Proven solar marketing strategies for installation businesses. Learn how to generate quality leads through SEO, social media, referrals, and content marketing.
Matt Franklin
The solar installers I talk to fall into two camps. Some have more leads than they can handle and their problem is qualifying and converting them. Others are struggling to fill their pipeline and spending too much on leads that go nowhere.
The difference is rarely budget. It's whether they've built a system or are just doing random acts of marketing.
Solar is a high-value, high-consideration purchase. Homeowners spend weeks or months researching before they contact anyone. EnergySage data shows the average buyer takes 6-12 months from first research to installation, and contacts 3-5 installers before deciding. That buying cycle shapes everything about how you should market.
Here's what I've seen work for the solar businesses we work with - and a few things I've seen waste money.
I keep coming back to this because it's true and because most installers still haven't done it properly: your Google Business Profile is the single highest-ROI marketing activity available to you. It's free. It's where buyers look first. And most of your competitors have a half-finished profile with two reviews from 2022.
Complete every section. Choose the right categories. Upload real photos of your installations - not stock images of generic panels on a generic roof. Show your team on ladders, show the inverter install, show the finished system with the homeowner. Real photos outperform professional shots because they look real.
Then collect reviews relentlessly. Build it into your handover process so every completed installation generates a review request. The difference between 8 reviews and 80 reviews is the difference between page two and the top of the local pack. I've watched installers go from a trickle of enquiries to a steady flow just by getting serious about reviews.
Beyond Google, create pages on your website targeting the specific areas you serve. If you install across Kent, don't just say "we serve the South East" - create pages for Canterbury, Maidstone, Tunbridge Wells. Include genuine local detail about the types of roofs you see, local planning quirks, anything that shows you actually work there.
And get listed everywhere that matters: MCS Certified Installer database, RECC, TrustMark, Which? Trusted Traders. These give you credibility and backlinks.
Here's what I've noticed about the solar installers that generate the most inbound enquiries: they've usually published a handful of genuinely useful articles that rank well on Google. Not dozens of thin posts - a few substantial ones that answer the questions buyers are actually searching for.
If I were starting a solar company's blog from scratch, I'd write these five articles first:
"How much do solar panels cost in 2026?" - This is the most searched question and the one most installers avoid answering directly. Give real price ranges for different system sizes. Be specific. The installers who hedge ("it depends on many factors...") lose to the ones who say "a typical 4kW system costs £6,000-8,000 installed, before the Smart Export Guarantee."
"How long do solar panels take to pay back?" - Walk through the maths with real numbers. Show what a 4kW system generates in your area, what the export tariff pays, what the electricity savings look like. Buyers are trying to justify the investment to their partner - give them the data.
"Can I add a battery to my existing solar system?" - This captures a huge audience of people who already have panels. It's also a great upsell opportunity for your business.
"Do solar panels work in [your region]?" - You'd be surprised how many people still think you need Mediterranean sunshine. Address it with local generation data.
"How to choose a solar installer" - This one takes confidence because you're inviting comparison. But installers who publish honest buying guides - including what to watch out for, what questions to ask, what MCS certification means - position themselves as the trustworthy option.
A two-minute phone video of you walking around a completed installation, explaining the system and why you made the choices you did, generates more trust than any blog post. Film at every completed project. Post on YouTube (where it keeps getting found for years) and clip sections for Facebook and Instagram.
You don't need a production company. You need a tripod and someone who knows what they're talking about.
Referred leads convert at roughly double the rate of any other source, and they arrive with built-in trust. Yet most installers treat referrals as something that happens passively rather than building a system around them.
Offer a meaningful incentive - £150-250 per installed referral. Provide referral cards at handover and follow up by email with a unique link. Some customers prefer a charity donation instead of cash - offer both options.
The timing of when you ask matters more than the incentive amount. Your best moments are:
Solar installers who only do solar are missing a trick. Build reciprocal referral relationships with heat pump installers, electricians who do EV chargers, architects, and energy assessors. A surprising number of homeowners are doing solar and a heat pump at the same time, and whoever they talk to first usually gets to recommend the other.
Use your CRM to track who referred whom and which referrers are most productive. Thank them personally and quickly when a referral converts. People who feel appreciated refer more.
The compounding effect
Research from the Wharton School shows referred customers have 16% higher lifetime value and 37% higher retention than customers from other channels. They also refer more themselves. A good referral programme compounds.
Social media is rarely where solar leads originate, but it's where homeowners check you out after finding you through search or a referral. A Facebook page with recent installation photos and customer comments is reassurance. A page that hasn't been updated since November sends the wrong signal.
Facebook is your primary platform. It has the homeowner audience and the local targeting. Post completed installations (with permission), the occasional customer testimonial clip, and any local news relevant to solar.
Instagram works well for visual content - before/after shots, timelapse installations, close-ups of neat cable management.
YouTube compounds over time. Educational videos you post today will still be generating views and enquiries two years from now.
Pick two platforms. Post three times a week. That's it. Consistency beats volume.
Facebook ads targeting homeowners in your service area can work well, but they're not where I'd start. Get your Google profile, reviews, and referral programme working first - those have a lower cost per acquisition and build long-term assets.
When you're ready for ads, start at £10-20/day. Use your own installation photos (never stock images), offer something specific like a free survey or savings estimate, and measure cost per survey booking rather than cost per click. Scale what converts, cut what doesn't.
Solar has a long buying cycle. Most people who enquire today won't be ready to commit for weeks or months. Email keeps you in the conversation without requiring constant effort.
Offer something useful in exchange for an email address - a savings calculator, a buyer's guide PDF, a "is my roof suitable?" checklist. Then send a short email every week or two with something genuinely helpful: a case study, a grant update, answers to a common question.
Most leads need 5-12 touchpoints before they commit. Email provides those efficiently through automated sequences that run without you thinking about them.
If you're trying to decide where to start, here's how I'd prioritise:
| Priority | Action | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Google Business Profile + reviews | Free, immediate, compounds over time |
| 2 | Referral programme | Highest quality leads, lowest acquisition cost |
| 3 | 3-5 cornerstone blog posts | Captures researchers, builds search presence |
| 4 | Consistent social posting | Credibility when prospects check you out |
| 5 | Paid ads | Scalable once the foundations are in place |
The installers who grow fastest aren't the ones spending the most on marketing. They're the ones who built a system - reviews feeding search rankings, content capturing researchers, referrals compounding - and let it run consistently.
Related reading: Heat pump lead generation strategies | Automated compliance for solar installations
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