Sick of paying for Solar leads and competing against others who've bought the same list? 

Or are you struggling to find high-quality solar leads? 

You're not alone. 

But there is a way to take control of your solar lead generation, and it's easier than you think.

Create a powerful solar lead generation machine in 3 steps—that works 24/7 while you do other things—and OWN your lead flow. 

Let's go…

3 Steps to Create Your Solar Lead Generation Machine

1. Add an instant quote form to your website or landing page 

2. Automate Lead Management and Follow-Up

3. Promote Your Solar Lead Generation Machine

1. Add an instant quote form to your website.

The first step in creating a solar lead generation machine is setting up an instant quote form on your website or landing page.

Why? Visitors arrive on your site with questions about solar energy costs or potential savings. An interactive calculator is your chance to engage them in real-time and give them those answers.

They plug in their details—like energy usage or property address—and right away, they get answers tailored to their situation. It’s an instant, informative experience that pulls them deeper into your solar sales funnel.

And while they’re learning about potential savings or system size, you’re capturing their contact info—qualified leads who’ve already shown interest in what you offer.

Easy, right?

To see how well this can work, check out how Eltex’s lead machine brings in 30 qualified leads per day.

Calculators can be customized with your pricing and services. Below is an example of one of our Solar Lead Generation Funnels that you can tailor to your brand and products.  

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Now, let's move on to setting up your automation. This will save you time and allow you to scale as needed without employing extra admin staff. 

2. Automate Lead Management and Follow-Up

Your solar lead generation machine is now up and running, bringing in potential customers—the next step is critical: managing and nurturing your leads.

This is where solar market automation does the heavy lifting, saving you time while keeping your sales pipeline active.

CRM Integration: Capture and Organize Leads

The first thing you’ll need to do is connect your lead capture form to a CRM tool like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Zoho. This ensures every lead coming through is automatically logged, categorized, and routed to the right team for follow-up.

Automated Email Sequences: Keep Leads Engaged

Let’s face it—losing leads because you didn’t follow up fast enough hurts. That’s why automated email sequences are a game-changer. From the second someone submits their info, your system sends a series of carefully timed and personalized emails.

Here’s an idea of how it can look:

• Immediate Response: As soon as they hit submit, they receive a thank-you email that acknowledges their interest and offers something of value, like a success story or “5 Benefits of Going Solar Today.”

• Educational Follow-Up: A few days later, hit them with more useful content—an eBook on solar savings or a comparison of solar systems. Keep them learning and engaged.

• Special Offers: After warming them up, introduce a special offer. Whether it’s a discount on installation, solar loan information, or a free consultation, the goal is to nudge them toward taking action.

• Final Reminder: If they haven’t engaged yet, one last friendly reminder should go out. Highlight the potential savings and how easy your company makes switching to solar.

Immediate Contact Option for Hot Leads

Of course, not everyone needs nurturing. Some leads are ready to go right away. For hot prospects, you could offer a direct call-to-action (CTA) after calculator submission. Something like:

• "Want to speak to someone now? Click here to talk to our solar expert."

• "Ready to move forward? Schedule a consultation with our sales team."

This allows hot leads to bypass the email nurturing sequence and get in touch with your sales team immediately.

Lead Scoring & CRM Alerts: Flagging Hot Leads

As your automated emails go out, set up your CRM to track how each lead interacts—do they open the emails, click on links, or download resources? These actions are scored, and once a lead shows strong interest, your CRM flags them as hot. Now it’s time for the sales team to step in.

Sales Team Steps In: Closing the Deal

At this stage, set up an auto notification to the sales team with all the juicy details—what the lead clicked on, what emails they opened, and what they’re most interested in. With all this info, they can tailor their outreach to close the deal.

Automation + Sales = A Seamless System

The beauty of this setup? Automation nurtures your leads without overwhelming your team. When a lead is ready, the sales team takes over with all the context they need to close the deal. It’s a good mix of efficiency and personalization.

3. Promote Your Solar Lead Generation Machine

You will need to drive traffic to your solar lead generation calculator. Here are the best ways to get eyes on your page:

Paid Advertising:

Paid advertising is the quickest way to get going. Set up a campaign and have people visiting your page within hours. This is the way to go if you don't have a high-traffic website yet. 

• PPC Campaigns
  Invest in pay-per-click (PPC) ads on platforms like Google Ads. Target solar-related keywords like "solar panel installation," "solar energy savings," or "solar energy for businesses." These ads show up when users search for related terms, driving immediate traffic to your website.

• Social Media Ads
  Run targeted ads on social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter. Solar companies can target specific audiences based on interests, behavior, and demographic data (e.g., people interested in renewable energy, sustainability, or eco-friendly solutions). Facebook's Lookalike Audiences also let you target users similar to your existing leads.

• Retargeting Ads
  Retargeting (or remarketing) ads target visitors who have previously interacted with your website but haven’t yet completed the desired action, such as filling out your solar savings calculator. Use platforms like Google Display Network or Facebook Ads to display these ads across websites or social media platforms, reminding potential leads to return and complete the form.

• Display Advertising
  Run visual ads on websites within Google's Display Network or other ad networks that show banners, videos, or rich media ads on high-traffic websites related to energy, home improvement, or green living. Display ads can build brand awareness and drive targeted traffic.

• YouTube Ads
  Create educational or promotional video ads and target them to relevant keywords or audience segments on YouTube. Video ads are a powerful tool for building awareness and showcasing the benefits of solar systems, especially in visually engaging ways.

• Paid Social Media Campaigns
  In addition to organic social media content, leverage paid social campaigns to promote your solar products. Sponsored posts or carousel ads on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook allow you to reach larger audiences and drive conversions.

Content Marketing:

Content marketing can take 6 - 12 months to see results, but it’s worth it. Work on adding helpful content week after week to build your website's online 'reputation' so it starts to rank high in search results. 

It's a powerful way to get visitors to your site. Creating and optimizing the content costs money or takes your own time if you do it yourself. 

• Educational Content: Create blog posts, case studies, and guides that discuss the benefits of solar energy and direct readers to your calculator for personalized estimates.

• SEO Optimization: Use SEO best practices to ensure your content ranks well in search engine results, making it easier for potential customers to find you.

Social Media Marketing:

A powerful and free option if you do it yourself. There are plenty of automation systems you can use to create, schedule, and post social media content. Or you can outsource it. 

Think about the following ways to use social media for promotion:

• Engaging Posts: Share informative posts, infographics, and customer success stories on social media platforms. Include links to your calculator to drive traffic.

• Targeted Ads: Use social media advertising to target specific demographics and geographic areas. Highlight the calculator's benefits in your ad copy to attract clicks.

• Strategic Partnerships: Partner with local businesses, real estate agents, or home improvement companies to expand your reach and introduce the calculator to new audiences.

• Influencer Marketing: Collaborate with influencers in the renewable energy or home improvement space to promote your calculator to their followers.

Cold Email Outreach:

Cold email outreach doesn’t have to feel, well, cold. It can be an engaging way to introduce your solar lead generation calculator to potential customers while keeping things light and approachable:

• Make it Personal: Kick off your email with something relatable. Instead of “Dear Customer,” try something like “Hey [Name], ever wondered how much solar energy your business could save?” Keep it conversational, not robotic.

• Catchy Call-to-Action: Get straight to the point with a fun, attention-grabbing CTA. How about “Curious about your solar potential? Check out your free solar estimate here!” Give them a reason to click and explore your calculator.

• Follow Up with a Smile: Cold outreach is all about persistence, but keep it friendly. Send a follow-up that says, “Still curious? Don’t worry, we’ve got your solar savings waiting for you! Just click and see.”

Keep it human, light, and easygoing to engage prospects and make them feel comfortable exploring your solar calculator!

Local SEO

Want to get noticed by solar customers in your area? Optimizing your website for local searches like “solar installers near me” or “solar panel estimates in [city]” is how you will reach potential customers ready to convert.

• Keep it Local: Sprinkle location-specific keywords throughout your content and meta tags. Make it easy for nearby customers to find you.

• Boost Your Ranking: Local reviews and citations are your secret weapons for climbing Google’s local rankings. Show off your happy customers and let Google do the rest.

• Google My Business: Don’t forget to claim and optimize your Google My Business profile. It’s a quick win to boost your local visibility and show up when customers are searching for solar options in your area.

Easy tweaks, big local impact!

Referral Programs

Turn your happy customers into your best marketers. A referral program can do just that. Offer incentives like discounts or rewards, and watch as your existing customers share your solar calculator with their friends, family, and co-workers.

• Trusted Leads: Referrals are gold. They already trust your service, so they’re more likely to convert.

• Cost-Effective: It’s a win-win—your customers get rewards, and you get more high-quality leads without spending big on advertising.

Let your customers do the talking and keep those leads rolling in!

Wrap Up

Your solar lead generation machine starts with your solar lead generation calculator. Once that’s set up and running, you’re already ahead of the game. From there, start small with promotional tactics like local SEO or a PPC campaign to drive traffic.

Take steps to refine and build on your lead generation machine. Over time, you'll have a fully automated system that works 24/7, bringing in high-quality solar leads.

For more tools for Solar Businesses, go here.