Around 20% of American homeowners power residences wholly or partially through solar energy solutions and this number is expected to grow as more people become aware of the benefits of renewable energy. However, with over 10,000 solar panel businesses in the industry, it can be challenging to stand out and reach your target audience. That’s why you need digital marketing.
Digital marketing allows solar businesses to reach a wider audience and provides a platform for showcasing their products and services, building brand awareness, and establishing thought leadership in the industry. The key importance of digital marketing for solar businesses lies in its ability to target specific audiences and reach potential customers at every stage of the buyer’s journey.
This comprehensive guide will explore the digital toolkit essential for any solar business wanting to boost leads and outpace competitors.
Why Do Solar Companies Need Digital Marketing?
Digital marketing has shifted how homeowners consider and purchase solar energy systems. No longer relying solely on in-person sales calls, most research the options online first before requesting appointments. Even after selecting an installer, continued digital contact helps see projects through to completion.
With readily available information influencing purchase decisions, solar marketers must optimize their online profiles. Strategic digital marketing places a company’s solar expertise and local availability in front of actively researching homeowners.
But it’s not just about attracting new customers – digital marketing also plays a crucial role in keeping your business top of mind with existing clients.
Benefits of Marketing for a Solar Company
The solar industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years as more homeowners and businesses adopt renewable energy solutions. It’s important to understand how strategic marketing specifically benefits solar businesses. This includes:
- Targeted website traffic. Well-optimized search engine results and social media platforms drive qualified prospects to scheduling forms.
- Engaged community presence. Answering customer questions and reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, and Houzz builds trust and reputation.
- Lead generation. Multichannel campaigns across search, display, and social networks consistently introduce solar options.
- Lifetime customer value. Nurturing digital relationships after the sale supports satisfaction, referrals, and repeat/upgrade business.
- Data-driven optimization. Analytics reveal audience behaviors and interests to refine messaging and location targeting.
- Scalable 24/7 reach. Website and social media work passively to maintain visibility beyond traditional 9-5 hours.
- Performance measurement. Digital KPIs provide clarity on ad costs versus new customer value over time.
- Omnichannel awareness. A coordinated digital marketing strategy complements – not replaces – traditional marketing efforts.
Delivering Business Results: Our Digital Marketing Case Studies
9 Best Digital Marketing Strategies for Solar Companies
The most effective solar marketers incorporate a variety of digital approaches into their broader marketing plans. This section will dive into the top 9 digital marketing strategies that can help your solar energy company shine.
1. Determine Your Target Audience
Before implementing any digital tactics, solar marketers should first define who they want to reach. Getting clarity on the ideal customer ensures all further efforts remain laser-focused. Take time to research demographics like age, location, income, and interests that align with your company’s offering.
Developing detailed profiles of your most typical clients, also known as buyer personas, allows for crafting relevant messaging and content. For example, a solar installer in California may target:
Name: Sarah
Age: 35
Profession: Teacher
Income: $48,000
Location: San Jose
Interests: Sustainability, renewable energy, technology, and innovation
Goal: Sarah is looking for a reliable, cost-effective home solar solution. She is interested in reducing her carbon footprint and wants a system that will provide lower energy bills.
2. Claim Google Business Profile
Google Business Profile is a free listing that allows local searchers to find your solar business online. A complete and optimized lays the foundation for increased visibility and inquiries from new prospects. If you haven’t already, claim your listing on the website. Furthermore, verify your business via call or other methods seen on the screen to gain control over the information on your profile.
Then, you have to optimize the listing by doing the following:
- Complete your Google Business Profile with accurate and up-to-date information, including your business hours, address, phone number, and categories.
- Add high-quality photos of your products, services, and facilities to showcase your business and give potential customers a better understanding of your offer.
- Respond promptly and professionally to all reviews — positive and negative — to show that you value your customers’ feedback and care about their experiences.
- Use Google Posts to share updates, promotions, and news about your business. This will help keep your customers engaged and informed about your products and services.
- Ensure your business categories are up-to-date and accurately reflect your products and services.
- Add a link to your website or social media profiles to give potential customers more information about your business and help drive traffic to your website.
3. Build Your Local SEO Presence
The people who will patronize your business the most are those within your vicinity. Building a local SEO elevates your presence in the local search engines. Therefore, if a potential customer searches “solar installers near me,” your SEO-optimized efforts will show.
Here are some of the things you can do to build your local SEO presence:
- Incorporate location-specific keywords into your website content, meta tags, and alt tags to help search engines understand where your business is located and what areas you serve.
- Obtain high-quality backlinks from local directories, articles, and other reputable websites to improve your local search rankings.
- Ensure that your website is mobile-friendly and optimized for local search results to improve your user experience and increase your chances of being ranked higher in local search results.
- Add schema markup to your website to provide search engines with additional information about your business, such as your hours of operation, address, and contact information.
- Encourage customer reviews and respond promptly to all reviews, whether positive or negative, to build your local reputation and improve your local search rankings.
4. Start a Google Ads Campaign
Once the basic digital framework is laid with SEO, paid search ads present a powerful way for solar companies to gain an edge. With the right keywords and ad copy, you can attract qualified solar leads ready to take the next step.
A good Google Ads campaign can immediately boost your visibility on search result pages, control your ad position, and stand out from organic listings. Plus, you can target customers at the exact moment of intent, ensuring your message reaches the right people at the right time. Additionally, Google Ads allows you to test campaigns rapidly with changing budgets and copy, enabling you to optimize your ad spend and achieve the best possible return on investment (ROI).
Before starting your Google Ads campaign, you need to set your bids. Keyword bidding is setting the amount you’re willing to pay for each click on your ad. When setting your bids, you’ll need to consider factors like your budget, target location, and competition. Google Ads offers a variety of bidding strategies, including manual bidding and automated bidding, to help you maximize your results.
Then:
- Define your target audience: Determine who your ideal customer is, including their age, gender, location, and interests. This will help you create ads that resonate with them.
- Choose the right keywords: Identify the keywords and phrases your target audience uses to search for solar services like yours. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner to help you find the most relevant and cost-effective keywords.
- Create compelling ad copy: Write attention-grabbing and informative ads highlighting the benefits of your solar services. Ensure your ads are mobile-friendly, as most Google searches are done on mobile devices. Add clear call-to-action (e.g., “Contact Us” or “Get a Free Quote”) to encourage potential customers to take action.
- Set up your campaign: Choose the right campaign type, such as a search or display campaign, and set your budget and target location. Ensure you include negative keywords to avoid showing your ads to irrelevant audiences.
- Launch and monitor your campaign: Once you’ve set up your campaign, it’s time to launch and monitor your Google Ads campaign. This includes tracking your ad performance, adjusting your bids and content as needed, and optimizing your campaign for better results.
Comrade Digital Marketing Agency can help you with the above if you’re unsure how to go about it. Schedule a free consultation.
5. Build a Solar Company Website
Your website is usually the first point of contact with potential customers. It is the beginning of the marketing funnel, so it needs to be designed to capture clients as they go down the funnel. Designed with customers in mind using the ideal structure and content, your solar site becomes the digital home base.
Some best practices for an effective site include:
- Clear and concise messaging: Your website should clearly communicate your company’s mission, services, and benefits.
- Visually appealing design: Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your products and services in a visually appealing way.
- Easy navigation: Use clear menus and intuitive navigation to make it easy for visitors to find the information they need.
- Mobile responsiveness: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices so visitors can easily access your site on their smartphones and tablets.
- Fast loading speeds: A fast-loading website keeps visitors engaged and reduces bounce rates.
- Search engine optimization (SEO): Optimize your website for search engines to improve your visibility and drive more organic traffic to your site.
- Strong call-to-action (CTA): Use a clear and prominent CTA to encourage visitors to take action, such as filling out a contact form or scheduling a consultation.
6. Build Converting Landing Pages
Your landing pages are an important part of attracting new customers from your digital marketing campaigns. These pages provide the first impression potential clients see after clicking an ad or link, so designing them well is key. Landing pages should be clean and focused on prompting the desired user action, whether requesting more information or scheduling an estimate.
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
- Clear and concise messaging: Your landing page should clearly communicate your solar company’s unique value proposition and the benefits of your services. For example, “Save 20% on your electricity bill with solar panels.”
- Strong visuals: Use high-quality images and videos to showcase your solar products and installation process.
- Simple and easy-to-navigate design: A cluttered and confusing landing page can drive visitors away. Keep it simple and make sure your call-to-action (CTA) is prominently displayed.
- Fast loading speed: A slow-loading landing page can lead to frustrated visitors and a higher bounce rate. Make sure your page loads quickly to keep visitors engaged.
- Compelling CTA: Your CTA should be clear, prominent, and actionable. Use action-oriented language like “Get a Free Quote” or “Schedule a Consultation” to encourage visitors to take the next step.
7. Create a Content Marketing Strategy
An informative content strategy is paramount for solar companies looking to establish themselves as experts in their field. Creating engaging content takes some planning but pays off well in capturing attention and consideration from audiences.
Solar companies can share their expertise and industry insights through in-depth blog posts that cover a wide range of topics relevant to target markets. Posts could thoroughly explore the many benefits of solar energy and cost savings for homeowners and businesses. You can also use comprehensive guides to dive even deeper into specific areas like explaining the entire process of installing solar panels or highlighting the advantages for commercial properties. Leverage infographics to bring concepts to life by visually illustrating complex topics such as the environmental impact of solar power or financial returns on investment.
Webinars are another effective format for delivering valuable industry information while building credibility. Furthermore, share real customer case studies that demonstrate the transformative impact installations have on similar businesses and lives. Create videos to provide a personal touch by showcasing the quality of work and services provided.
8. Optimize Your Website for Solar SEO
A tailored site forms the foundation for organic discovery. Search engine optimization allows solar companies to rank higher in search engine results and attract more solar leads. This process involves various strategies and best practices to ensure that search engines understand and rank your website for relevant solar-related keywords. Here’s a breakdown of what it entails:
On-page SEO: This focuses on optimizing the content and elements within your website to improve its visibility in search engine rankings. It includes keyword research and placement, optimizing title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and image alt tags.
Off-page SEO: This involves building your website’s authority and reputation through external factors. It includes earning high-quality backlinks from reputable websites, social media engagement, and online mentions.
Technical SEO: This aspect focuses on optimizing the technical elements of your solar website to improve its crawlability, indexing, and overall performance. It includes optimizing website speed, mobile-friendliness, URL structure, XML sitemaps, and robots.txt files.
9. Engage in Social Media Marketing
While search and website optimization is important, social platforms boost solar awareness and bring in clients from other channels. With over 4.9 billion users across major platforms, social media opens a wide gateway for solar marketers to engage existing and new clients. Facebook alone hosts over 3 billion users monthly, providing a rich pool of potential customers. Other platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter connect you to other demographics of clients.
Here are some best practices for using social media effectively:
- Share articles, blog posts, infographics, and videos highlighting solar energy’s benefits, industry trends, and success stories.
- Maintain a regular posting schedule to keep your social media presence active and engaging.
- Use high-quality images, videos, and graphics that reflect your brand identity and convey key messages effectively.
- Actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, messages, and mentions. Research and use relevant hashtags in your social media posts to increase visibility and reach a wider audience.
- Collaborate with influencers or industry experts in the solar field to expand your reach and gain credibility.
- Consider using social media advertising to target specific demographics and reach a larger audience.
- Analyze engagement metrics, follower growth, and conversions to gain insights and optimize your social media strategy.
Get in touch to see how our digital marketing solutions can take your business to the next level
Want to Improve Your Solar Marketing? Contact Comrade!
As this guide outlined, approaches from search optimization to paid advertising, social media engagement, and content marketing each play an important role in raising qualified leads and sales. When you leverage the possibilities, solar companies can effectively introduce their services at scale to homeowners seeking options.
If you’d like help implementing a comprehensive approach tailored to your goals and markets while you focus on service for clients, experts like Comrade Digital Marketing Agency can help. As a full-service digital agency, Comrade Marketing works hand-in-hand with clients to develop forward-thinking strategies, execute tactically, and analyze results.
Contact us today and take the first step toward boosting your online presence, attracting more customers, and driving sustainable growth in the solar industry.
