How to Market Renewable Energy to Customers and Businesses 

How big is the renewable energy market? Renewable energy is on track to be the largest source of electricity generation over the next 25 years in the United States. 

As the industry grows, refine your marketing strategy to stay ahead. 

This guide has tips on renewable energy branding and digital marketing for solar, wind, and other clean energy companies. Let’s dive in!

Is There a Market for Renewable Energy?

Already, renewable energy rivals coal and natural gas as a power source. Investors and clean energy experts anticipate wind and solar production will loom largest in the next wave of market growth.  

Owner satisfaction with residential solar power systems, affordable maintenance, and the desire for energy independence drive consumer interest.  

Tax programs are inducing broad adoption of green technology and renewable energy in every sector. Industrial and commercial demand is rising as companies look to shave utility expenses and meet sustainability pledges. 

Utility-scale power providers are phasing out coal, adapting to decentralization trends, and gaining profits as the cost of generating renewable falls. In addition to wind and solar, there’s new investment in biomass and biofuel resources; interest in revitalization of hydropower; and sustained capacity in geothermal power.

An unprecedented renewable energy market boom is ahead – is your multi-channel marketing keeping up? 

What is Renewable Energy Marketing? 

Renewable energy marketing includes search engine optimization; branding to differentiate a product or service; and tailored communications to customers through social media and other channels. Marketing incorporates research on consumer behavior and green energy industry trends, along with advertising and content strategy.

Renewable Energy Branding

Your brand communicates more than the types of products and services you sell.

A logo, color palette, and slogan are just one layer. Branding can invoke feelings like nostalgia, instill trust, or bring humor or inspiration.

Think of your brand as you would a good friend. You know their tone of voice, their history, their unique personality, and they make those around them feel. Building a brand brings to life an identity for your business.

Effective branding stands out from the competition. Communicate in clear and interesting terms about your renewable energy product niche or why your service is different. Identify how you address gaps in the clean energy market. 

Consider how you want your customers to remember your brand. Let this distinctive personality flow through your website, packaging, and all customer material and communication.         

Once you’ve identified your target audience, develop a brand voice in step with that constituency. Everything you communicate – from a list of services to social media posts – should be designed and written for your target audience. 

Social Media Marketing 

Speaking of brand voice, this is the place to let it shine! 

Social media is an ongoing conversation with your audience and customers. 

Provide a range of content on every platform where your target audience spends time. Cut through the clutter on news feeds with videos or images on every post. Pair compelling imagery with concise and catchy text.

Create posts in batches ahead of time and follow a publishing calendar to ensure you have fresh content. 

Renewable energy companies can market both products and impact through social media. Use platforms like Instagram to highlight interesting aspects of your work via video and photos. Drop snippets of research and industry news on X, formerly Twitter. Highlight customer case studies and client work on Facebook.  

How To Promote Renewable Energy with Email Marketing 

Make sure your CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is capturing email contact information from your website and any other source where customers request information. Use segments in your chosen email marketing tool to initiate targeted messages. 

One segment should be new leads or contacts. Develop a welcome message designed to stoke interest. Include a quick answer to a sample question about renewable energy or your specific service, and link to your FAQs in the email. 

Create a short e-book or similar resource for free, delivered at email sign-up. Launch a newsletter offering regular tips, industry insights, product news, or client testimonials.

Keep track of unopened emails and create a series of short messages to re-pitch those users. Sometimes customers are still looking but have yet to decide. Prioritize educational content like explainers on how solar panel technology works, for example. 

Include at least one call-to-action (CTA) in your email such as “Learn More” or “Schedule a Free Consultation.” 

Maintain an email list of customers who had a consultation or quote but haven’t signed. Personalize the marketing message with relevant info on sales, incentives, and product updates. Paired with a custom note from a member of your service team, an email reminder about a pending quote can help a customer move forward.

Pay-Per-Click Ads 

With solar and wind energy market trends, renewable energy companies can experiment with or expand digital advertising, like Pay-Per-Click (PPC). These ads populate on search engine results pages (SERPs) and typically appear with tags like “Sponsored” above other websites.

The cost of PPC will depend on the competition for your keywords, whether you hire an agency to manage the ads, and which network you choose. Advertisers only pay when someone clicks on their ad. Ad space is tight – requiring text to carry impact via a headline and short description.

There are three main appeals to PPC advertising on search engines like Google: 

1. Quick to set up and get started
2. Cost-effective with budgeting control 
3. Better leads through targeted keywords and demographics 

Multiple factors can affect ROI, including the quality of the advertiser’s website landing page and the effectiveness of your keyword choices and the ad’s text. After choosing your target audience, you can set up A/B tests and use metrics to guide future ads. 

For renewable energy companies, the remarketing feature of PPC holds great potential. This lets advertisers specifically target users who have already visited their website. As customers gather research and compare products, remarketing – with a strong CTA – can be an effective lead generation strategy.

Renewable Energy Trends & Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a digital marketing must-have – especially as renewable energy consumers gain more choice due to industry growth. SEO determines how well your business ranks on search engines. A high rank means showing up on the first page of results to drive visitors and inbound links from other websites.

Both B2B buyers and residential renewable energy customers are SEO targets.

SEO and PPC are separate, but some keyword research will overlap. For example, a solar power sales company might want to bid (buy) PPC ads and compete for organic search traffic on keywords like: “how much does solar save” or “solar power cost calculator.”

Optimizing your website – through metadata and published content – will improve your SEO. Google, which is the most important in search, strongly considers the relevancy and quality of your website, and functionality like site speed as well as how your site looks on mobile devices.

In the content strategy section below, we’ll talk about the types of pages and information you can develop for your website to improve your SEO. Across your site, be sure to properly tag keyword-friendly titles and descriptions. The file name of any photo you use should include a relevant SEO keyword.

Website Design

Your website is likely to be the first impression most customers have of your business. Be sure your content and design choices are geared toward your target audience. 

Keep text on your homepage short with logically-placed CTAs, moving visitors to pages like the FAQs, a list of services, or contact information. Get creative with CTA text to make the invitation more appealing. For example, point a visitor to “subscribe” to your new products newsletter or sign up to “demo” your line of services. 

Test usability for your site on a laptop or desktop, smartphone browser, and tablet. Check for broken links, awkward navigation, and length of page.  

Point visitors to your blog content with industry news and updates, details about tax programs or rebates, and Q&As on equipment or technology.

Populate your navigation menu with the primary pages your target audience needs. For example: Products/Information, Savings Calculator, About Us, FAQs, Customer Service, and Contact Us. Nest secondary pages under relevant menu items. These might include plans/pricing information, case studies, your blog, and a staff page.

Content Strategy: How To Market Renewable Energy

Website content like blogs and explainer articles will improve your SEO, build trust with your target audience, and raise brand awareness. 

Case studies are particularly influential with decision makers. Pick a customer success story that will resonate with your target audience. For example, you can highlight a microgrid project for a large industrial client. Include specific ways you helped the customer achieve efficiencies or meet cost-saving goals with renewable energy solutions. Provide stats related to size, results, and the project timeline. 

For all consumers, content that explains how systems work can be effective. These educational articles can pull in visitors from search engines and be resources to share on social media. 

Focus each blog post on one question or topic. Streamlined articles are easier reading and the content volume on your website will boost SEO. Each headline or title is an opportunity to rank on search engine results. 

Consider posting blogs from on-staff experts with helpful tips and industry insights. Link to other credible sources of information, including pages about tax credits and financing.     

Highlight relevant data on how renewable energy can drive down expenses and improve the environment. If you have your own surveys or studies, feature this content prominently on your website and social media. Sharing data widely with industry influencers and news outlets will increase backlinks to your website. 

Analytics  

Measuring your results will let you know which types of marketing work best.

Pay close attention to your website’s bounce rate – the percentage of visitors who stay a short time. Visitors will bounce for reasons both in and out of your control. At its core, a high bounce rate means visitors decided quickly you weren’t the right fit. Not only will this cost you a lead or conversion but Google takes notice. Too high a bounce rate will hurt your SERP (search engine results page) position. 

A combination of great website design, useful content, and clear CTAs can lower your bounce rate. Based on your analytics, you may want to experiment with a new page layout, revamped landing page topics, or upgrade your site speed. 

Detailed PPC data will indicate which keywords provide the best cost-per-click ROI. Social media engagement – measured through follower count, interactions, and shares – can signal whether content is effective. Maximize your content by re-sharing the most successful posts or creating similar ones for the future. 

Email marketing data can show the best day and time to send messages. Monitor your open rates, unsubscribe numbers, and which CTA or content in the email motivated someone to click.

Analytics can and should guide marketing decisions. When you find a successful tool or platform, stick with it! Understanding how your target audience responds to marketing messages is crucial for growing your conversions. A low performance metric isn’t failure – it’s just a sign to try something else! 

Ready for the next level? We’re experts in the strategies you need to elevate your renewable energy marketing efforts. Contact Beyond Marketing today to get started!