Competition is fierce in the solar energy world. Want to stand out? Use these 5 marketing strategies for your solar energy company.
Americans are adopting solar energy at lightning speed.
Over the last decade, American solar energy jobs have grown by 167%ーthat’s five times faster than the overall growth rate of jobs in the U.S. economy.
That growth shows no signs of slowing down. So, if you run a solar company, you’ve got an eager customer base who wants to hear from you.
The question is, how best to reach them? We know that searching for marketing tools and tactics online brings up a lot of new and exciting ideas.
That said, as marketers ourselves, we believe in simple, effective marketing methods that will keep working even as the trends change.
We’re going to cover the best strategies to add to the marketing plan for your solar energy company to keep your business growing through the current solar boom.
These are our go-to marketing moves for solar companies who want to scale, and scale fast. Our number-one tip? You have more opportunities within your community than you think. Start local.
Homes need a lot of work, from plumbing to roof repair to pest control. If you know of other home services companies in your area, reach out to them and offer to swap marketing materials.
This could mean having your local plumber hand out your brochure to homeowners they work with, while you recommend that specific plumber each time you finish an appointment.
That way, customers already using home services in your community have easy access to your information when they’re ready to switch to solar energy.
Pro tip: This approach not only helps you reach potential customers directly, it also associates you with companies that those customers already trust in their homes.
On a similar note, realtors are an excellent source for leads. After all, they’ve got plenty of insight into who’s buying or selling their home in the area.
Start by inviting local realtors to an educational session on the benefits of solar for their buyers, then offer them a commission on any leads they bring you.
From there, your new realtor partner will suggest that their clients invest in solar energy for their new home, bring up the possibility of bundling it into their mortgage, and recommend you for the service.
Although you’ve got plenty of options for spreading the word about your services over apps, SMS marketing, and social media, a personal approach is still a good bet as a local business.
Recent research shows that 64% of survey respondents are more likely to invest in products or services from a brand that they’ve interacted with face-to-face.
US Solar used this approach in tandem with their SMS strategy. After an in-person visit from a representative, each homeowner that agreed to receive texts got a follow-up SMS confirming their interest in solar services.
From there, US Solar’s marketing team was able to automate the conversation from start to finish and keep leads in the loop.
If your goal is to make your brand a trusted member of your community, giving out your information door-to-door or at local events is the best way.
This method lets you be sure that your materials get into the right hands─which is something you can’t always say for things like emails or social media ads.
It also helps your future customers put a name and a face to your brand, which means they’re more likely to remember you when they’re ready to invest in solar.
A bidding group, by definition, is a group of people who agree to go in on a bid for a job or item as a single bidder, in order to boost their chances of winning the bid.
Of course, these days, bidding groups have gone digital.
Look for websites that bring together service providers in similar industries and help them get customers by providing a marketplace for those seeking trusted professionals.
In the solar space, EnergySage is a great place to start. The site helps solar installers access a ready-made customer base with less time and hassle spent on advertising or chasing down leads.
Neighborhood apps are yet another reliable way to get your name out to your community.
Residents of any given area rely on their neighborhood apps to keep them up to date on news, services their neighbors use, and more.
Luckily, most of these apps allow you to set up a profile for your business, complete with all the information your new customers need to reach you.
On apps like Nextdoor, setting up a business profile is easy. There’s only two steps to know about:
If you don’t already have a Nextdoor account, this is where you’ll create one in order to claim your business page.
If you have an existing business account, you can manage multiple business pages from your profile.
To claim a new page, all you’ll need to do is provide basic information about your business, including your address, contact options, and websites (some of which is optional).
Once you’ve entered your business’ information, you have a couple of options for verification.
You can have Nextdoor call or text the phone number you’ve provided, or you can submit verification documents like tax records or your business license.
After you’ve verified your business page, you can start posting notices on your neighborhood newsfeed to catch potential customers’ eyes.
On the flip side, you can include requests for referrals or reviews through your neighborhood app on your business card or invoice paperwork.
This will help satisfied clients pass your name to friends or family who are looking into solar energy for their homes.
Solar energy companies, like other businesses focused on fueling the future, can easily get caught up in marketing on the latest social media platform or sales tool.
We’re not knocking those things, but we believe in marketing strategies that seek to build real relationships with real members of your community in real time.
When you take the time to connect with your people where they are, and put your energy towards developing a reputation as a trusted resource for your area, you’ll see the difference.
Lily is a content marketing specialist at SimpleTexting. She specializes in making helpful, entertaining video content and writing blogs that help businesses take advantage of all that texting has to offer. When she’s not writing or making TikToks, you can find Lily at roller derby practice or in a yoga studio in the Seattle area.
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