FAQ About Solar Panels

In marketing it's important to keep in mind the simple phrase KISS - Keep It Simple, Stupid; consumers don't want to be confused with complicated features of your product or services.  With that said it is very important to make sure you follow the rule of KISS, is especially with  marketing an innovative product with heavy jargon like solar panels.

Below are listed ten frequently asked questions among customers, who are interested in purchasing solar panels. Each question is answered in a short video that is both easy to understand and straightforward. 

How do you know what questions your consumers have? Have your employees keep track of the questions they get asked on a daily bias by interested customers. Post the  videos pertaining to these questions either on a social media accounts or on a company website.  This will give your potential customers an easy way to access this information without going through the hassle of reading through confusing text. 

Also, try to keep short your answers , simple, and direct to avoid confusion among your prospects. Allow me to further explain. In this fast paced world we live in today we want information to be short and sweet. In today's society everything is shorten into Twitters expectations of 140 characters. Create simple words and grammar to explain complicated terms with less words.

Research shows that marketers have 10 seconds to capture viewer’s attention and leave a lasting impression. Therefore, visual aids could be the answer to this problem. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Inserting impactful pictures and short videos as seen below are ways to get your point across in less time. The sun is a beautiful thing, embrace its beauty. 

Simplicity in the field of marketing is essential.  Whenever you enter into a new marketing campaign think of KISS. Once you have grasped this concept you will truly understand and live by the meaning that "Less is More." 

1.) Which solar panels are the best?

2.) How much does solar power cost?

3.) Will solar power change my gas bill or just the electric bill?

4.) How much will solar save me if I put it on my house?

5.) What is the difference between a kilowatt and a kilowatt-hour?

6.) Do I need to replace my roof before I put solar power on my house?

7.) Can I buy solar panels and put them up myself? (DIY Solar)

8.) Why do you need my electricity usage to design a solar system for my house?

9.) How does the ownership of a solar power system work on a house?

10.) Where is pay-as-you-go solar, like a lease or a PPA, available?

Insight on Effective Marketing Tips for Solar Energy

 

The 2013 Green Tech Media Solar Summit Conference provided great insight on marketing strategies from marketing professionals in the solar industry. The conference set up presentations and a panel of marketing experts to discuss what improvements and changes the solar market needs to make.  The following topics were the panel’s main focus of conversation; global solar market in 2014, PV modules: cost, technologies and market strategies, inverters and balance of systems, emerging solar markets, and the U.S. solar market.

Video streaming by Ustream

Helena Kimball, head of marketing at Yingli Solar (YGE) represented for the company. The Chinese marketer of solar panels is among the world’s largest solar provider. They didn’t enter the U.S. market until 2009. Kimball explains that the breakthrough was the companies’ sponsorship of the 2010 World Cup. Although China did not participate in this year’s World Cup however, Yingli Solar did become the first renewable energy and the first Chinese company in history to sponsor the FIFA World Cup. Kimball explains how “it really created a catalyst for other companies (in the solar industry) to launch into sport marketing.”

Kimball also touched on the importance of giving back to the community through corporate social responsibility. She words, “Low income families who weren't able to go solar.”  She further explains that “Solar at that time (2010) was only accessible for middle or upper class Americans.” Yingli Solar made a strategic partnership with GRID Alternatives, a nonprofit solar installer whose mission is to empower communities. The two companies worked together to install one megawatt of solar energy systems for 1,000 low-income families. These solar energy systems will generate $10 million worth of renewable energy over their lifespan, while eliminating 40,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. GRID Alternatives has now been named one of the fastest growing residential installers. 

SolarCity's Jonathan Bass spoke for the company and was asked if there will be any changes from 2013 compared to the past years in SolarCity’s marketing? His response to the questions was “the demographics for solar are changing a little bit. Solar is growing much faster in lower middle income than it is in upper class homes.” Bass noted the younger generation demographics are coming into play in terms of the market because of the explosion of social media among solar industries.

Danny Kennedy of Sungevity says his companies’ success has to do with customer satisfaction which led to 70% referrals to Sungevity. In Australia there has been an increase to its base of now a total of 1 million solar homes which counts for 10% of Australia’s population. Kennedy states “how they did that scaling was through word-of-mouth.”  The “solar snowball” is also a key component which he explains is the mass benefit people have received and have been touched by solar. Sungevity customer service team motto “shine from the inside out” is what Kennedy says is the reason for their good reputation for service business and customer satisfaction.

Misty Benham, Head of Operations and Marketing at REC Solar, explains that with the solar industries record losses there is multiple ways to scale the market of your consumers. Two ways she mentioned were the shotgun approach and the sniper approach. In the perspective of marketing the shotgun approach, is more of the traditional marketing strategy, where a promotional campaign for products or services targets a large area and population. Some of these strategies include paying for advertisements on popular televised events, buying ad space across multiple websites, and sending out mass mailings and emails. Sniper marketing is a non-traditional marketing technique in which a campaign is designed to increase brand awareness, initiate trial or purchase and strengthen brand loyalty. In the sniper approach, campaign strategies and promotions are based on the understanding perception of the target audience. Benham states that Rec Americas are using the sniper approach to maximize on their dollar through return on market spending. She emphasizes that business-to-business marketing is changing as the industry evolve and that partnerships are more important than print ads.

Light Up The World: Social Responsibility

LIGHT Up The World: Social Responsibility 

Many companies have found success by using both business metrics and social missions as their main strategy such as American companies like Tom’s Shoes and Timberland. MPowerD is a start-up company looking to light up the world by helping end energy poverty around the world. They designed an affordable solar panel lantern called Luci. Luci is compact, light weight, waterproof, and provides 12 hours of light after charging 5-6 hours in the sun. The portable light can hold its charge for a total of 3 months.The target market for MPowerD is large because of the wide variety of uses, such as military, recreational campers, in the aftermath of a natural disaster and the primary source of light in third world countries just to name a few.

The CEO and co-founder of MPowerD Jacques-Philippe Piverger believes the experience of his team combined with his product's design gives him a competitive edge because of its design and usefulness among multiple platforms. He explains that his market base consumers could be either or from the developing world or a developed market, because of its beautiful design and usefulness.

Some marketers question the long term effectiveness of social responsibly. The product needs to have a basic assumption on which prevention concept based. In 2012, MPowerD incorporated their idea called “solar justice,” of helping people around the world in providing light. They implemented their model buy-one-give-one, every time they sell a Luci in the US at $14.95, they will send one to someone in the developing world for free through one of their non-governmental organization (NGO) partners.

Although Piverger has experience with working in the financial investments field for over a decade, his inspiration for the start-up company came from his desire to be more involved in philanthropic projects throughout the world. One  the program he began was an organizational project called “Light Up the World” that  supports communities like New Jersey and New York post hurricane Sandy. Last year along the project donated a total of 1,0000 portable lights.  

In a CNBC interview Piverger . "In the U.S. for example we have gone from zero to 60 retailers in the last six months,".  His company has already sold more than 100,000 lights with back orders for 100,000 more.  The CNBC Power Pitch panelists questioned Piverger on  how MPowerD would access potential customers in in the world’s most remote markets. Piverger response was that along with governments and NGOs, companies in the private sector who plan on marketing this product,  have helped penetrate Luci’s reach to remote corners of the earth.

MpowerD has already planning on making  the Luci available in the UK, Europe and Australia.  Along with expanding  their product into new countries they are going to modify the product to make it out of biodegradable plastic. They also want to launch more MPowerD products such as a solar-powered light that charges smartphones and recyclable materials that store energy are on the cards.

Bright Sun, Bright Future for the Worlds First Solar Airplane

Bright Sun, Bright Future for the Worlds First Solar Airplane

Photo Taken By Gregory Blatt

The company Solar Impulse has created the first solar airplane capable of flying day and night, rain or shine, without using a drop of fuel. There was excitement among Americans when the company hosted its Across America tour using their original solar airplane. The Across America tour not only inspired people in the solar or aviation fields but it also caught the eyes of influential masterminds of the tech world. Larry Page, CEO and co-founder of Google decided on an official partnership with Solar Impulse’s Internet Technology Partner.

 Google will help enhance Solar Impulse’s social media presence and promote their goal in using only solar power to fly around the entire world. They will provide Solar Impulse its abundant amount of social media resources such as YouTube, Google Glass, Google Earth, Google Hangouts, and Google+ to improve its communication with its online presence and create attention among the company’s support base fans and followers. According to reports the ideal social media channel will be Google+ and the usage of Google Hangouts in live broadcasts during flights will bring the public closer to the pilots. 

 Dr. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg, Co-Founders of Solar Impulse said;

“This partnership is a unique occasion to promote mutually shared values like pioneering spirit, innovation, engineering excellence and clean technologies allowing to [us] protect natural resources. With Google on board, our reach with the public, younger generations, media and political and business decision makers will be significantly enhanced.”

The first nonstop solar-powered flight around the world is being planned for 2015.The company’s future looks as bright as the sun with their new partnership with world’s biggest internet powerhouse.

Question: Would you install residential solar panels?

After reading last weeks blog on "Top Reasons to Invest in Solar Panels" I would like your opinion as readers. Please answer the follow question below. Would you install residential solar panels?

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