The solar market is rapidly growing as people embrace renewable energy. With many solar companies in the market, businesses wonder how to differentiate themselves and attract more leads and sales.
This blog post shares strategies, tactics, and tools for solar companies to generate customer interest, even with a limited budget.
Tips on how to optimise your website to get more leads
A good website is essential for attracting new customers and converting leads to sales. Here are some tips on how to optimize your website:
- Clearly display your products, packages, and payment options, and provide information and tools to build trust with potential customers.
- Include details about warranties, aftercare, and your installation process.
- Use a quote request form and provide easy-to-find contact information.
- Ensure logical navigation that leads customers to submitting a quote.
- Remove any superfluous pages and use consistent fonts, colors, and imagery.
- Make important information visible without requiring visitors to scroll down the page.
- Check for broken links, spelling errors, and well-structured, succinct content with a strong call to action.
A strong ‘About’ section is important to help people trust you
The ‘About’ page on your website is a key section that you should take your time crafting. Don’t simply list what you do, but add personality to your company by highlighting what makes you different to your competitors. A great way to do this is to craft an engaging mission statement.
To help you write your mission statement here is a handy guide and some great examples. Clearly explain the mission you have for your company (what are you looking to solve by being in business – for example helping communities navigate the energy crisis by helping them save on their bills).
You should also consider adding other information you think can help build confidence and trust in your business. For example; awards you have won, your accreditations, how long you have been in business/serving your local market, number of systems you have installed, and even a short biography on each of the key people in your business.
Leverage social proof on your website and showcase what your customers think of you
Showcase reviews, case studies, and testimonials on your website to build prospect confidence. Letting other people say how great you are is far more powerful than just telling them yourself. It’s more authentic and believable, providing social proof of your company’s expertise and reliability. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews on your website or social media, and feature them in your advertising, website, or email marketing.
Craft compelling web copy
Write website content that converts by using powerful headlines and clear, impactful language. Every word and image on your landing page should encourage customers to say YES. Copywriting used to require specialized writers, but now there are many hacks and online resources available. AI writing tools like Chat GPT are also gaining popularity. Check out the links below for more tips on creating web copy that converts.
Hacks and resources that will help you write website copy that converts
- https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt
- https://popupsmart.com/blog/chatgpt-prompts-for-marketing
- https://www.zerys.com/writers/writers-blog/copywriting-for-the-web-8-tips-tricks-to-take-your-web-copy-to-the-next-level
A picture tells a 1000 words, make sure they are the right ones when you choose images
Website images are just as important as words since they have a strong impact on people. Royalty-free images are a budget-friendly option, but be careful not to choose generic ones. Look for online resources and follow expert guidance to find suitable images.
AI tools can also be used to create custom images. These types of tools are generally easy to learn, and once you are up and running it can be a great tool to make your images stand out.
Lastly, make sure you use high-quality product photography to help customers to visualize your products in their home. Check out the links below for more information on selecting the right images for your website.
AI image resources to try
Review of the best AI image generators – by Petapixel
Free image libraries/image resources
Use Swipe Files and Create High-Performing Web Pages, Social Ads, and Emails
Use swipe files for inspiration in your website design or marketing. These collections of ideas, examples and templates can guide you in creating high-performing web pages, social media ads, emails, and more. You can search the internet for swipe files created by others or create your own by compiling your favorite examples over time. Countless swipe files are available on various topics, so you’re likely to find one that suits your needs. Check out these resources to get started:
General collections of swipe files covering multiple categories
Designs, illustrations, and graphic examples
Web design
Convertflow – great resource for opt-in page examples.
Moosend – examples of great landing pages
110 landing page examples – by instapage
Social Media
Twitter swipe file repository – by notion.so
LinkedIn Swipe file repository by abaskmarketing
Social Media ad swipe files by Adspresso
Email marketing
A repository of emails – by Really Good Emails
Examples and analysis of welcome emails – by getresponse
Social media is a cost effective and quick way to generate leads and engage with customers
Solar companies commonly advertise on social platforms, but rarely engage with potential customers beyond ads. Take advantage of this opportunity by sharing non-advertising content, such as community awards and local events. Engage with followers by responding to comments and messages, and asking for feedback or reviews.
Consider placing cost-effective lead generation ads on social platforms like Facebook. It can be very cost effective and there are guides and learning resources on everything from copywriting for social ads, design templates (ads and landing pages) and guides, targeting and audience segmentation tutorials not to mention 1000’s of swipe files providing inspiration from other creators and businesses.
As a Powow Partner, you can access lead generation ad examples, email templates, and content that have generated over 30,000 battery leads. Contact marketing@powow.com.au for assistance.
Set up and run facebook ads
Facebook for business resources
A great beginners guide to facebook advertising – by Adspresso
Facebook Media Swipe files
Repository of facebook ad templates as well as tools to create your own ads – by Canva
15 great facebook ad templates – by Hevodata
Email marketing is another effective tool to generate leads
Email marketing is a cost-effective way to promote your business and products while establishing your unique selling proposition and differentiating your business in longer form written copy.
Email marketing also allows you to segment your customer base to target different types of customers with different offers and information. You may want to send an email to all customers who have bought solar panels from you with a specific and targeted battery retrofit offer so they can benefit from affordable daytime and nighttime power.
There are a number of cost effective and affordable email marketing platforms that you can trial for your business. There are even free email marketing tools that you can use. Below you will find more information on some of the best ones.
A comprehensive review of free email marketing tools – by sproutsocial
Website building tools
f you are thinking about starting from scratch, there are a number of useful websites and tools you could consider that will help you get things right from the get go. Below are some cost effective web design tools and companies to consider if you are building your website from scratch or looking for inspiration on how you can improve your existing website.
Boost your brand visibility through local partnerships
Partnering with local businesses like construction firms and real estate agents can help increase your brand visibility and tap into new markets.
Sponsoring local organizations and attending events can also help build your brand and generate leads. Small acts of kindness, such as sponsoring a local sports team or giving away free coffee vouchers, can create a viral effect and spread the word about your business.
Don’t forget to leave leaflets in coffee shops, post on local notice boards, and attend community events to further promote your business.
Take it step-by-step
All these ideas might have your head spinning and leaving you wondering where to start.
The key is to prioritize tasks that have the potential to make the biggest difference. Our recommendation is to start small and make your tasks achievable.
We recommend starting with a simple review of your current marketing activities, with a focus on lead generation marketing tactics. Do you have facebook lead generation ads and landing pages set up? You should also consider how you can use email marketing follow up leads and market your products and offers to them over a longer time period.
Here’s an easy-to-follow recommended action list with tasks arranged in order:
- Reflect on what’s working and not working in your business and make a plan for changes.
- Set up Facebook lead generation campaigns using our guide (available on request) and the info in this blog.
- Use email marketing to generate leads and promote offers. For example you could quickly go back to all your past panel customers with a battery retrofit offer.
- Optimize your website for better results. Evaluate imagery, design, layout, navigation, copy (text), missing tools and functionality, and then decide where investing time will yield the best results.
- Create customer case studies for long-term content that you can feature in all your marketing channels.
- Engage with your target audience through community events and sponsorships.
The information provided on this blog is for general informational purposes only. We make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the blog or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the blog for any purpose. Through this blog, you may be able to link to other websites that are not under our control. We have no control over the nature, content, and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
