The surge for renewable energy continues to spread nationwide, winning new minds within ever more communities in the United States. For solar companies, generating high-quality solar leads has become increasingly more complex, with dozens and hundreds of brands fighting for purchase-prone customers across organic and paid traffic channels.
But this doesn’t mean you can’t acquire qualified solar leads in bulk – you just need solid lead generation strategies that will set you apart from the competition, hitting the right leads with the right message.
Source: GIPHY
Read on to learn where the companies get qualified solar leads, how different solar lead generation methods impact their quality and quantity, and the best solar lead generation companies to kickstart your business.
What Are Quality Solar Leads?
The cost of an average residential solar panel system has dropped to only $25,000 from $40,000 in 2010, increasing the number of installations exponentially. The supply has also grown, with companies trying to generate quality solar leads rather than just remotely interested customers.
Source: SEIA
Quality solar leads are different from regular leads by several key parameters:
| Defined Interest | Quality leads have indicated a specific interest in the product via email inquiries, filled forms, sign-ups, engagement with website or social media content, or personal communication |
| Demographics | Quality leads belong to a target demographic group, matching specific parameters like location, age, traffic source, or interaction history. |
| Compliance | Quality leads comply with the local and nationwide solar requirements. In other words, the installation company knows that it can legally install or maintain solar panels on the client’s property, with the client’s electrical system and roof being a good fit for the solar panel equipment in question. |
| Budget | Quality solar leads’ price expectations meet the company’s pricing structure. |
The more qualifying criteria the lead satisfies, the higher their quality. Leads meeting all criteria are considered high-quality solar leads or even sales prospects ready for a sales contact.
The Pros and Cons of Generating Certified Leads
Generating certified leads – leads who have been vetted to meet specific conversion criteria – may not always be a win-win, as it all depends on your cost-effectiveness. For example, you can invest tons of money into buying exclusive solar leads but get nothing in return because of the inability to close sales properly. On the other hand, you can squeeze the most out of less qualified leads if your sales agents know how to process these leads.
That said, here are the advantages and disadvantages of acquiring quality certified leads:
| Higher Conversion Rates: Certified solar leads are way deeper in the sale funnel than non-qualified leads | Higher Price: Certified solar leads may cost up to 10 times more than non-exclusive, non-qualified leads and 20 times more than aged leads |
| Time Savings: Certified solar leads have already passed the basic screening and may not require much nurturing before a conversion attempt | Higher Cost per Missed Lead: Bounced certified leads cost significantly more than the same number of bounced low-intent leads |
| Accurate Planning: Certified solar leads allow you to make better conversion predictions and plan for the workload in advance | Dependency on a lead provider: Buying certified solar leads from a single provider is quite risky, so you may have to partner with several suppliers |
To put you in the context even more, here’s the average cost per lead by industry:
Source: First Page Sage
Generating Certified Leads for Your Commercial Solar Business
Whether you want to generate high-quality solar leads using organic traffic sources or solar lead companies, employ the following conversion-boosting strategies for the best results.
Keep the Value Front and Center
A non-qualified lead may only know one basic fact about solar panels: they need sunlight to generate electricity. As a solar marketer, you can deepen that knowledge by explaining solar panel technologies step-by-step, turning non-qualified leads into qualified solar leads. For starters, you can bring up the fact that they can completely replace their energy needs with only 16 to 20 solar panels.
The more important, though, is that you should pair education with an emphasis on the advantages of your product. Whether you manufacture, install, or maintain solar panels, you should go the extra mile in informing residential solar leads about the superiority of your offer: greater durability, higher cost-effectiveness, free installation, and whatever jokers you have up your sleeve.
Source: Forbes
Nowadays, most solar companies have calculators, quizzes, and other interactive tools that help leads understand their solar energy needs and potential costs. You should do it, too. At the very least, integrate a solar energy calculator so your leads can know where their investment is expected to pay off.
At the same time, make sure to point out that a more accurate examination would require contacting a customer support department and likely also measuring home square footage, electricity usage, and roofing type.
Run Paid Ads To Interested Prospects
Qualified solar leads generated with paid ads are just as valuable as free solar leads due to the benefits paid ads offer:
- Precise Targeting: Limiting the viewers’ pool by categories like location or age is crucial to generating qualified solar leads. Paid advertising automatically filters out non-complying leads, resulting in increased conversion rates.
- Keyword Search: By using specific terms relevant to solar solutions in the paid Google ads, you can generate quality solar leads who are ready to convert if presented with an appealing offering.
- Monitoring and Managing: PPC ads allow you to monitor and adjust your ad campaign on the fly. You can limit the number of clicks you’re willing to buy daily to maintain a steady flow of quality solar leads.
Get Visual on Social Media
Being active on social media platforms is one of the best ways to grow your audience. Marketers say that generating leads is one of the three top reasons for employing social media in their campaigns.
Source: Statista
Here’s how you can generate solar leads on social media:
- Appealing Visuals: Visuals are much more effective in grabbing the viewer’s attention, so it’s worth doubling down on engaging images and videos in your social media posts. The world’s your oyster: you can showcase your projects, interview team members and clients, etc.
- Expertise: One surefire way to attract quality solar leads is by showing your expertise in the field. Provide clear explanations for solar power benefits, including savings for the family budget, positive impact on the environment, and independence from centralized power providers.
- Humanization: Users prefer to relate to other humans rather than machines. Include as many real-life cases as possible: installation process footage, testimonials, events, and anything else that ensures you’re a real company in the real world.
- Active Accounts: To convert your social media accounts into effective solar lead generators, regularly update your content, including responding to customer messages and complaints. Social media platforms like Twitter are great for fostering camaraderie with solar energy leads.
Get Listed on Local Service Directories
Free or paid ads in your local services directory are the best way to get solar leads from a specific location. These qualified solar leads are interested in your company, have sufficient funds to install a solar system, and live in the target area. Likewise, you can avoid unnecessary nationwide competition for quality solar leads.
Launch SMS Marketing Campaigns
Launching SMS marketing campaigns can effectively attract inexpensive quality solar leads. According to the latest surveys, 53.5% of marketers expressed willingness to use text marketing for higher click-through rates.
Here are the reasons to use SMS marketing for generating some of the best solar leads available:
- Immediate Reach: Unlike other qualified solar lead generators, this method allows you to reach your target audience immediately, making it a preferred channel for time-sensitive offers.
- Opt-In Leads: Text campaigns typically target individuals who have signed up for SMS notifications, tapping into high-quality solar leads.
- Personalization: Based on the user data, you can segment your audience and prepare personalized messages that will trigger interest in different demographic groups.
Source: The European Business Review
Buy Solar Leads Online
Buying solar leads can be a game-changing strategy for businesses aiming to grow their client pool rapidly. However, business owners should consider the pros and cons before taking this step.
| Advantages | Possible Disadvantages |
| Time and Resource Efficiency: Solar lead lists provide a ready-made solution that doesn’t require marketing, nurturing, or qualifying the solar panel leads | Dependence on Your Solar Leads Company: The quality of purchased solar leads may vary due to the provider’s qualifying methods. If the quality drops, you may have to look for another lead gen company |
| Targeted Audience: you get quality solar leads who match your target demographics and psychographics | Lack of Personalization: Purchased qualified leads will likely be unfamiliar with your company. Building trust with these leads will require additional efforts from your sales representatives |
Buying Qualified Solar Leads from Profitise
In the dynamic world of solar lead generation, Profitise stands out as your gateway to success. We will connect you to a network of top-tier lead generation companies and provide access to a vast pool of exclusive, high-quality solar leads.
Getting started with Profitise is as easy as taking these three steps:
- Register with Profitise: Complete the affiliate or advertiser registration form
- Set Up Your Campaigns: Create impactful campaigns that resonate with your target audience
- Buy or Sell Solar Leads: Tap into the extensive network of solar affiliates and advertisers
Are you ready to revolutionize your solar lead generation?
Contact us at info@profitise.com to learn more. Don’t miss out on the quality solar leads that could transform your business!
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you generate solar leads for your company quickly?
Among the many solar lead generation strategies, the quickest are running SMS campaigns, employing paid advertising on Google and social media platforms, and increasing your company’s visibility in local services platforms. However, cooperation with the top solar lead generation companies is imminent if you need to engage with potential customers immediately.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of generating certified leads?
Generating certified solar leads has several advantages over generating unfiltered leads: higher conversion rates, less effort when nurturing and converting, and the ability to plan more accurately. On the other hand, dismissing uncertified leads can result in overlooking potential customers.
How can you tell if a lead is certified or not?
You can label a solar lead as certified if it possesses the following characteristics: expressed interest in solar systems, belongs to a specific demographic group (most importantly, location), has the type of housing that can technically and legally accommodate a solar system, and has the budget for your offer.
