Are you looking to discover how to generate solar leads?

In this post, I’ll be sharing three effective ways to generate qualified free solar leads that your competition is likely not using yet and that will give you all the solar sales you need.

Here’s how you can start generating inbound and outbound qualified solar leads with just 15 minutes per day

Solar Lead Funnel Stack

Here are the tools you’ll need to start generating new leads and clients:

• Optimized LinkedIn profile to show your expertise
• Facebook Group to demonstrate credibility and build rapport
• NeverBounce to clean your lead list and maximize deliverability
• Expandi to both scrape data from LinkedIn and send DM on auto-pilot
• Instantly to send mass emails on auto-pilot

And here’s how you can leverage those simple tools to start getting BOTH outbound leads and inbound solar leads.

Solar Marketing Ideas

#1 – How To Generate Solar Leads With Omnichannel

One of the best ways to generate solar leads is an omnichannel strategy that leverages both LinkedIn DM and cold email.

For example, if you’re selling commercial solar leads to solar companies, or if you want to generate free solar leads for yourself, you want to use:

• LinkedIn to connect and DM them
• Cold email to follow up
• Content marketing to demonstrate your credibility

This solar lead funnel provides a smoother experience that feels more personal and engaging for your prospects, leading to increased conversion and closing rates.

According to a study by Omnisend, an omnichannel campaign can bring in nearly six times more sales than single-channel marketing. 

How To Find Solar Leads

Since we want to use an omnichannel campaign to have several touchpoints with our prospects…

We want to have a list of leads that has all the necessary contact information:

• First Name/Last Name
• Company Name/ Company URL
• LinkedIn Personnal Profile
• Email Address
• Company’s phone number

In this example, we will find qualified prospects (aka people with money) who live in your area.

Alright, let’s get into it.

First step: Find your ICP contact info

1. Go to LinkedIn
2. In the search bar, enter the job title of people who likely have the money for solar (ex: CEO, Founder, President, etc)
3. Click on “People”
4. Under “Location” add your city or area
5. Scrape the list with Expandi

Second step: Export the leads into a CSV file or Google Sheet

1. Download all the leads into a google sheet and make sure all the “first names” are actually their first names. It’s also critical to keep away from anybody who isn’t a decision-maker for your services.
2. Create two new sheets in your spreadsheet and label one of them “with emails” and the other “without emails.”
3. Add all people that have an email into the sheet “with emails”
4. Add all that doesn’t have an email into the sheet “without emails”
5. Download both sheets as CSV

Third step: Clean emails in NeverBounce

1. Upload CSV file “with emails”
2. Clean it
3. Only keep “Validated emails” to ensure maximum deliverability
4. Download the newly cleaned “with emails” list into a new CSV

Fourth step: Import the leads into Instantly and Expandi

1. Go to Instantly and Expandi
2. For Instantly: Upload “with emails” CSV File .
3. For Expandi: Upload “without emails” CSV File.

Now that we have imported all of our solar leads into Instantly and Expandi, it is time to start sending connection requests on LinkedIn.

Here’s a 30,000 ft view of ONE example of how to generate solar leads with an omnichannel campaign:

1. Day 1: LinkedIn Connection Request
2. Day 1: Email to thank them for connecting + question
3. Day 3: LinkedIn DM + question
4. Day 5: Reason for the reach out + case study
5. Day 7: Follow-up
6. Day 12: Breaking DM

The psychology behind this strategy is that you want to connect on a personal level with the prospect.

Then, you want to demonstrate how you can be of value to him or her.

Omnichannel Solar Lead Funnel Sequence

LinkedIn Connection Request – Day 1

Hey {{FirstName}},

Saw you’re also following {{AuthorName}} and engaged with his post on {{SubjectOfThePost}}.

Love it too! Let’s connect.

{{YourFirstName}}

Email 1 – Day 1

Hey {{FirstName}},

Thanks for connecting on LinkedIn.

Loved your {{LinkedInPost}} ! Very insightful. I particularly like {{blablabla}}.

Have you ever thought about ways to reduce {{Company}} energy bills? Last month we helped {{KnownCompany}} slash its energy bill by $1,950 with a solar pannel system.

Mind if I send more info?

Message 1 – Day 3

I was checking out your linkedIn and {{Compliment}}

I’m not sure if you saw my email but I was wondering {{question asked in original email}}?

Message 2 – Day 5

The reason I was asking is that {{case study/social proof}}.

Is this something you’re interested in?

Message 3 – Day 7

Use a personalized GIF of them waving with the caption “{{first name}}, let’s talk?”

Message 4 – Day 12

{{cookie monster GIF}}

{{FirstName}}, have you given up on me?

Congratulations, your omnichannel solar sales funnel campaign has now been launched.

Now that your outbound campaign is set up, let’s see how you can generate even more commercial solar leads and residential solar leads using an inbound approach.

#2 – How To Generate Solar Leads With Content Marketing

When someone sees your post on LinkedIn about “How homeowners can slash up to 75% of their energy bills” or “how businesses in {{City}} save $23,450 every year on their energy costs” and clicks to read it because one of their connections commented, they connect with you.

If they continue seeing quality content from you over time, they will begin trusting you as an expert in the field.

Your LinkedIn posts can either encourage prospects to contact you directly or click on a link that takes them to your website. In both circumstances, your LinkedIn post is nudging the prospect towards becoming a client by bringing them into your solar sales funnel.

Pro tip: Anytime someone engages with your posts, you should reach out to them. You can easily automate it with tools like Expandi.

In other words, your content marketing acts as a nurturing funnel where you guide your prospects step by step in their customer journey. 

How To Create A Content Marketing Solar Sales Funnel

1. Outline your content’s ideal customer profile (ICP).
2. Outline your content strategy so you never run out of content to post.
3. Follow the best LinkedIn post formatting and writing practices for maximum engagement.
4. Schedule your LinkedIn posts so they’re automatically posted.
5. Measure content results based on analytics to adjust your strategy accordingly.

Proven Content Marketing Posts

• 40% Expertise posts – These LinkedIn posts provide value, educate your readers, and establish you as an expert. You should be giving away as much value as possible so that your prospects realize that you know what you’re talking about.
• 40% Engagement posts – Leverage these kinds of posts to entice readers to engage with your content (like, comment, and share). The goal is to maximize your reach and get new followers.
• 20% Promotional posts – Create content that talks about the pain point your ICP is experiencing and position your company as the ideal solution to alleviate it.

However, don’t box yourself in too much with this structure.

If you have a new post idea that falls outside of the framework, test it out and see how your audience reacts.

With that said, how often should you be posting on LinkedIn?

Hootsuite recommends posting at least once a day.

HubSpot notes that the return on investment drops substantially once you publish more than 5 times per week, and the ROI drops substantially.

Tips for creating LinkedIn posts:

1. Grab your audience’s attention with a strong hook.
2. Keep their attention with the AIDA formula (attention, interest, desire, action).
3. Try to write in one-sentence paragraphs.
4. Always write from your prospect’s POV.

Here’s an example of a great formatting LinkedIn post:

After you have finished crafting your strategy and writing your posts using the best formatting tips, you will want to schedule them so that they are published in advance.

To schedule a post on LinkedIn this way, you need to:

1. Connect your LinkedIn profile with a third-party social poster tool.
2. Create a new post within the tool.
3. Select a social network, your post text, media, hashtags, and more.
4. Select a date and time.
5. Schedule your post on the calendar and analyze your post analytics to see what works afterward.

According to Hootsuite, the best time to post on LinkedIn is around 9:00 AM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

And remember, you should always reply to and engage with people who comment under your posts, regardless of when they’re posted.

# 3 – How To Generate Solar Leads On Facebook

The first two ways were all about how to FIND qualified solar leads and potential clients.

This way (Facebook Group) is all about CREATING free solar leads and potential clients.

Once up and running this solar lead funnel is absolutely lethal. The ROI is just ridiculous.

And this method doesn’t require more than about 1h per week as you only need about 3-4 posts each week.

So if you’re looking to generate 2, 5, or even 10 solar sales each month with maximum leverage DO NOT sleep on Facebook Groups.

Facebook Group Solar Sales Funnel

Why do FB groups work?

• Fantastic way to attract the right people for your solar panel installation services.
• They foster community and engagement in a way that is impossible to achieve with other lead-generation methods.
• They give prospects repeat exposure to your coaching offers and demonstrate your expertise before they make a buying decision.

So when your prospects will be ready to make a decision, you’ll be top of mind because of the credibility you’ve demonstrated in the group.

Here’s what you’ll need to start your group:

• A group name around the outcome your market wants
• Welcome post to tell them what your group is about
• Content posts that show your expertise
• Offer posts that link to your coaching offers

Your FB Group will house your best content (to build credibility), testimonials (for social proof), and coaching offers (for monetization).

You want to indoctrinate new members with repeat exposure to your brand so they start to know, like, and trust you for your solar panel and energy cost-saving expertise.

Step #1 – Name Your Group

Try to pick a name that is “outcome-based”.

Here’s a list of ideas you can use when brainstorming your group name:

• [Process] Blitz 
• [Process] Authority 
• [Outcome] Accelerator 
• [Outcome] Secrets 
• [Pain] to [Outcome] 
• [Outcome] Machine 
• The [Pain] Free Solution 
• How to Crush With [Process] 
• The [Outcome] Advantage 
• [Outcome] Shortcut
• The Art of [Process] 

Step #2 – Write Your Welcome Post

What are the problems your market is currently experiencing?

What is the ideal outcome for their problem?

Use your Welcome Post to explain what you do, how you do it, and what people EXCLUSIVELY get as part of your group.

Every week, look at your new members’ list and tag them in a post:

“Hey welcome to our new members! Take a look a this Welcome Post so see what this group is all about and how to use it. If you need anything, DM me (or Customer Success).

-NAME

-NAME

-NAME

-NAME, etc

Here is an example from The Wealthy Consultants:

Step #3 – Publish “Offer/Value” Posts

You already know the mistakes your market is currently making by trying to solve their problems/pain points.

Find their “universal beliefs” aka the most popular mistakes your market is making because they think it’s the “right” thing to do, and CRUSH them. And then, indoctrinate them into your OWN “universal beliefs”. Repeat these over and over and over in your content.

Write at least 3-4 posts each week. They don’t need to be super long. They can be 5-10 sentences and that’s it.

Show your expertise by telling your members WHAT to do and WHY in other to alleviate their pain, solve their problems, and achieve their goals. If they want the actual HOW, then they have to become one of your coaching clients.

Besides your 3-4 posts each week, engage with members daily.

Keep your promo/value content ratio around 25/75. In other words, aim at publishing ONE offer post for every THREE value posts.

That way you’ll keep your Facebook Group’s engagement high.

Then, simply keep publishing, keep providing value, and keep engaging with your members, and soon they’ll almost beg you to take their money to become one of your coaching clients. The closing ratio for leads coming from your FB group is astronomical.

While you might close 10-20% of your cold email or LinkedIn DM lead. A normal closing ratio for a FB group lead is north of 30%.

This is ridiculous. Don’t sleep on it!

Step #4 – Grow Your FB Group

When you know how to generate solar leads and clients with cold email and LinkedIn then it’s super easy to use these tools to grow your FB group.

If a prospect shows some interest in your offer but isn’t ready yet, then “downsell” them to your free FB group. They’ll get to consume your content at their pace and decide for themselves when they’ll be ready to take you up on your solar panel offer.

A fabulous way to create goodwill.

Another simple way would be to simply add a link to your FB group in your email signature and one on your website. This is a great way to grow your group passively without even “trying” to.

You could also follow up with everyone who was not interested in your previous cold messages in a “breaking-up” message and low-key pitch them your FB group.

Hey {{FirstName}}, I haven’t heard from you, so I’ll assume [solar panels] isn’t a priority at the moment. I completely understand and don’t want to take up any more of your time.

Anyhoo here’s a free FB Group that 1,643 homeowners find usefull to (alleviate related pain/solve proble/achieve goal).

I thought this might interest you.

Best,

Another way to grow your FB group is to leverage your other social media presence. If you’ve started doing some LinkedIn posts you can simply add a CTA to join your new Facebook Group.

The opportunities to grow your group are almost endless. Start with the ones I’ve shared with you above and you’ll be well on your way to your first 1,000 members.

Final Thoughts

This is how to generate solar leads online without cold calling or spending money on ads.

Every day, your outbound campaign using Expandi and Instantly will send connection requests and cold emails on auto-pilot.

Then, you simply have to engage with people who reply to your messages and nudge them to book a meeting with you.

Meanwhile, your content marketing effort and FB Group will position you as a relatable and trusting source, and generate free solar leads.

To get results with these solar sales funnels you only need about 15-20 minutes every day to reply to interested leads (email and LI) and convert them into scheduled calls.

Now, let’s go crush it!