3 Target customers for solar installers

Let’s say I asked you, “What is your target customer?”, what would your response be?

Is your answer,  “homeowners”?

If so, you may not have thought about them in as much detail as you need to. Let’s dig a little deeper.

• Do you know what their fears and frustrations are?
• What are their hopes and dreams?
• How can you show them that they can trust you?
• How can your website show that you understand them better than they know themselves?
• Well, we need to know who our customers are.

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Three main customer types for domestic solar installations:

• Climate Change Advocate
• Calculated and frugal investor
• Energy independence seeker

Ideally, we want to have elements on our websites that resonate with our intended audience.

How do you know which elements will appeal to which type of customer?

Let’s look at each type of customer in more detail:

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Climate change advocate

These people will do everything they can to help save the environment.

They will typically vote the Greens party, own an electric car, and are keen on recycling.

They are generally younger, educated, understand the science behind greenhouse gases.

They know that whatever they do will only be a drop in the ocean, but want to make a difference. They fear that if they are not responsible for taking control, the world will be very different place in a few decades time. They also hope that their children will be able to enjoy the world as they are now.

They are fed up with world leaders taking bribes, and the general inaction of major polluting countries.

Paying a little extra is not important to them so long as they know they’re making a difference. They will generally be early adopters of new technology.

To them, installing solar panels is not about saving money. It is an extension of who they are. They will tell all their friends and family about it, and be your biggest advocate and marketer if you do a good job.

Page elements targeting climate change advocates:

• Pictures showing families with both solar panels and electric cars.
• Counters (as you scroll down) to show how much carbon has been offset, and how much less coal is being consumed.
• Testimonials from customers about how they feel like they are contributing to the environment
• Quotes from climate change deniers.
• Facts about rising carbon parts per million past 400+.
• Create urgency by appealing to their responsibility in maintaining an earth worth living for their children.

Calculated and frugal investors

Calculated and frugal investors are careful with their money.  

Their primary goal is to spend wisely and be lean if possible.

They will typically have a family in a large sized home.

They will have heaters, air conditioning systems, multiple large TVs. Conserving energy is not one of their primary concerns.

They may be watching out for government rebates with a keen eye. They know what power company they are with, how much they’re paying, and whether they are under a contract.

They may already have their smart meter readings on file. With that, they would be able to calculate what the payback period will be.

These types of consumers are very analytical and won’t mind paying more for better quality. The most important criteria to them is seeing the value of the investment. The shorter the payback period, the lower the risk.  

Page elements targeting frugal investors:

• Government rebate information (specific to their state)
• Solar calculator to show payback period
• Testimonials from customers showing how much money they saved.
• Social proof
• Comparisons of which systems give the most value.
• What they are looking for is value. The cost of the investment is may not be relevant.

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Energy independence seekers

The idea of not needing energy from another source fills these types of consumers with joy.

They may already have or are looking to buy an electric car.

This means they want to control the generation, storage and consumption of electricity.

As such, they may be interested in getting a battery to go alongside their panels.

They may be in an area where there are many power interruptions. They may feel frustrated that their daily lives are being interrupted by something out of their control.

They want to look at their electricity bill, and know that they have either contributed to the grid, or hardly used any grid electricity.

Page elements targeting energy independence seekers

• Smart energy management systems
• Explanations on batteries
• Solar calculators
• Broken grid systems
• Social proof
• Testimonials from past customers that produce and store enough electricity to power their whole lives.

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In summary

Marketing to everyone is marketing to no one.

A web page that caters to your target audience will be more effective than one that caters for every kind of consumer.

Once you understand what their motivations are, you will be able to make more informed decisions.