial sector generate leads through referrals, trade shows, and marketing campaigns.
2.) Residential solar leads
Most solar installers are focused on residential areas, and that is why they tailor their services in accordance with the needs of the homeowners. Through their lead generation strategies, they target homeowners who are interested in installing solar panels on the rooftops of their homes.
Besides making use of social media platforms, they conduct solar fairs to spread brand awareness and generate leads.
3.) Government solar leads
Last but not least, some companies develop long-term strategies to attract solar leads from government entities. Referrals and Request For Proposal (RFP) – are the two most common methods through which they try to generate leads.
9 Marketing Tactics Solar Installers Should Follow to Generate Leads
Irrespective of a startup or a fully-established business, these marketing tactics will help you generate quality leads, thereby securing your position on the market. So, let’s check them out.
1.) Get your business listed in solar company directories
When home and business owners plan to install solar air conditioning, fans, chimneys, or other products powered by sunlight, the first thing they do is look for companies online. After all, the internet provides every detail about these companies, including pricing and reviews, which are helpful for making comparisons.
While every company devises online marketing strategies to rank high on the search engine ranking pages (SERPs), not everyone is able to make their way to the first page. Google favors only websites posting meaningful content with the most traffic.
So, the best way to rank high in the search engine is to list your business in the directories that appear on top on Google, Bing, and other platforms.
Consumer Affairs, Clean Energy Experts, EnergySage, and Solar Reviews – are a few platforms that rank the highest on Google. In addition, the Solar Energy Industry Association (SEIA) and the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP) are other reliable platforms that you can consider for listing your business.
2.) Generate solar power leads by running ads
It goes without saying that ads are one of the effective ways to generate leads for your solar company. If you’re a newbie in the industry, you’ll have to learn about Microsoft Advertising and Google Ads to start with.
Instead of using target keywords, such as “best solar installers,” search for the phrases that your target audience use in the search engines and incorporate them into your ads. Aside from prospects, make sure you include your existing customers to keep them up to date about the latest innovations.
3.) Target audience with SMS marketing
Did you know that nearly 98% of text messages are opened by smartphone users? Of course, it’s a whopping number, and that is why we suggest investing in SMS marketing to spread brand awareness.
Much like email, you’ll have to build a database of phone numbers for SMS marketing and send them texts with offer deals. Another way to generate leads is keyword text-in promotion, in which case you ask people to text a keyword to the given number to win attractive prizes.
Interested ones will revert, so you can follow them up with messages regarding your products and services.
4.) Build a strong social media presence
With the ever-increasing popularity of social networking sites, more and more businesses are using the platform to connect with their prospect audience and existing customers. In fact, about 81% of consumers research online before making a purchase.
While the website sits atop the list, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube are a few other platforms where you must stay active and keep posting about your brand. When brands engage with their audience through social media platforms, they are more likely to earn the trust of their customers than those who don’t.
And once your brand gains credibility on the market, generating leads and turning them into customers won’t be too much of a task.
Besides interacting with the audience, keep posting high-quality content, such as testimonials of past customers, photos of projects in progress, and awards won by your company to capture their attention.
Hashtags are another excellent way to attract audiences to your page, thereby increasing your fan following. Just make sure you use them wisely because Instagram is flooded with millions of posts, so it will become tough to stand out in the fierce competition.
5.) Design a user-friendly website
An easy-to-navigate, aesthetically pleasing, clearly organized, and well-designed website will likely attract the right audience to your business. That is why business owners must leave no stone unturned to build a user-friendly website.
Also, make sure you include a clear call-to-action (CTA) button, such as “Buy Now” or a free solar consultation form on every page of your website.
While designing your website, use bright colors and attractive themes because the longer the people stay on the site pages, the more Google believes your content to be useful. As a result, it will move you to a higher rank in the SERPs, which will help you thrive in the industry.
6.) Focus on content marketing
Whether your goal is generating new leads or nurturing existing ones, content marketing is the perfect strategy to attract prospects to your site.
Most often, business owners publish blogs on their websites, providing insights into the products and services they sell, industry trends, and other related things. But before that, make sure you spend adequate time researching the questions or topics that your target audience is asking and answer them in blogs.
Additionally, you can write articles on the environmental benefits of solar energy so that people consider installing solar-powered appliances in homes and commercial establishments.
Many a time, success stories and case studies are used by businesses as a part of their lead generation strategy. That’s because the stories of past customers testify to the quality of your products and services.
7.) Improve the SEO of your site to boost your sales funnel
Want to generate new leads that are genuinely interested in solar products? If yes, then consider making changes to your website to boost visibility and improve search engine rankings.
While there are plenty of strategies that you can count on, one of the best strategies is to list your organization on “Google My Business.” Not every business lists itself on Google, so there’s a high possibility that you will secure more leads than them.
In addition to that, make use of long-tail phrases and targeted keywords to rank higher on Bing, Google, and other platforms.
8.) Get more customer reviews and testimonials
Since buying, installing, and maintaining solar panels costs a lot of money, home and business owners read a lot of reviews before choosing one company. At least 54% of consumers read reviews of products before making a purchase. After all, when previous users leave reviews about your company on various sites, they give audiences a glimpse of the quality of your services.
Often, reading reviews is the last step people take before making a purchase. One of the best ways to gather reviews is to ask existing customers to leave feedback on your website and a few third-party sites.
Other than that, you can offer clients a small incentive to write an honest review for your brand.
9.) Create a referral program
Despite being on the market for years, not everyone is interested in installing solar-powered appliances in their offices and homes.
One reason people avoid turning to solar products is that the costs of installing and maintaining the appliances are higher than electric-powered products. No wonder your leads, though close to making a purchase, will have doubts regarding the efficiency of the products and whether they are worth the hefty amount or not.
That is why introducing a referral program is recommended for solar companies. People are more likely to purchase from you when referred by a friend or an acquaintance than by reading reviews.
FAQs
How do I generate free leads for my solar business?
Referral programs, strong social media presence, SMS marketing, and getting listed in solar company directories – are some of the best ways to generate leads for free.
Are webinars or seminars useful for generating leads?
Yes, seminars and webinars help brands generate leads for their solar business. However, make sure you make such sessions more educational than promotional.
Final Thoughts on Increasing Leads for Solar Installers
Generating quality leads might be a hefty task for solar business owners, but with the right strategies, you’ll be able to attract the right people to your website.
While there’s no harm in buying leads from third-party sites, you’ll have to spend extra dollars to generate premium leads who will likely turn into customers. So, if you aren’t at the liberty of forking out extra bucks, generating your own leads will be the best bet.
All you need to do is design a long-term strategy incorporating the right marketing tactics, and we are sure that you’ll be able to secure high-quality leads.
And that’s it for today, people! Wishing you good luck!