“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world” - Nelson Mandela

Gone are the days of flashing headlines and flamboyant offers. Traditional renewable resource marketing is dead, banner blindness is real and renewable resource consumers are smart. It’s time to make a change to your inbound marketing approach.

The solar industry is unique and holds specific challenges that other industries don’t. The main point? Renewable energy is an investment, not a consumer good.

But yet, most companies are still selling their services and products like everyone else. They’re crafting ‘deals’, giving discounts, and packaging it with a bow-tie. Honestly, there is no need.

Most people would switch to solar if they knew the benefits of doing so. After all, who wouldn’t want to see an ROI that typically supases other common investments like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds?

The solar energy ROI facts:

• The average homeowner in the United States sees an 15% ROI over the warranty lifetime of their solar panels.

• The 3 most populated states: California, New York, and Texas, see a payback in their solar system is just 9,7, and 12 years respectively.

Source (https://solarpowerrocks.com/)

• What about your region?

Take home message - ROI on renewables is big… but this is just the start.

Gadgets like solar powered cars, solar chargers, solar tents and fabrics - all posses reasons to attract investors beyond just the ROI. They look great, they’re smart, and simple.

Thus, the goal of marketing for solar energy should be about consumer education. You don’t need to sell to them, just teach them about your solution and how it will help them. They can make the obvious choice for themselves.

And really, - it’s only after the education process is done that the solar sales will start to happen.

As the solar energy contractor I talked to last week said, “I spend the first half hour of every conversation just teaching the homeowner about solar energy.”

To all solar contractors and solar company owners - there is an easier way.

How to reach and educate solar consumers

This is where we hear some really funny answers - stuff like printing flyers, running paper ads, and sending letter mail. Look, let’s not cut down any more trees here.

We are in the 21st century, there is something called digital marketing.

Not the digital marketing marketing you know, the digital marketing that educates. Don’t ask for consultations, don’t make offers, don’t give deals - just teach consumers about your industry, what you do, and how you can help them.

One really good way to do it:

Educate consumers by providing them with PDF’s: ‘The Solar Home Buyer Guide’, ‘SREC FAQ’s’, ‘Renewable Resources - What You Need To Know’, or ‘Save Money by Saving The Environment’.

Then…

Simply take these resources, put them in front of consumers using your favourite platform like Facebook or Pinterest, and let the sales come to you.

The psychology behind educational marketing

Educational marketing is based off of what Solar Sell Marketing calls ‘click psychology’.

It’s about adding value to consumers in exchange for trust, contact information, and permission to build a relationship.

People automatically trust people who add value to them, and it greatly increases the chance that they will buy from you in the future. In fact, 81% of consumers will research online before buying their solar system anyway.

Plus, the majority of these people will buy from the first source they learn from.

With educational digital solar marketing, you give yourself the opportunity to teach consumers about your renewable energy solution, answer questions and heal pains they didn’t even know they had, PLUS you build a relationship with them on autopilot.

Want to see a boost in your solar sales? Want to change the world through solar energy? Want to be a part of the largest wealth transfer in human history?

Then start educating your clients. Your bottom line will love you for it.

You can read our complete solar marketing strategy guide to for more information about how to boost your bottom line.

Education is truly the best approach for marketing in the solar energy industry.

By line: Rylan Urban is the Head of Marketing and User Experience at Solar Sell Marketing (http://solarsellmarketing.com)