At the time of this writing, were here in San Francisco are receiving some much-needed rain. And while the rain is good news for drought-stricken Northern California, it runs the risk of putting a kink in your solar marketing plans.
After all, when the sun is out, it's easy for solar marketers to articulate the value of residential solar power. However, during the (relatively) cold and rainy winter months, solar energy is "out of sight, out of mind" for prospects and leads.
Google AdWords is a great way to keep your brand in front of customers during the off-season. Businesses can control their costs and only pay when viewers click the ad (aka Pay Per Click, or PCC). The ad can drive traffic to your site or landing pages for off-season promotions. And by using Google's keyword and demographic targeting tools, you can be sure you're reaching the right customers.
Therefore, we'd like to pass along some useful solar marketing tips for your off-season PPC campaign.
Know and target your audience. As we just mentioned, AdWords allows you to target your ads to well-defined demographics. Therefore, when you create your ad, makes sure you know as much as you can about your solar buyer persona, including gender, location, and age.
Nail the keywords. The success of your ad depends on your keywords, and Google provides some helpful advice along these lines here. Make sure you think broadly about the different ways customers could reach you while aligning your keywords with distinct business goals.
Use Google's optimization tools. AdWords provides many tools to help you make the most of your ads. For example, in your AdWords account you can view low search volume keywords. These are the keywords that aren't working, so delete them.
Optimize the text. Your ad is meaningless unless viewers actually click it. Therefore, make sure the ad highlights what makes your solar firm unique — zero-down financing? Experience in the community? Google also advertises prices, promotions, and exclusives in the text, as viewers use Google search to make decisions. Also make sure the ad includes a keyword.
Include Calls-to-Action. Your ad should encourage customers to take action. Employ strong words like "call today" or "get a free consultation."
Match ad to landing page. Congrats — the viewer clicked on your ad for a free residential solar quote. Now the real fun begins. Make sure the process from click to convert is as friction-less as possible. Take them to a coherent and easy-to-navigate landing page.
Explore non-keyword alternatives. Take AdWords' Dynamic Search Ads. While standard text ads use keywords to determine when they show up on Google Search, Dynamic Search Ads differ in that they don't use keywords. Instead, Dynamic Search Ads automatically show your ad based on the content of your website.
What do you think? Is your firm rolling out PPC ads that keep your brand in front of customers in the off-season? Has AdWords delivered a return on investment? Do you foresee this trend continuing in 2015?
Need more help in optimizing your online marketing strategy? Contact us for a free consultation.
