If Solar Fred Owned a Solar Company: The Long Tail

“Some men see things as they are and ask, Why? I dream of things that never were and ask, Why not?”

--George Bernard Shaw, Back to Methusalah

As a marketing and strategy guy, I often see trends in other industries and wonder why more –or any—solar companies aren't applying the same concepts. So, I’ve decided to start an occasional series I’m calling “If Solar Fred Owned a Solar Company.”

Now, I know it’s easy to propose radical ideas when I can’t see the big picture of your particular solar company or market. But if you're a solar company exec and you can see the big picture, then you can think about these musings, modify them, and apply them…or not.

In my first post, I’m going to discuss an insight I derived from reading a best selling book called “The Long Tail,” by Chris Anderson.

This is not a new book, although it’s been revised recently. The basic concept is that there will always be blockbuster brands and products that sell huge volumes. But in the age of the internet and a global market, the combined niche products and corresponding customers sell more than the blockbuster product.

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So with that in mind, if I, Solar Fred, owned a start-up solar PV module company and went to SPI 2009 and saw all of my well established American players, I would focus just on, say...the residential and small commercial market.

Now, these might not be the homeruns of a huge megawatt utility solar farm, but what if I spent all of my development resources on just developing a targeted, inexpensive plug-and-play solar PV kit for the masses of residents and small businesses. They would be attractive, easy to deliver, easy to install, and easy to finance, not to mention, have a website that would automatically process available rebates. Andalay is heading towards that niche, but they're not everywhere.

Similarly, I could decide to focus my company just on commercial flat top roofs, just as Solyndra has, abandoning the racking of residential roofs and the dual axis tracking, regulated, environmental-impact-messy, where's the nearest-electric-poll, desert installs.

As for installers, if you’ve been trying to be everything to every market in your area, perhaps it’s time to become a great installer for one niche market, like focusing all of your marketing and inventory efforts on every Mini-Mall in town. Or every warehouse. Or every farm. Or every saloon. Or every realtor. Get to know these customers, their needs, and then get yourself famous—and respected—for finding a unique way to serve them alone. Help market their greeness.

You might be surprised how that little part of the solar tail starts to stretch.

Unthink Solar.

Tor Valenza aka “Solar Fred” advises solar companies on marketing, communications, and public relations and is a partner at solar referral service SolarPowerRocks.com. Contact him through REWorld or follow him on Twitter @SolarFred.