Kasra Dash: So if I have a solar company and I want a consistent flow of enquiries and new leads coming in every single month, what do you recommend for growing a solar business?

James Dooley: The first thing I would look at is enquiring with FatRank.com, who offer a pay on performance lead generation model.

James Dooley: That is for different types of solar leads, whether it is solar panels or battery installations.

James Dooley: We do a lot in the commercial solar panel industry, but you need to make sure you qualify.

James Dooley: We need to make sure you are a brandable company that can convert leads and respond quickly to the leads that we generate.

James Dooley: For solar over alternatives, I would not throw all your eggs into one basket.

James Dooley: Do not just say FatRank is sorted so that is your lead generation done.

James Dooley: I would look at other lead generation companies as well, like Bark, Checkatrade and TrustATrader.

James Dooley: Plenty of others might generate leads too.

James Dooley: What are your thoughts on lead generation companies that charge on a cost per lead basis and do not give exclusive leads, and might resell the same lead to four or five different companies?

Kasra Dash: There are a lot of those companies offering that service.

Kasra Dash: If you are going to opt in for one of those, you need to set clear KPIs.

Kasra Dash: You need to know how much you are spending each month and how much you are getting back from that company each month.

Kasra Dash: A lot of businesses sign up and do not know how to track anything.

Kasra Dash: Tracking is super important.

Kasra Dash: Like you said, do not put all your eggs into one basket.

Kasra Dash: Go with two or three different lead generation companies at the start.

Kasra Dash: Track their performance and after three months say lead gen company one and two did not perform well but company three smashed it.

Kasra Dash: Then reallocate the budget from one and two over to three and double down or triple down.

Kasra Dash: Away from lead generation, what do you think about SEO?

James Dooley: Organic SEO, both for Google Business Profiles in the local map pack and ranking in the maps, is very important.

James Dooley: You want to make sure you are ranking in your local area for commercial solar panel installation companies, commercial solar installers and industrial solar panel installers.

James Dooley: You want to rank for all those terms in your area with your Google Business Profile.

James Dooley: From an SEO standpoint it is a long term investment.

James Dooley: You will not see an instant return on investment, but it is good for branding.

James Dooley: It helps you get reviews and look good online.

James Dooley: If you are paying PPC or a lead generation company today, when people search your name they should see a strong brand.

James Dooley: If you are doing SEO and can rank for commercial solar panel installers, suppliers or manufacturers in the area, you can generate your own leads.

James Dooley: In my opinion that is the holy grail of running a successful business.

James Dooley: You want diversification, but if you can run SEO on your own site and generate your own leads, it is a no brainer.

James Dooley: What are your thoughts on SEO and moving from SEO into PPC?

Kasra Dash: The pros of SEO are that you generate the lead on your own website, which builds asset value for your business.

Kasra Dash: The cons are that it takes time, especially if you do not have a website or are just starting out.

Kasra Dash: With PPC you can generate leads a lot quicker.

Kasra Dash: It is pay to play.

Kasra Dash: If you are not willing to allocate five thousand a month or a couple of grand a month, you will not get far with PPC.

Kasra Dash: The cons are that you get a lot of click fraud in the solar space.

Kasra Dash: It is expensive.

Kasra Dash: If you are not building a negative keyword list or banning certain IPs to minimise click fraud, it can go against you and costs can stack up quickly.

Kasra Dash: Pros and cons to both.

James Dooley: For sure.

James Dooley: The last thing I would say is social media.

James Dooley: You can try organic social media or Facebook ads.

James Dooley: If you go down that route, remember it is interruptive marketing.

James Dooley: If someone is scrolling through Facebook, how will you capture their attention?

James Dooley: Grants can work.

James Dooley: If you show they can get 50 percent off in a specific area because of a government grant, that grabs attention.

James Dooley: If you show data on how much they will save and how long their payback period is, social media can work.

James Dooley: What are your thoughts on social media?

Kasra Dash: If you run a basic ad like six thousand pounds for new solar, everyone has tried that.

Kasra Dash: The play is using grants.

Kasra Dash: If a council like Wigan releases a new grant covering 25 or 30 percent of installations, make people aware of it.

Kasra Dash: That is more of an awareness ad than a hard sell.

Kasra Dash: That approach works much better than shouting six thousand pounds for solar panels.

James Dooley: For sure.

James Dooley: If you own a solar panel company and want to grow in the renewable energy industry, head over to FatRank.com and fill in the form to see whether you qualify for a pay on performance lead generation model.

James Dooley: If accepted, it is a no brainer for businesses.

James Dooley: They pay nothing for SEO, PPC or social media ads.

James Dooley: They do not pay for the leads.

James Dooley: They only pay on jobs that convert and make profit.

James Dooley: Then they pay a finder’s fee.

James Dooley: Make sure you have diversification.

James Dooley: Make sure you also try to generate some of your own leads and enquiries.

James Dooley: In my opinion the holy grail of any successful solar panel company is when they can generate their own leads in house as well.