Once you decide on how to start a solar business, how you get the word out about it is the next step.
There are many traditional means of advertising, but these can be costly.
When starting a business, many people find themselves with more time than cash.
While some of these ideas do take some green, others can spread the word about your green business without costing you too much at the outset.
1.
Offer something for free.
There is something about free gifts, discounts and specials that makes almost any deal look even better.
These tactics may reduce your profits slightly, but they require very little cash to be spent on your part.
So what can you offer for free? Installation is a great place to start.
Offering free installation as part of a larger purchase package is a good way to get your foot in the door with a particular customer.
If you do a good job, it can also be a way to get free word of mouth marketing.
2.
Teach a free class or become a part-time teacher at a local institution.
The latter of these is less likely, but if you have the credentials and connections, you might even find yourself getting paid to promote yourself.
Even without the right background or network to find a paid teaching job, you can offer to educate the public for free through workshops or seminars.
Be sure to offer a balanced view of other available companies providing solar.
How you build trust as a public speaker is to put your listeners' needs ahead of your own marketing efforts.
Your workshops should concentrate on solar in general, not on your particular business.
3.
Educate people on the benefits of solar power.
There are so many reasons to buy solar, so one of the key strategies here is to understand what a particular potential customer wants out of a solar power solution.
Do they care a great deal about the environment? If so, explain the benefits in real, numeric terms.
Provide analogies and examples that support and augment your claims.
Help them to see the ways in which they will help the planet.
Are they looking to save money by using solar power? If so, again use real data on cost savings to explain both long and short term how they will benefit financially from using solar power.
Explore with them the potential tax credits or benefits they can get by choosing solar.
Make sure to explain that the longer they have solar power, the more they will save as well.
This is particularly true now that energy costs are continuing to rise with no end in sight.
4.
Post comments and articles on forums and blogs.
Many early adopters and tech-savvy individuals can be found on the Internet in forums and on blogs.
Tapping into this critical market can help you build a broader network within the industry and with potential clients.
Be sure to provide well-rounded and informative opinions when posting to a forum or leaving a comment on a blog, but don't be afraid to state clearly that you have something to sell.
If you choose to start a blog yourself, target it broadly.
Cast a wide net and don't simply try to sell your product.
You have to build a reader's trust in your abilities and expertise before you can expect them to want to do business with you.
Provide solar how to articles and other valuable information.
This list is naturally not exhaustive.
When it comes to marketing solar, how you reach customers is up to you.
You can post fliers, pay for advertisements, network offline within the business community and so on.
When you're starting out, it's helpful to use cost-effective marketing methods.
Work on building up a customer base and attracting recurrent sales.
You'll get more business this way with no further marketing investment.
There are many traditional means of advertising, but these can be costly.
When starting a business, many people find themselves with more time than cash.
While some of these ideas do take some green, others can spread the word about your green business without costing you too much at the outset.
1.
Offer something for free.
There is something about free gifts, discounts and specials that makes almost any deal look even better.
These tactics may reduce your profits slightly, but they require very little cash to be spent on your part.
So what can you offer for free? Installation is a great place to start.
Offering free installation as part of a larger purchase package is a good way to get your foot in the door with a particular customer.
If you do a good job, it can also be a way to get free word of mouth marketing.
2.
Teach a free class or become a part-time teacher at a local institution.
The latter of these is less likely, but if you have the credentials and connections, you might even find yourself getting paid to promote yourself.
Even without the right background or network to find a paid teaching job, you can offer to educate the public for free through workshops or seminars.
Be sure to offer a balanced view of other available companies providing solar.
How you build trust as a public speaker is to put your listeners' needs ahead of your own marketing efforts.
Your workshops should concentrate on solar in general, not on your particular business.
3.
Educate people on the benefits of solar power.
There are so many reasons to buy solar, so one of the key strategies here is to understand what a particular potential customer wants out of a solar power solution.
Do they care a great deal about the environment? If so, explain the benefits in real, numeric terms.
Provide analogies and examples that support and augment your claims.
Help them to see the ways in which they will help the planet.
Are they looking to save money by using solar power? If so, again use real data on cost savings to explain both long and short term how they will benefit financially from using solar power.
Explore with them the potential tax credits or benefits they can get by choosing solar.
Make sure to explain that the longer they have solar power, the more they will save as well.
This is particularly true now that energy costs are continuing to rise with no end in sight.
4.
Post comments and articles on forums and blogs.
Many early adopters and tech-savvy individuals can be found on the Internet in forums and on blogs.
Tapping into this critical market can help you build a broader network within the industry and with potential clients.
Be sure to provide well-rounded and informative opinions when posting to a forum or leaving a comment on a blog, but don't be afraid to state clearly that you have something to sell.
If you choose to start a blog yourself, target it broadly.
Cast a wide net and don't simply try to sell your product.
You have to build a reader's trust in your abilities and expertise before you can expect them to want to do business with you.
Provide solar how to articles and other valuable information.
This list is naturally not exhaustive.
When it comes to marketing solar, how you reach customers is up to you.
You can post fliers, pay for advertisements, network offline within the business community and so on.
When you're starting out, it's helpful to use cost-effective marketing methods.
Work on building up a customer base and attracting recurrent sales.
You'll get more business this way with no further marketing investment.
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