We all know marketing is hard work. But navigating a prospect through the classic purchasing funnel is particularly challenging for solar marketers due to the inherently difficult "sell" of solar services. It's a topic we've looked at quite a bit here at Palmer, but it's worth repeating: unlike a typical "outbound" marketing pitch, solar inbound marketing is predicated on a heightened need to convey expertise and gain trust with prospects. That's because customers rarely purchase residential solar panels impulsively. They do their research and marketers, in turn, need to educate them. 
This fundamental challenge underscores the importance of rolling out effective call-to-actions (CTAs) in your solar inbound marketing campaign. CTAs need to engage users at the appropriate part of the purchasing funnel and incentivize them to make contact with your firm. Let's take a closer look at how this process works.
The Key Ingredients of an Effective Solar CTA
There are two main components in creating a compelling solar CTA. The first is to understand and incorporate the key ingredients of an effective CTA, regardless of what content you are offering. Consider this step the groundwork for the actual content that comprises the CTA.
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Strong, action-oriented verbs like "discover," "learn," and "download."
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Copy that matches up with the landing page, specifically in terms of what you're offering, whether it's a "free trial" or "complementary white paper."
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A sense of urgency by using words like "now" or "today."
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A prominent position on your site; Hubspot notes that one of its CTAs is 650 pixels wide.
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Enticing buttons by making them appear in 3D or with a little graphical hand hovering over it.
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A manageable amount of characters. CTAs should be between 90 and 150 characters and is most effective when quoting a numerical figure.
Linking CTA Deliverables with the Prospect's Location in the Funnel
Next up is matching your CTA's solar inbound marketing content to the prospect's location within the sales funnel. For example, at the top of the funnel, prospects are looking for a solar company that's experienced and trustworthy. Customers also need to be educated about how solar energy works, financing options, upfront costs, etc. Therefore, make sure your CTA is connected to a deliverable that accomplishes this goal, like eBooks, White Papers, How-To Videos, and Webinars.
In the middle of the funnel, prospects have been "bought-in" to a degree, yet they need to understand how life would be if they worked with your company. Therefore, it is important that marketers provide prospects with something tangible, explicitly spelling out how clicking the ad will make the user's life easier, save them money, etc. Deliverables at this stage include demo videos, FAQs, and data sheets. Prospects at the bottom of the funnel need to be sold to with an eye towards personalization. Therefore, deliverables should include free trials or free offers, as well as a free consultations or estimates.
Now we'd like to ask you to join the conversation. What do you think makes a great CTA? What kinds of content seems to resonate most with prospects? What's particularly challengine about creating solar CTAs?
CTAs are but one element in your lead generation toolkit. Want to learn more? Download our Lead Generation eBook.
