Important: This article is a part of our lead generation guide for home services, where we cover the most profitable lead generation opportunities in construction, roofing, cleaning, HVAC, painting, plumbing, moving, construction, and some other avenues. Check it out to learn more about how to get high-intent leads for home services in the United States.
In the second-biggest solar market – only China is ahead of the United States in the total PV capacity – generating solar leads is an idea that comes naturally, even to businesses on the market’s periphery or not related to solar directly.
And why not? Generating solar leads is potentially extremely profitable.
Solar is growing with an incredible 24% CAGR in the United States, accounting for 45% of new electric power capacity additions. Whether you are a solar panel manufacturer, installer, consultant, or real estate developer, the right solar lead generation strategy can get you tons of high-intent customers – you only need to find out what exactly this winning strategy is.
And this is what I’d like to help you with.
In this all-encompassing guide, I’ll cover solar lead generation through and through so you can confidently adopt free and paid solar lead gen strategies that fit your business case. Buckle up – you’re just a few paragraphs away from knowing how to generate solar leads online in bulk.
Let’s put things in context so you can understand possible lead generation scenarios in the first place (the next few paragraphs easily apply to other lead generation avenues, not just solar leads).
So, you can get solar leads – and any other leads, for that matter – in three principal ways:
Every existing lead generation strategy falls into one of the mentioned categories.
Here’s a quick overview of these three major solar lead generation strategies:
| Earned Media | Growing your online presence is a great long-term strategy that, alas, works immediately only if you’re an established brand. For smaller companies, though, it may take considerable time and effort before their content can generate solar leads. This is why many aspiring solar businesses refer to paid advertising or buy solar leads from lead generation companies. |
| Paid Advertising | Paid advertising allows you to quickly tap into the stream of solar leads, but it’s quite short-lived (customers are there only until ads are there) and requires a budget and almost as much knowledge as organic solar lead generation. That said, solar businesses of all scales actively use paid advertising to acquire customers. |
| Lead Generators | Buying solar leads is immediate: you get solar leads you’ve paid for, choosing the target demographic and purchase intent level. On the other hand, buying solar leads always means considerable expenses, so you must have a decent conversion rate to make profits. |
Combining all three lead generation strategies is usually the best choice, allowing you to diversify risks and acquire solar leads from different traffic sources. For now, though, you still lack information to make a well-grounded choice.
And it’s fine. You will grow confident as you read this guide.
Let’s explore the three solar lead generation strategies in detail, starting from organic lead generation using earned media.
If you want to get solar leads for free – a tempting idea for every solar business – you can generate them using earned media, with the audience reach being the most important (the bigger your traffic channel, the more customers you can acquire).
Here are the 5 major free traffic channels for solar leads:
Before I dig into each of these channels, allow me to mention the common challenges you may have to overcome before you can generate solar leads sustainably, free or paid:
| Geography | Locations with different amounts of sunlight have different solar lead generation potential, even though solar panels don’t need direct sunlight to operate. It’s always a good idea to compare the sunshine hours for the states in question before taking action. |
| Competition | The competition in the solar market is extremely tough in some states and inviting in other states, so it’s worth factoring it in before targeting specific geography. For example, California is the absolute leader in residential solar systems, having seven times more installations than the runner-up state of Arizona. |
| Legal | Different states have different solar energy standards, tax policies, and incentives, shaping the demand for solar panels. If you want to target several states at once, you need to understand the solar regulations of every state in question. |
And now to traffic channels for organic solar leads.
High-quality content – spearheaded by a unique selling proposition – is your number one weapon in generating free solar leads. Not only does it help generate organic leads, but it also serves as a solid ground for paid advertising if you decide to go for it.
To come up with such content, you must address the key aspects of content marketing:
More on these below.
To create impactful content that reaches the right solar lead at the right time, you need to define your ideal buyer personas. Geographic, demographic, and behavioral segmentation will help you understand your customers and what content they crave.
Here’s how to track your website visitors to learn more about them.
For example, homeowners living in rural areas will likely prefer larger, ground-mounted solar panels, whereas those from downtowns of big cities will likely be looking for solutions that fit a limited space and comply with building regulations.
Here are examples of buyer personas:
Here’s how you can step up your solar lead segmentation with HitMetrix:
When crafting a unique selling proposition, think about what makes you better than the competition: is it advanced technology, quick installation, unmatched durability, affordable prices, or flawless feedback? Play to your strengths.
Here are a few USP examples for various buyer personas:
You can make your USP more attractive with statistics, properties, or achievements that back up your statement. And yes, always live up to your promises if you want to sustain your business in the long run.
Accurate segmentation and a well-crafted UPS can make your content shine, but it won’t mean anything until potential customers find it on the web.
Nothing will boost your search engine ranking as much as proper SEO practices:
It goes without saying that your website should be well-structured, mobile-friendly, load quickly, and – no less importantly – optimized for short-tail and long-tail keywords.
Take, for example, the most popular keyword on the topic – solar panels:
As you can see, the volume is there – 117,000 requests per month in the United States alone is a huge market – but the keyword difficulty makes it extremely hard, if not impossible, to rank in the top 10 for companies with small online presence.
Now take a look at the goldmine of a keyword for companies selling used solar panels:
According to Ahrefs, the “used solar panels” keyword has low competition and trending volume. If you sell used solar panels, even if it’s only a small fraction of your products, it would be unheard of not to capitalize on this keyword.
Solar energy might not be a fit as good for SMM as, for example, fashion, food, or entertainment, but the right SMM strategy can grant you some solar leads all the same and also boost your search rankings.
Here are the 7 most popular social media platforms for solar lead generation:
| With around 3 billion active monthly users, Facebook is an unambiguous leader in solar lead generation when it comes to audience reach and diversity. The platform is a middle ground between business-focused LinkedIn and more easygoing Instagram or TikTok, with solar panel seekers of diverse demographics and psychographics. | |
| The unanimous leader in B2B solar lead generation, LinkedIn unites thousands of solar enthusiasts and millions of professionals from related industries. One effective way to generate solar leads on LinkedIn would be to cater to a knowledgeable audience: in-depth research, case studies, profound guides, and unique market insights can drive tons of high-intent, solvent individual leads to your business and enable potent business partnerships. | |
| Instagram is where you can unleash your creative potential to the fullest, for example, by showcasing real-life solar panel installation, manufacturing, or maintenance processes. You can go even further and interview your employees and customers about how it feels to be a part of your brand and the experience with particular solar products. | |
| Pinterest is a digital scrapbook that you can use to share ideas, inspiration, and tips regarding solar energy. Pinterest is one of the few social media networks where females dominate by a clear margin – around 76% of Pinterest users are females – which you can leverage when advertising your solar products. | |
| YouTube | YouTube can become your library of educational content, solar panel showcases, and customer testimonials. You can collaborate with other YouTubers and organize live shows to increase your reach and make it fun and personal for your leads while nurturing them. |
| X(Twitter) | The former Twitter can become your X factor in capitalizing on trends and news, especially if you are open to personal engagement with potential solar customers. |
| TikTok | TikTok allows you to tap into younger audiences and create fun video content. If TikTok continues growing – and its audience ages a bit – it has every chance to become one of the best solar lead sources. |
Overall, social media marketing for solar leads is very similar to SMM for other traditional industries like insurance or real estate. None of these industries is a good fit for social media marketing, but you can make it work by posting compelling content at the right time for the right audience and engaging in personal communication.
Example of generating solar leads on Facebook:
As the winter (spring, summer, or autumn) knocks on the door, you might want to explain to potential solar panel owners why NOW is the best time to switch to solar. The idea is that it usually takes several months to get a solar system installed, inspected, and powered up against the utility. On top of that, solar incentives won’t last forever.
Example of generating solar leads on LinkedIn:
The most knowledgeable B2B and B2C audiences appreciate in-depth case studies and data-backed information on specific solar solutions. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – just post your most informative content pieces.
Example of generating solar leads on Instagram:
Even if you don’t use groundbreaking technologies in your solar panels, spreading solar awareness can definitely win you some solar panel buyers. Solar energy is developing at breakneck speed, so there’s always some new tech to build your content around.
Example of generating free solar leads on Pinterest:
Sharing creative ideas via educational infographics is a great strategy to generate solar leads on Pinterest. As is in the example, you can make some basic solar energy calculations for several groups of solar leads and represent them in a visually appealing way.
Example of generating free solar leads on YouTube:
YouTube is the platform where you can elaborate on every aspect of solar energy and even conduct field studies in real-time. The more expertise you have, the bigger the room for creating content that will resonate with solar buyers.
Example of generating free solar leads on X:
Known for short informative messages, Twitter can become a powerful magnet for customers looking for solar news, trends, updates, and how companies react to the mentioned. Speaking of trends, you might be interested in the trends that will shape lead gen in the next few years.
Example of generating free solar leads on TikTok:
@future_explored Where would you put one of these? #futuretech #ecofriendly #sustainability #solar #tech #technology #ecotok ♬ original sound – Future Explored
TikTok is home to the most amazing content you can find online, and solar energy is no exception. Younger audiences are harder to impress with facts and hard data, but the right emotional appeal can do wonders.
Email marketing seems to be a natural fit for the solar industry, and rightfully so. The numbers don’t lie: half the marketing professionals doubled their email marketing profits in just one year, with 12% generating four times more profits.
Here are some of the emails you can use to get free solar leads:
Here are some drip email examples based on the user’s action:
| Action | Email To Send |
| Sign-up | Welcome email with a brief company overview and what to expect from your emails |
| Guide or app download | Follow-up email with detailed information on the downloaded materials, including specific suggestions for the subscriber |
| Pricing page visit | Engagement email with highlights on why purchasing your solar panels is cost-effective and a special offer – for example, a discount – for this very lead |
| Lack of engagement | Re-engagement email that reflects the last engagement. For example, if the user abandoned the cart, you can offer free shipping, installation, or a discount. |
Solar Lead Generation Email Examples
| Sales Funnel Stage | Email Example |
| Awareness | Subject Line: Change the Future with Solar Hello, Jane, Wonder whether going solar will pay off? Here are some key advantages:
Uncover more fascinating facts about solar panels in our beginner’s guide. Best Regards, Mike Hughes Solar Solutions |
| Consideration | Subject Line: Debunking Egregious Solar Myths Hi Matthew, Here are some of the most discouraging myths about solar panels:
Lack confidence in solar energy? Give us a call or schedule a free consultation. Best Regards, Linda Johnson Infinity Solar |
| Decision | Subject Line: Get a 20% Discount to Switch to Solar Dear Edwin, You’re one step away from changing your life and making a huge environmental impact. Here’s our exclusive deal to boost your confidence:
Claim this special offer now – join the solar movement!
Best Regards, Lillian McKinsey GreenGlow Solar |
Referral marketing has traditionally been a powerful solar lead generation instrument in both B2B and B2C, and it doesn’t require much effort in the long run. You only need to create an attractive referral program and promote it across your media channels.
Like any other referral program, a referral program for solar leads must provide:
Here’s an example of a referral program for solar leads:
| Solar Neighbor Referral Program |
| Join our referral program to help your family, friends, and community go green, earning $350 for your first successful referral, $200 for every subsequent referral, and a $1,000 bonus for every 10 referred customers |
| How It Works |
|
| Additional Benefits |
For free promotional materials, CTAs, and more information, navigate to terms & conditions. |
In addition to generating online solar leads, you can tap into offline marketing: direct mail campaigns, local events, trade shows, workshops, partnerships with local businesses, and advertising in local media like newspapers, magazines, radio, and TV.
Face-to-face interactions with the local solar community are crucial to building trust, establishing local partnerships, and – most importantly – showing yourself as a legitimate player who is not shy about making public appearances.
I’ve only covered the first solar lead generation strategy, but you already have the basis for generating solar energy leads using paid ads.
Absolutely, and here’s why: all the solar lead generation principles for paid advertising are the same as for organic traffic, which you’ve just covered. Segmentation, customization, unique selling proposition – everything repeats, plus you must learn about paid ads and platforms.
And here’s another pleasant simplification: paid advertising for solar leads repeats all patterns of paid for any other home services leads, so I’d rather direct you to my guide to generating mortgage leads with paid ads than repeat the same information here.
Buying ready-to-convert solar leads is the path of least resistance: You “only” need to know what leads you want to buy, the price you are willing to pay for these leads, and where to get them – which is not much at all compared to massive knowledge you need to acquire to be able to generate solar leads from earned media.
It’s quite obvious how advertisers can benefit from purchasing solar leads, but have you ever heard about lead flipping? This ingenuine strategy is used by crafty affiliates who simply resell their traffic. Also known as traffic arbitrage, lead flipping requires neither marketing nor nurturing – you just have to search for advertisers ready to buy your leads at the target price.
First, it’s worth noting that there’s no universal formula stating how many leads you need and what quality these leads should be. It’s very context-dependent: businesses with strong call centers might focus on phone calls, while companies with strong re-engagement strategies might buy disengaged leads in bulk and win the numbers game by converting a fair share of them.
Here are the most popular solar leads you can find on the market:
| By Exclusivity | |
| Exclusive Leads | Exclusive solar leads are only sold to one company, so buyers can avoid competition. However, exclusive solar leads might be quite pricey, reaching $100 per lead and more. |
| Shared Leads | Shared leads are sold to several companies at the same time. The good news is that most sellers indicate how many other businesses have access to your leads so that you can estimate the competition and whether buying these leads is reasonable in the first place. The price for shared solar lead ranges from a few cents to around $10 dollars. |
| By Delivery Method | |
| Web Leads | Web leads are contacts sold to companies who then engage with them by making a phone call or online conversation. |
| Phone Call Leads | Phone calls are exclusive – the lead is only connected to one company’s sales department – and usually the most expensive. Some phone call leads may reach $200 per lead and more. |
| Email Leads | Email leads are one of the cheaper contacts that you don’t necessarily have to reach immediately. Instead, you can identify the best timing and develop automatic email sequences for different groups of leads. |
| By Freshness | |
| Real-Time Leads | Real-time leads are potential customers who are sold immediately after expressing the purchase intent, which means they convert well and are pricey. The speed of contact matters, so you should have available sales agents who can process these customers without delay. |
| Aged Leads | Aged leads are disengaged customers who were once interested in similar products. These leads might have their lowest purchase intent, but they are also the cheapest and, therefore, might be a great choice for companies with strong re-engagement strategies. |
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 3,857 | 4 | 188 | 0.44 | 43.97% | 45.17% | 0.78% | 6.51% | 0.11% | 3.46% |
Profitise is a lead marketplace and affiliate network that connects customers seeking solar and insurance products and advertisers that provide these services. With Profitise, you can create your sub-affiliate network, earning 3% of income on lower-level affiliates.
Aside from an impressive pool of solar leads, the platform provides free creative materials and access to affiliate management software.
Register with Profitise as an advertiser
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 993,270 | 3 | 120 | 0.55 | 31.44% | 65.07% | 0.16% | 2.72% | 0.07% | 0.54% |
EnergySage is the biggest shared solar marketplace in the United States, connecting solar customers with local installers. You should be a qualified solar installer to enroll in a lead generation plan from EnergySage – no traffic arbitrage there – but the market is truly gigantic.
To apply, you must have at least three years of experience installing solar PV, be licensed and insured for solar PV, and have an NABCEP certificate.
Join EnergySage as a solar installer
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 480,791 | 1 | 62 | 0.66 | 21.97% | 73.89% | 0.12% | 3.03% | 0.06% | 0.93% |
Almost as big as EnergySage, SolarReviews has generated over 300,000 solar leads and appointments in 2024, accounting for up to 40% of the sales of their biggest partners.
Here are the leads you can buy with EnergySage:
According to EnergySage, solar leads cost $25 to $300 on average, and solar appointments cost $200 to $500, but their customers can generate up to an 800% ROI for these leads. The average contact rate is around 80% for the leads you call immediately, and around 33% of leads convert into appointments.
Join EnergySage as an advertiser
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 8,325 | 2 | 100 | 0.54 | 49.22% | 28.43% | 0.45% | 6.00% | 0.07% | 15.82% |
SolarExclusive is a nationwide solar lead generator that has already provided over 3 million leads to over 3,500 companies in 43 states. All leads are qualified, which means they have a minimum $1,000 electric bill and are verified with the advertiser.
The main feature of SolarExclusive is that they generate leads from YouTube – unlike more common Facebook ad leads – using their unique experience and expertise.
Buy solar appointments with SolarExclusive
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 5,306 | 2 | 53 | 0.42 | 51.28% | 37.20% | 0.55% | 6.75% | 0.09% | 4.03% |
RGR Marketing is a company that generates solar, home improvement, and mortgage leads, with the following details unlocked for advertisers: lead’s first & last name, address, phone number, email, electricity provider, home ownership, and monthly utility bill.
As a newly registered member, you can get up to 10% free solar leads on your first order.
Register with RGR Marketing to start buying solar leads
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 1,109 | 2 | 53 | 0.57 | 32.19% | 53.06% | 0.54% | 5.36% | 0.04% | 8.81% |
Clean Energy Experts is a lead generator that can deliver over 45,000 phone-verified leads annually across the United States with no extra fees. The leads are provided in real-time, retaining their full conversion potential.
Clear Energy Experts generate leads with SEO, SEM, social media, and call centers. Next, those interested in getting a solar quote are sold to a matching advertiser right into their CRM system or via live transfer.
Register with Clean Energy Experts to buy solar leads
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 757 | 2 | 36 | 0.41 | 35.66% | 45.65% | 0.87% | 12.20% | 0.20% | 4.22% |
SolarLeadSpot is an online marketing agency that generates high-quality solar leads and appointments for solar installers. Even though this platform is less popular than most other agencies on the list, it generates millions of dollars in sales for dozens of solar companies annually.
The leads are sources from cold email campaigns, advertising, sales pages, surveys, and engaging copies, with the lead gen process being automated and overseen. As an advertiser with SolarLeadSpot, you get your own Solar Sales CRM system to manage your leads and sales.
Speed-wise, the first leads will come within the 24 hours since the campaign launch, and typically, it takes around 48 hours to set up and approve a lead generation campaign. As for the appointments, they are more individual – you have to specify your requirements in detail – yet they can be added directly to your calendar.
Buy Solar Energy Leads with SolarLeadSpot
| Monthly Visits | Page Per Visit | Time On Site | Bounce Rate | Direct Traffic | Search Traffic | Paid Referral Traffic | Referral Traffic | Mail Traffic | Social Traffic |
| 517 | 1 | 0 | 0.42 | 7.31% | 80.63% | 0.53% | 4.82% | 0.04% | 6.67% |
Clean Energy Group is a commercial solar lead generator that offers vetted exclusive appointments in any quantity. With over 1,000 satisfied clients and 2,000 successful campaigns, Clean Energy Group might be one of the most trusted global B2B solar lead sources, providing commercial leads ranging from 20kW to 12MW.
The lead generator sieves through big data to accurately identify the potential customer’s intent level and quality. All leads are genuinely commercial, and you can pre-book them into your calendar or CRM system.
Request commercial solar leads with Clean Energy Group
Whether you generate leads from earned media, paid advertising, or buy solar leads, you can grow your business much faster if you automate your solar lead acquisition and management with a comprehensive software suite from Phonexa.
Uniting eight proprietary lead management solutions, Phonexa’s software suite covers lead generation, distribution, conversion, and analytics from top to bottom at a laughable $100 per month. Everything is under one roof, and you don’t need to juggle systems or providers.
Get your game-changing lead gen software suite now, or schedule a free consultation to learn more.
Solar leads are potential customers who have confirmed their interest in solar products and services by filling out a contact form, attending a webinar, visiting a local showroom, or engaging with marketing materials (marketing-qualified leads) in any other way.If a marketing-qualified lead is also qualified by a sales team for a follow-up (for example, a sales call), it becomes a sales-qualified lead. Sales-qualified leads are typically contacted via phone calls, personalized emails, or text messages.
There are three ways to generate solar leads online: generate free solar leads using your owned online traffic channels (your website, blog, or social media accounts), generate paid solar leads using paid advertising (Facebook Ads, LinkedIn Ads, etc.), or buy solar leads from a lead generation company.
You can get more solar leads in several ways, depending on your solar lead generation strategy:
Here’s how you can buy solar leads in three steps:
Buying solar leads will ensure an uninterrupted influx of high-intent customers, but you must have a great follow-up to convert these leads to stay profitable.
While SMS marketing isn’t the most rapidly developing marketing avenue, growing only at about 2%…
Disclaimer: The articles and contents of this website are provided for informational purposes only and…
If you think SMS marketing is something from the 2000s, you can’t be more wrong:…
This article expands on the feature comparison between RCS and SMS, with revised information to…
Our latest feature releases bring valuable upgrades to the Phonexa Suite, giving you more powerful…
Disclaimer: The articles and contents of this website are provided for informational purposes only and…