Innovative Account-Based Marketing Ideas | Solar Energy

3 Account-Based Marketing Ideas for Solar Energy

By Bridget CunninghamNov 19 /2019

You’ve got the attention of your ideal prospects and most valued clients. Now what?

Account-based marketing (or ABM) can be as nerve-wracking as it is exciting for companies — and the solar industry is no exception. To achieve high conversion rates, solar manufacturers and other industry organizations need to combine powerful messaging with relevant offers that appeal to the interests and needs of targeted accounts.

But when it works, it really works. With ABM in use for at least a year, 60% of marketers reported a 10% increase in revenue, while 19% reported an increase of 30% or more.

Whether you’re just starting out with ABM or are looking to enhance your efforts, these three account-based marketing ideas are valuable additions to your strategic conversations.

1. Lunch-and-Learns

Every business wants to be seen as a trusted educational resource in the eyes of prospects and customers alike. With a lunch-and-learn series — the first of our account-based marketing ideas — you’ll have the opportunity to do just that.

Let’s say you’ve compiled a list of engineering directors at leading solar installation companies. Through targeted Facebook ads, you could invite this group of prospects to a digital lunch-and-learn that focuses specifically on compliance with local and national codes — a topic that connects with a challenge they face. The benefits are two-fold: engineers walk away with new insights (without sacrificing too much of their time) and businesses foster relationships with key decision-makers.

Something to note: While you can target specific accounts via Facebook Custom Audiences, it’s also possible to build lookalike audiences based on these accounts to target a wider audience.

2. Competitor Comparisons

Whether it’s a solar manufacturer’s experience, patented technology or long-term value, there are key selling points that can make a business stand out over competitors. The beauty of a competitor comparison is that you can directly communicate this to the individuals who matter the most: competitors’ customers.

Consider the case where most customers have to purchase solar components from multiple vendors. Understanding this frustration of your target audience, you could develop a custom landing page that promotes your system as an all-in-one component solution — among a list of other benefits. This resource could then be promoted to your competitor’s customers via highly customized Google ads.

Like Facebook, Google can analyze search behavior to identify people who share similar characteristics as your target account list. This allows you to expand your messaging, while still delivering it to a relevant and qualified audience.

3. Thought Leadership Opportunities

When a lead turns into a customer, they also turn into one of your most valuable salespeople. From achieving the highest efficiency possible in solar panel systems or tackling a complex project under tight timelines, their shared successes could be the catalyst for prospects to learn more about and eventually invest in your business.

One of the best ways to turn successful customers into advocates is by providing them with thought leadership opportunities. A prime example of this is speaking engagements. If you’re sponsoring a solar energy seminar or conference, you could leverage this position to send personalized emails to customers and ask them to present at the event. While giving customers more opportunities to showcase their own success, you’ll also generate brand awareness on your end and boost customer loyalty.

Consider this in the scope of the larger picture: Loyal customers are five times as likely to repurchase, seven times as likely to try a new offering and four times as likely to refer someone.

Looking to put account-based marketing ideas into action? The team at Kuno Creative can provide the insights you need to strategize and launch successful ABM campaigns — ones that complement your current inbound marketing efforts. See how these two pieces of the marketing puzzle work hand-in-hand with our real-world examples.Generate More Alternative Energy Sales

Bridget Cunningham
The Author

Bridget Cunningham

Bridget uses her journalistic experience to successfully engage with technical minds. Prior to Kuno, she managed the blog program and assisted with social media efforts at COMSOL, a high-tech engineering company that offers multiphysics software solutions.
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