What Some Solar Marketers Missed on Twitter Last Week: #SolarChat

On December 8th, Jeff Wolfe of groSolar and I were invited to lead a dynamic and informative marketing discussion on that thing many of you solar marketers disdain, misuse, or don’t get: Twitter.

The event was called “#SolarChat” for reasons that I’ll explain in a bit, but regardless of the name, it’s one more lead generation tool for solar marketers, number one. Number two, the session last week generated a lot of great solar marketing insights from all participants, some of which I’ll share below.

 First things first:

“What is #SolarChat?”

 #SolarChat is a twice-a-month virtual solar discussion sponsored by Raina Russo. Co-Founder of EcoOutfitters.net, a solar referral service. Raina and I have known each other through Twitter for several years and finally met at SPI last year.

The idea of #SolarChat is pretty simple once you understand a few Twitter concepts, so let me briefly go over some basics:

Putting a hashtag (#) in front of any word inside a Twitter message allows Tweeters to press on that word, say “#solar,” or in this case, ”#SolarChat” and see who’s talking about that topic now, in real time. (Note: you’ll have to scroll down to December 7th Tweets for the entire transcript, but I’m highlighting material below.)

An easy to use (free) platform called TweetGrid.com was created to turn that hashtag power into a real-time discussion forum. Raina provides a great video tutorial about how to use TweetGrid here. You can still use Twitter or any other program to follow along, but TweetGrid just organizes everything for these types of events and makes it easier to participate.

How #SolarChat Was Useful Last Week (But Really, Every Week)

So the above is the mechanics. How is it useful? Think of this platform as a live, interactive Twitter webinar or even a conference. In last week’s case, Jeff and I led a discussion on “Bringing the Awareness of Solar Energy into the Mainstream,” moderated by Raina. 

Beyond our own answers to Raina’s questions, those following the discussion on Twitter asked questions and added their own thoughts. The end result was a terrific solar marketing brainstorming session for mainly residential and small commercial installers.

Here’s a rundown of some great informative Tweets out of this hour-long session. I’ve removed the Twitter symbols and cleaned up the abbreviations so that it’s easier to read here, but keep in mind that all of these solar marketing thoughts were contained in 140 characters or less and in response to 8 questions posed by Raina. Also, every Tweet below was followed by “#SolarChat.”

Some @jeff_groSolar SolarChat Tweets:

“As an industry, must stress WHAT we’re selling. We’re selling cost savings and a better, cleaner future; not just PV panels.”

“There are still ‘Early Adopters’ switching to solar for environmental reasons. But most home/business owners do it to save money.”

“Solar’s best voices are home and business owners who have pulled the trigger and made the investment. True advocates.”

“Social media is another area that works to educate and brand, but we have found it doesn’t sell jobs.”

“Mainstreaming solar requires a cultural change, beyond the educational component. Selling cost savings trumps selling solar."

“No one wants to go first, which is why it’s so important to share success stories and testimonials from those who are solar'd,”

“Working with neighborhoods to bring special pricing creates buzz, lowers prices, creates ‘keeping up with the Jones’ mentality.”

“Group purchasing programs resulting in high volume sales = lower prices can work or fail miserably.”

“Marketing dollars spent in customer referral and spiff [sales incentive] programs work well along with staff time committed to social media efforts.”

Some @SolarFred tweets:

"[Responding to @jeff_groSolar] I think Social Media takes time. That education eventually pays off. You also have to measure and adjust."

“Think about your customer's advocacy concerns. Pets, schools, animal shelters. How can you involve solar in THEIR advocacy concerns.”

“What about other customer causes? Sponsor a little league team and bring awareness to solar through parents.” 

“I said this earlier, but I think you have to challenge skeptics (and everyone) to prove it for themselves. [Tweet 2:] That is, don't believe solar is affordable? Get a quote and find out for sure.”

“Solar-ize something. Put solar panels on something unusual and videotape it.”

“Solar Guerrilla marketing can be fun, but it has to also educate. [Tweet 2:] Don't just pull a stunt. I always say ‘Stand out AND educate.’ So whatever that means to you. Flash mobs, funny ad, or radio ad. Just take some risks.”

“Tell your stories in a blog, on Twitter, and on Facebook. Celebrate your clients going solar in all ways. [Later Tweet:] I think you have to pick your social networks, mainly blogging, Twitter, and Facebook for residential and go for it. Own it.”

“Celebrities, the press. PR works if you get people to show how solar works and that it's positive. [Later Tweet:] Think local celebrities. Your mayor, your business leaders. People who like people. Those are the ones to target. They lead.”

“I think webinars can be hit and miss. They can be a little too ‘removed.’”

“[Responding to @streamlinesolar] I LOVE solar parties. Buy your new clients a pizza party. Make it fun and educate them and their friends.”

Other great crowd sourcing marketing-related Tweets:

@heatspring: “We finished an alumni survey. Many are having a difficult time switching their marketing to mass market people from early adopters."

@EcoOutfitters:  [Responding to @neslusa] "Yup!Advocacy does take up a good chunk of our day. It’s a balance that is not easy, but necessary! [Later Tweet:] We are strong believers in putting your money where your mouth is. Advocacy is critical for #solar success!”

@GoodGreenGuru: “Sponsor a sustainability or green fair - there's a lot of interest in those and they draw quite a few people."

@AZSmartPower: [Responding to @EcoOutfitters] “We love sharing pics of energy bills before and after solar on our Facebook page.”

@SolarCoach: “Blogging is a great way to address skeptics & clarify things. I love my Solar Coach Corner column twurl.nl/ax0v7k.” @streamlinesolar added: “Blogs can make you an expert in field.” @SolagexAmerica added: “Content, Content, Content - a great way to educate.”

@streamlinesolar: “Honestly, the power of Social Media is huge and a great way to attract more engagers. i.e. look at the reach of this chat.”

@brian_mahar: "2011 Solar Barometer shows cost is biggest consumer concern, then reliability, uncertainty, aesthetics seia.org/cs/news_detail."

@neslusa: “We try to use and espouse the phrase #SolarSimplified in our marketing efforts... it gives us direction and purpose. :)”

@streamlinesolar: We hang "pardon the noise" on neighbors doors and use lawn signs for marketing and they work.”

@heatspring: “The best solar referral generator we've found was a custom DVD a solar installer would give to every client. [Tweet 2:] Every client would get 5 DVDs about their system, then when a friend asked about it, they would pass it along.. [Tweet 3:] The company tracked the effectiveness of each DVD by giving it a unique number. A call from a DVD was 10x more likely to close.”

@LeafExchange: “I love these. bit.ly/avTSzu. Impact, humor, sticking power. All the things needed for Out-of-the-box marketing.”

@SolarCoach: “We invite local press, mayors and representatives to our events — It NEVER looks bad to support local jobs!”

@Fm3xico: “Another important thing is to provide an outstanding after sale service. 24hrs available to solve any problem to your customer.”

A lot of great info in small bites, I know, but all of these thoughts are great to keep in mind for your solar efforts. If you'd like to extend the discussion or future ones, be sure to join EcoOutfitters.net's LinkedIn group. 

So, what else can solar marketers do with this kind of Twitter tool? Lots. Assuming you have organically grown a loyal Twitter following — which does take time and effort — then you can create added value solar Twitter events. For the solar B2B community, this may be a monthly Q&A for customers about new features in a product or customer service concerns. For the residential solar community, it's an opportunity for branding and engaging with the solar curious about solar technology, financing, etc.

Naturally, you don't have to use this marketing tool or Twitter at all. You also don't have to advertise, show up at trade shows, or have a website. All of these are tools. You choose the tools in the box that work for you. But please, don't assume that just because you don't have this tool or used Twitter effectively that it doesn't work. Carpenters learn to effectively use their tools over time. So should you.

Tor Valenza a.k.a. “Solar Fred” advises solar companies on marketing, communications, and public relations. Contact him through UnThink Solar or follow him on Twitter @SolarFred.