How Do You Choose a Solar Marketing Agency?

So you want a solar marketing agency to get your more solar leads for your company, but the options are confusing and overwhelming.

So how do you choose a solar marketing agency that is going to help grow your company?

There’s not as much to consider as you would think, it all boils down to trust; trust who has your best interests in mind and who you trust to get you the results you need.

Let’s look at all the questions and considerations when searching for a solar marketing company to solve your lead generation.

What Type of Solar Marketing Do They Offer and is it What Your Company Needs?

First, you need to understand what type of solar marketing an agency is offering. This will help you define the right questions to ask in the first calls with an agency.

Are they doing ads or SEO for solar companies? Direct email or door knocking? The questions you’ll need to ask will vary depending on what strategy you’re looking to implement.

Be warned that by hiring an agency that doesn’t understand the solar industry, you could be opening yourself to potential lawsuits – like the company that was fined $6,000 for enlisting an agency that dialed someone on the “No Call List”.

Have They Got Results For Other Solar Companies?

Next, you need to be confident they can get you solar leads. So how do you do this? Well, there are a few ways to weed out the agencies that are full of it.

Do they have results for other solar companies? Forget about general results and talk in specifics. What solar companies have they worked with and what were the results they got for them?

When we say “results”, we mean qualified leads and booked jobs. We’ll touch more on defining solar marketing results soon.

If they can’t show you results for solar companies, it likely means they are guessing what is going to work. 

The solar industry is competitive, and if you don’t know what you’re doing, you’re wasting time and money.

Do They Have a Repeatable and Proven Process To Get Results?

Okay, so they have results for solar companies. What’s their proven process? What is their plan to generate you more leads?

If they fumble around with vague answers – run away. Unless they can give you a detailed “this is how we do it”, they are guessing what works.

For example, at Easy Mode Media, we have a 4 phase SEO plan that includes a free solar website design and a guarantee of results. Our process is proven and repeatable and we’re confident about it.

How Do They Measure Results From Their Solar Marketing Campaigns?

If you speak to 99% of solar SEO agencies, they will show results in keywords, rankings and traffic. In other words, metrics that don’t mean anything to your bottom line.

You need results measured in qualified solar leads and booked solar jobs. 

Can they prove to you they have a system set up to show you exactly what is working when it comes to your marketing efforts?

At Easy Mode Media, we have developed our Solar Conversion Tracking Software that shows you exactly where your leads are coming from and how they found you.

You will understand how our services are helping you drive leads – that’s the way it should be!

Do They Guarantee Results?

Not many agencies guarantee results, and there’s a good reason why they don’t – because they don’t have consistent results to prove their system works.

When we say “we guarantee you results, or your money back” we mean it. We sign a legally binding document with all our SEO clients that details our guarantee.

If we don’t make you money from your marketing investment, we’ll refund you 100%. We think that’s the way it should be.

We bet on our process every single day.

Do They Understand The Solar Industry?

99% of marketing agencies out there won’t understand the solar industry.

Get on a call with an agency and ask them what PV stands for, or what an inverter does, or what’s the difference between monofacial and bifacial solar panels.

The call will go silent because they don’t understand you and your company.

You wouldn’t hire a general handyman to hook up a solar system, so why trust a general marketing agency with your business image?

What Experience Do They Have in the Solar Industry?

If an agency can’t tell you directly what experience they have had in the solar industry, they are a generalist agency.

When starting with a marketing agency, would you rather:
A) Have them spend the first 2-4 months learning the industry, technical aspects, what customers are looking for, etc

OR

B) Work with an agency that already knows the industry back to front.

Easy Mode Media was founded by Ben McLaughlan, a qualified electrician for over a decade with direct hands on experience in the solar industry.

You won’t find expertise like that anywhere else.

How Much Do They Charge For Their Solar Marketing Services?

“We hired an agency for $1,000 a month and we didn’t get anything from it!” – Sound familiar?

There are a lot of rubbish agencies out there trying to jump on the solar industry bandwagon. They are good sales people, but don’t care about results once you’ve paid them.

You want good service for $1,000/month? How many clients would an agency need to have to be able to live and have a functional business?

The answer is lots. When agencies charge so little, they bring on more and more clients, and the service diminishes. 

Don’t fall into the trap many other solar company owners do, which is:

Buy cheap solar marketing services > Get No Results > Complain on Facebook > Look for another cheap marketing agency….

Are There Any Hidden Fees?

Many agencies will hide hidden fees in a contract. It’s slimy, but it still happens.

Before you sign anything with any agency, read it thoroughly. Does the website have maintenance costs? Are there penalties for late payments? 

Make sure you know what you’re getting yourself and your company into, because not all agencies are as transparent and open as they claim to be.

Are There Any Contracts You’ll Be Locked Into?

There are many solar company owners in a terrible situation with a marketing agency due to being locked into a contract.

Some agencies enforce it, because they are scared clients will come and go. 

That tells me their results are rubbish. If they were generating real solar leads, and we’re able to prove them to owners – no company owner would cancel out with them.

Do You Own All the Media and Resources They Create For You?

This is another contractual fine print item to look out for.

When you want to part ways with an agency, do you outright own everything they created for you?

This is slimy, but some agencies will own the rights to all media and resources at the end of a campaign. 

That’s right. Say you got an agency to build you a great-looking website, and create Solar Ads for Google or Facebook Ads for your solar company. But you wanted to stop working with them for any reason.

Some agencies will claim their rights to own the resources and pull the rug out from under your company – killing your revenue and potentially your business.

Be careful with this, because it does happen!

Do They Care About Your Bottom Line?

Finally, do they care about YOUR results? Agencies will say they care until you pay them and then you’ll never hear from them again.

This is a difficult one to gauge, because sales people can be really good. But how does it feel when you speak with them? What does your gut tell you?

If you get the feeling like it’s all empty promises and hot air – look elsewhere.

Red Flags To Watch Out For When Choosing a Marketing Agency For A Solar Company 

• No Prior Solar Marketing Experience
• Absence of Client Testimonials or Case Studies
• No Prior Solar Marketing Experience
• Not a one-size-fits-all approach
• Contract fine print

Are you tired of wasting time and money on generalist solar agencies that don’t care about you or your business?

Book in a call to speak with our founder, Ben McLaughlan, a qualified electrician of over a decade.

We can help you generate consistent and exclusive solar leads for your company – or you don’t pay!