Whatever solar sector you’re in, email marketing with relevant
content marketing should be a key instrument in your marketing toolbox,
and it’s not just me saying that, but other marketers in other
industries surveyed by Sales Force. Before I give some specific tips for solar email marketing, let me share a few of these results from Sales Force’s 2015 State of the Marketing Report:
- 73% of marketers agree that email marketing is core to their business.
That’s huge, and yet I still know a lot of solar companies in all
sectors that do very little email marketing. Why? Perhaps it’s due to
staff concerns, because:
- 43% of businesses have email teams of 2-3 people.
That’s not a majority, but it is nearly half of the survey, so
email marketing can be labor intensive, even with today’s automated
email programs. Solar companies are lean so, devoting two people, let
alone one, to email marketing is tough. Nevertheless….
- 74% of marketers believe email produces or will produce ROI in the future.
So, even if you have two email staffers, most marketers seem to
think that it’s worth the time and effort. Besides, it is what the
customer wants:
- For 69.7% of US internet users, email is the preferred method of communicating with businesses. (eMarketer)
I recently wrote about a similar stat from Marketing Sherpa, which found that regardless of demographic, the overwhelming majority customers prefer being contacted through email.
So, let’s agree that email is a great solar marketing platform and
that solar companies should be taking more advantage of it. With that in
mind, here are five tips to enhance your email marketing, whether
you’re a solar manufacturer or installer:
1) Try some creative content with segmentation.
Every email marketers knows you need to segment your subscribers
into lists and create relevant content. But I urge you to study your
lists for creative content opportunities that will resonate more
personally with each segment.
For example, for both solar manufacturers and installers, you could
make your emails more geographically personal. You could create useful
O&M content for cold weather zip codes and separate content for hot
weather zip codes. You could also design one template with images and
copy that reflect California customers, and another that reflects New
York customers, etc.
The more personal that you can make your email, the better.
2) Be careful how often you send emails.
While most consumers prefer email, there’s no real consensus about
frequency. So you’re going to have to do your own testing and analyzing
to see what’s optimal. Any modern email program should be able to
answer:
- How many emails does it take to convert a solar sale for your business?
- How many emails do people receive before they click unsubscribe?
- Why do the people unsubscribe? The MailChimp program gives every unsubscriber a quick multiple choice survey asking why they unsubscribed.
Use all of this information to create the right frequency for your business and for your segment’s goals.
3) If you have an offer, use buttons in your design.
I don’t know why, but studies show that people really like to click
on buttons more than they do on text that is hyperlinked. In fact, one
marketer increased their click through rate by 127%
just by using a button. Once again, many email programs include
buttons, so use them for offering a download or for a call-to-action to
set appointments.
4) Offer something.
Related to the above, but every now and then, offer something
valuable that the recipient can get immediately. This could be a
discount for any solar service or product with an expiration date, or it
could be an e-book that increases your authority as an expert, leading
to a solar sale down the road.
5) Surprise subscribers—in a good way.
I love it when email marketers are personal. Beyond codes to insert
my name, they can also know information about, for example, the date I
first became a customer.
For solar manufacturers, you could have a birthday email that
warmly congratulates the installer for being a client for x many years.
You don’t have to offer a customer birthday present, but a birthday
discount couldn’t hurt (using the button, naturally.)
For installers, you could do the same, reminding a customer that
their solar system is a year old, and that you’d like to set a time for a
free onsite checkup. That kind of unexpected, warm, customer service
interactions will show your customers that you care. In turn, that will
inspire them to speak about you to their family and friends again.
“Guess what? My solar system is a year old and my solar installer is
doing a free checkup.”
As the Sales Force data shows, email marketing is a core content
marketing tool for other industries. And with a little “UnThinking,” it
can also become a core tool for the solar industry.
Tor Valenza a.k.a. “Solar Fred” is the Chief Marketing Officer of Impress Lab’s new Solar Lab, and the author of Solar Fred’s Guide to Solar Guerrilla Marketing. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this blog are his own. For more solar marketing info, sign up for the UnThink Solar newsletter or follow @SolarFred on Twitter.
http://blog.renewableenergyworld.com/ugc/blogs/2015/06/5_solar_fred_tipsfo.html