Spoiler alert: When it comes to commercial solar lead generation, there is no silver bullet. It takes focus and commitment to make lead-gen efforts pay off.
For companies focused on the commercial solar market, the lead generation task can be complicated. Targeting multiple decision makers over a long sales cycle as market incentives shift under the ground beneath you can compromise your efforts. But with a disciplined, integrated marketing approach, you will start to see improvement in both the quantity and quality of incoming leads — and the speed at which you convert those leads to sales.
Start with the Basics: Who is Your Best Customer?
To improve the quality of leads coming into your pipeline, you need a clear targeting strategy. What does your ideal customer look like? Which industries are most responsive to the message of saving money with solar? Where are incentives strongest and customers most likely already investigating renewable energy? Knowing what your audience responds to — and why — will go a long way toward gaining traction with prospects.
Just Say No to the Quick Fix
The temptation to stuff the top of the funnel by doing something quick and tactical – like a one-time ad or sales offer – can be hard to resist. But invariably these one-off efforts pull in the wrong kind of leads, are inefficient from an ROI standpoint and can even cheapen your brand. Stay focused on your message, consistently reinforced with an integrated marketing campaign that includes at least three of the following:
- Content marketing driven by customer case studies and solar education
- Nurture Emails with clear calls-to-action
- Outbound sales calling
- Social media outreach
Even within the commercial solar market, different types of customers have different media habits. An integrated approach improves your chances of success and is a much more efficient way to reach prospects.
Patience Pays Off
For commercial solar lead generation to pay off, you need to plan ahead and give yourself at least three months to see results. Take the time to develop a high-quality target list, compelling creative and a call script with messaging people respond to.
The earliest phase of your outreach can help refine your messaging. What are the callers learning? Are common questions coming in that you can address with nurture emails? What are the most frequent objections and how can you overcome them? A call campaign or email marketing effort can yield a treasure trove of information – track it well in your CRM so that your sales team knows what the customer’s mindset is.
Rinse and Repeat
The rule of thumb in marketing is frequency, frequency, frequency. A message must be received (not just sent) at least three times before it sinks in. Just when you think your campaign is getting old, it’s probably starting to gain traction. Resist the urge to change it!
We’re Here to Help
Need help thinking through your commercial lead-gen strategy? Contact us for a complimentary call and integrated proposal today.
