Getting the Most Out of Residential Solar Leads: Tips and Strategies

The global solar energy market is growing rapidly, with 239 GW of new solar installed globally in 2022, a 45% annual increase. Rising electricity prices, climate change, and pollution make more people switch to alternative sources, making residential solar led generation as profitable as never before.

At the same time, the growth of the residential solar market increases competition among companies engaged in the production, sale, and installation of photovoltaic modules. To be competitive, you must spend a lot of effort and money on generating solar leads.

But how do you actually bear the competition when it comes to generating residential solar leads?

In this article, we’ll go into more detail on how to get solar leads online and gain customer loyalty. But first, let’s find out what generating residential solar leads is and how it benefits businesses.

What Is Solar Lead Generation and How Does It Work?

The generation of residential solar leads is the process of attracting people interested in installing solar panels, with the goal of creating a solar leads list and then converting these leads into customers.

To understand how lead generation works, let’s look at an example.

Imagine your company manufactures and sells solar panels. Applications come from several channels:

• Website
• Targeted advertising on social networks
• Contextual advertising on search engines

Through the CRM system, you can automatically distribute your leads to available sales managers. Next, they contact the residential solar leads, clarify the details, and place the order. The data of failed buyers also remains in the database to rework these customers later if possible.

One of the best things about solar lead gen is that you only pay for what you’ve got. You do not need to spend money on ineffective advertising; you pay only for targeted residential solar leads. Thus, you clearly know how much it costs to attract one client.

Why Generate Residential Solar Leads?

Here is why a well-though-out solar lead generation strategy can grow your business:

• Clear budgeting: Using the generation of residential solar leads, you can define a strict budget framework, monitor its implementation, and evaluate the effectiveness of actions.
• Optimization of resources: Generating a flow of exclusive solar leads allows you to cut off untargeted audiences and free up managers’ time to better serve really interested customers.
• Building strong communications: When promoting solar panels, lead generation helps build interactions with customers for a long period of time, as well as replenish the base of solar exclusive leads.
• Drawing increased profits. Lead generation allows for almost guaranteed profitability from contextual advertising and other lead sources.

There is no doubt you need a robust solar lead gen strategy to increase sales and take your business to the next level.

How to Get More Solar Leads: Defining the Target Audience

Knowledge about residential solar leads – who they are, where they live, and what problems they face – is the key to effectively promoting goods and services. By correctly identifying your target buyer, you can choose the right promotion channels and rationally use your budget.

That said, the solar energy industry has its own specifics, such as when customers carefully weigh the pros and cons before taking action. This makes the decision process longer and also makes it difficult to attract residential solar leads without a long-term strategy.

But you can avoid this if you know how to qualify solar leads and satisfy the needs of your qualified solar leads.

Below are some important factors to consider when generating residential solar leads.

1. Demographics

Demographics include age, gender, education, income, marital status, region, city, and climate and are often combined with other types of data for solar leads generation.

If we are talking about how to get solar leads, criteria such as region of residence and real estate ownership are important, as the probability that a person who lives in a sunny region and owns residential or commercial real estate will buy solar panels is much higher.

In addition, with the help of demographic information, you will be able to determine:

• What the market growth opportunities are for your product/service
• How your brand differs from your competitors
• Which advertising campaigns will resonate with your target audience

Using demographic and consumer behavior data, you can create your target buyer’s profile and develop the optimal marketing strategy to generate the best solar leads.

2. Psychographics

Psychographics allow you to determine what motivates people to make purchasing decisions and bounce in the end. For example, many people are concerned about pollution, embracing an eco-friendly lifestyle, whereas others want to reduce energy dependence and lower their energy bills.

Using psychographic information, you will be able to understand:

• What exactly residential solar leads want, and why
• The strengths and weaknesses of your product
• How to communicate with your target audience

To gather psychographic information, are these questions:

1. Open-ended questions. For example, the question “What are the main difficulties you face when…” will provide a deeper understanding of the respondent’s problems.
2. Likert scale questions. Show whether the respondent agrees or disagrees with a particular statement. A scale from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree” allows you to gauge the importance of your product/service.
3. Semantic questions with a rating scale. These are used to rate a respondent’s evaluation of a product, brand, company, or other attribute and allow you to understand their attitudes.

3. Behavioral Factors

Behavioral metrics help determine the behavior of the ideal buyer. For example, analyzing how people used electricity in the past can suggest whether they are ready to switch to alternative energy sources.

Here are some important behavioral criteria:

• Reason for making a purchase. Are buyers concerned about a favorable price, positive reviews, product safety, or something else? What problem are they trying to solve?
• Buyer benefits. Does the buyer want to acquire the safest or the latest solar panel?
• Interaction cycle. Is the buyer interested in obtaining additional information about the solar panel? Are they purchasing the product for the first time?
• Engagement. Is the buyer a loyal customer or a new one? How much do they interact along the customer journey?

By understanding the reasons that drive purchases, you can get solar leads in bulk.

How to Find Solar Leads: Effective Promotion Strategies

Defining the target audience and drawing up a portrait of an ideal client is not enough to attract residential solar leads. On top of that, you should determine your promotional and communication strategies.

Below are six steps to effectively promote solar panels.

Step 1 – Create Your Own Website

The first step in promoting solar panels and services is to create a compelling website with detailed information about the subject and a superior value proposition. It is important to convince the residential leads of the reliability and quality of the services offered.

Step 2 – Optimize the Site for the Requirements of Search Engines

Less than 1% of users go as far as to the second page of Google search results, so you need a strong SEO to generate organic residential solar leads. This includes keywords and phrases related to solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance.

Step 3 – Run Ads on Social Media

Over 4.59 billion people worldwide used social media in 2022, and around 1.5 billion more are expected to join by 2027, making social media a powerful promotion tool.

Create accounts for your company on popular social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Regularly add interesting and useful content, offering residential solar leads tips and advice on choosing and installing panels. Last but not least, use paid social media ad campaigns to reach a wider audience of residential solar leads.

Step 4 – Build Partnerships with Local Construction Companies

The installation of solar panels often requires construction work, such as installing fixing systems or connecting to the power grid. Try to partner with local construction companies to hit the most high-intent buyers. Local partnerships will broaden your audience and provide residential solar leads with a great local solution.

Step 5 – Hold Workshops

Workshops are a great way to demonstrate your expertise and knowledge of solar panel manufacturing, installation, and maintenance. Educate the local community about the benefits of solar energy to build trust and generate solar leads.

Step 6 – Launch Advertising on Search Platforms

Paid advertising campaigns on search platforms, such as Google Ads, can be highly effective for promoting solar panels. Create ads containing focus keywords and phrases and configure targeting parameters to show your ads to residential solar leads seeking information about solar panels.

How To Generate Residential Solar System Leads Outside of Your Earned Media

The path of least resistance is purchasing residential solar leads, and rightfully so. After all, you know exactly what residential solar leads you pay for and can even estimate how many of them will convert

Where and How to Buy Solar Leads?

There are affiliate networks that bring together sellers (affiliates, publishers) and buyers (advertisers, merchants). You only need to find a good solar leads company focused on the quality of solar leads for sale.

One such network is Profitise. We unite top-tier advertisers and ambitious publishers to create an unparalleled lead market where everyone gets what they deserve, be it high-intent residential solar leads or due remuneration for marketing efforts.

If you want to purchase or sell solar leads, register with Profitise as an affiliate or advertiser. For more information, contact us at info@profitise.com. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you generate leads for solar sales?

Generating leads for solar sales involves a strategic approach that combines promotion via earned media with buying residential solar leads. Each strategy is viable under certain conditions, but purchasing solar leads is accessible to anyone, including aspiring companies with little to no web exposure.

How much do solar leads cost?

The cost depends on several factors, such as the type of leads (shared or exclusive), the reputation of solar lead generation companies, and so on, ranging from a couple dozen dollars to a few hundred dollars per lead.

Can you get solar leads for free?

You can get free solar leads by promoting on earned media. However, it’s important to remember that free residential solar leads may require significant time investment.