With solar installation companies, the big guys seem to get all the glory. National brands have the budgets to market themselves to a larger audience. Once they’ve established themselves as the loudest and “best” company to work with, they can get away with charging more for systems. That extra money funnels back into the marketing budget. And on and on.
With recent failures (Sungevity) and scale-backs (SolarCity), it’s the perfect time for local installers to step out of the shadows. Customers are probably as confused now as ever, so education and transparency are key to rebuilding solar’s good image. Getting your name out there, even in small ways, can help communities trust solar and your company over national brands.
EnergySage CEO and founder Vikram Aggarwal is a big believer in price transparency to win customers and get ahead. EnergySage released its fourth Solar Marketplace Intel Report this April, which used national survey data to analyze consumer behavior, demographics and preferences. The report found that today’s solar customers are getting three or four quotes before choosing an installer. They’re not trusting that first quote, and they want online transparency to learn more.
“We’re not going to turn back the clock and go back to how shopping used to work in the past,” Aggarwal said. “Consumers are becoming more sophisticated. We have to get ready for that if this industry wants to be around for the next 10, 15 years.”
Customers may be choosing bigger names because they’re easier to understand and research, not necessarily because they’re better.
“Local installers are offering better equipment at a lower price,” Aggarwal said. “It all goes back to helping the consumer understand that larger companies may be selling you Hondas at Mercedes prices while the local installers are offering you Mercedes at a potentially discounted Mercedes price.”
EnergySage’s intel report found that customers who received five or more quotes in 2016 were eight times more likely to buy solar than those who only had one quote. Hard sells are a thing of the past. It’s time for more transparency online so customers can shop around before eating into installers’ acquisition budgets.
Get your message out
It’s one thing to know you do quality work, but how do you build customer trust? Ratings and reviews go a long way, but outside marketing and community sponsorships can help bring awareness to your brand.
Legend Solar (No. 167 on the 2017 Top Solar Contractors list) does a lot of traditional marketing—radio, billboards, mailers, online advertisements—and has found particular branding success with athletic and community sponsorships.
“Branding is very important to us as well as general marketing to bring leads and customers,” said co-founder Shaun Alldredge. “We like to support teams or organizations that people also support, if we also believe in them.”
The regional installer recently signed a three-year sponsorship deal with the Portland Trail Blazers. Legend Solar gets home-game visibility on signs around the arena, and billboards in the area are co-branded with the company’s logo. Legend Solar also gets a booth during games, and Alldredge said more people are stopping by with questions.
“We do get more recognition,” he said. “But it’s more of a visibility thing. We do get some leads, but it’s more of a community outreach thing.”
SunEnergy1 (No. 27 on the 2017 Top Solar Contractors list) has also found branding success in sports sponsorships. The national developer may not get solar contracts from its NASCAR and other auto racing sponsorships, but the company has become a de-facto solar educator to an unfamiliar audience.
“We get a lot of attention being a solar company in racing,” said SunEnergy1 CEO and president Kenny Habul. “We have a lot of people at the tracks ask about solar. We have information and things that we hand out. It’s fun, and it’s good for the industry too.”
Habul said just having a solar company in a prominent sponsorship spot of any kind is a great branding tool for the entire industry.
“We’re waving the flag for solar, like everyone should be in the industry,” he said. “It’s been a long, hard battle to get the general population to understand that coal is coming to an end. Getting that message spread across the country is helping all of us.”
Stay close to home and heart
Although widespread exposure is important, local contractors should be sure to align their advertising choices with their community’s interests.
For example, Legend Solar is also a proud sponsor of Thanksgiving Point, a nonprofit complex in Lehi, Utah, that has community gardens, shops and museums. Although these sponsorships may not lead to immediate solar sales, Alldredge said the brand awareness puts Legend Solar in a prominent spot in the community.
“When you decide you’re going to get involved with community sponsorships, you have to think of how people are going to respond and react,” he said. “You’re obviously spending dollars, and we’re thankful for customers giving us the ability to do these things. You want to support things that are important to the community and also important to you.”
If the Solar Power World comment section on any Sungevity bankruptcy story is any indication, solar customers don’t have a lot of trust in big solar names right now. A little online transparency and good marketing efforts can establish your company as a worthwhile player. And any type of community branding can only speed up that process of bringing more good attention to solar.
“Don’t be afraid to put your name on a sports team, on a side of a car or on a charity event,” Habul said. “The more we do, the more that the general consensus swings our way. The more we spread the word, the better for the industry.”
Luiz Prado says
I think Kelly is great!