Presentation we created for Solfusion.

1. solfusionSALES, MARKETING, BRANDING AND SOCIAL MEDIA LEAD-GEN STRATEGY
®
provided by simply practical consulting®
march 17, 2015

2. presented by
james smith &
madison berrones

3. overview
• Solar is Simple
• Consumer Confusion
• SolFusion Removes the Confusion
• California Solar Industry Facts
• Solar impact on home values
• Solar prospect/homeowner facts and behavior
• Consumer internet and social media behavior
• Customer engagement
• Marketing Goals
• Social Media Strategy
• Social Media Samples
• Brand Strategy
• Marketing, Advertising and Branding
• Ad Campaign Samples
SolFusion Marketing, Branding,
Advertising and Social Media Overview:
Provided by Simply Practical Consulting®
®

4. solar is simple.
simply practical consulting®

5. solar is so simple.
simply practical consulting®

6. solar is so simple.
silly, homeowner. ;-)
simply practical consulting®

7. makes it as simple as 1-2-3.
solfusion®
simply practical consulting®

8. analyze1

9. install2

10. power on3

11. california solar consumers
have expressed much
fear, uncertainty,
and confusion.
simply practical consulting®

12. removes all confusion.solfusion
®
simply practical consulting®

13. facts on the
california solar industry

14. facts on the
california solar industry
There are currently more than 2,182 solar companies at work throughout the value chain
in California, employing 54,700 people.
!
In 2014, California installed 4,316 MW of solar electric capacity, ranking it 1st nationally.
!
The 9,977 MW of solar energy currently installed in California ranks the state 1st in the
country in installed solar capacity.
!
There is enough solar energy installed in the state to power 2,424,000 homes.In 2014,
$11.75 billion was invested on solar installations in California.
!
This represents a 66% increase over the previous year, and is expected to grow again this
year.
!
Average installed residential and commercial photovoltaic system prices in California have
fallen by 3% in the last year. National Prices have also dropped steadily —by 8% from last
year and 49% from 2010.*
simply practical consulting®
*2015 SEIA Solar Energy Industries Association California Report
http://www.seia.org/state-solar-policy/california

15. more about the
california solar industry

16. more about the
california solar industry
Number of Solar Installation
Competitors Today:
1,017
simply practical consulting®

17. current california solar industry
install and pricing trends
!
California leads the nation in total
residential solar installations*
!
• 245,975 solar projects
!
• 2,365 megawatts installed
!
• $5.55 avg cost/watt <10kW
!
• $5.06 avg cost/watt >10kW
!
NOTE: Above figures include
non-CSI datalast updated:
March 11, 2015
!
*SEIA Solar Energy Industry
Association 2015 Solar Install Report

18. current california solar industry
install and pricing trends
Half the solar homes in
America reside in California.
simply practical consulting®

19. home values
go up with solar
The verdict is in. Homebuyers ARE
consistently willing to pay more for homes
which include owner-owned solar
photovoltaic (PV) energy systems, about
$15,000 more.
!
The study, “Selling into the Sun: Price
Premium Analysis of a Multi-State Dataset of
Solar Homes” found that buyers were willing
to pay about $4 per watt of PV installed,
which means
buyers were willing to pay about $15,000
more for a home with a typical 3.75 kW
PV system.
simply practical consulting®
*Selling into the Sun: Price Premium Analysis of a
Multi-State Dataset of PV Homes 2015 Report

20. facts on the
customersolfusion®

21. Do you know whom your
best potential customers for solar are?
!
Solar prospects:
• must own a single-family home in
California
• must have viable home equity and/or
purchasing power
• must have good credit
• must have home and bill that are suitable
for solar
simply practical consulting®
solfusion customer
®

22. solfusion customer
What are the demographics
of the most likely solar power prospects?
!
• Median age of a California homeowner is 65+*
• Majority (72%) of likely California voters are
homeowners (28% are renters). In contrast,
63% of infrequent voters are renters.**
• 67% of California voters lean conservative to
moderate ideologically**
*CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS (C.A.R.) “2014
Survey of California Home Buyers.”
**Public Policy Institute of California – June 2014 Study
!
simply practical consulting®
®

23. Do you know where
your customers go online?
!
Pew Research Center Social Media Update 2014:
The results in this report are based on American
adults who use the internet.
!
!
Key findings:
• For the first time in Pew Research findings, more than half
(56%) of internet users ages 65 and older use
Facebook. Overall, 71% of internet users are on Facebook.
!
• Multi-platform use is on the rise: 52% of online adults now use
two or more social media sites, a significant increase from
2013, when it stood at 42% of internet users.
!
• Women dominate Pinterest: 42% of online women now
use the platform, compared with 13% of online men.
simply practical consulting®
solfusion customer
®

24. Do you know where
your customers go online?
!
Key findings:
• Facebook’s large base of users continues to be very
active.
• Fully 70% engage with the site daily.
• About half (49%) of Instagram users and 17%
of Pinterest users engage
with their respective platforms daily.
!
• Some 36% of Twitter users visit the site daily, but this
actually represents a 10-point decrease from the 46%
who did so in 2013 .
!
• 3% of LinkedIn users who engage with the platform
daily.
simply practical consulting®
solfusion customer
®

25.
!
• 89% of seniors 65+ have personal email and use it regularly (Nielsen).
• 72% of baby boomers have broadband internet in their homes (ThirdAge and JWT Boom).
!
• From 2004 - 2009, the number of seniors age 65+ actively using the Internet increased more than
55% (Nielsen).
• 72% of adults 55-63 and even 47% age 73+ shop online (Forrester).
• The Internet is the most important source of information for baby boomers when they make major
market purchases, such as automobiles or appliances (Zoomerang).
• The top four online websites for people over 60 are Google, Facebook, Yahoo and YouTube
(AARP).
!
• 65% of all adult Internet users engage in social media. In 2011, baby boomers increased their
usage of social media by 60% (WSL/Strategic Retail).
simply practical consulting®
!
online habits of adults 50+

26. top 10
california residential solar installers

27. top 10
1. Solar City
2. Verengo
3. Solar Universe
4. Bland Solar & Air
5. American Solar Direct
6. Smart Energy Solar
7. Sunline Energy
8. Baker Electric Solar
9. A1 Solar Power
10. Sullivan Solar Power

28. compares to the competition
how solfusion
®

29. • Business Model
• Online Reputation
• Expertise / Brand Trust
• Local / Regional / National Presence
• Professional Online Social Media Presence
!
• Main Selling Proposition
!
• American Made or Foreign / Overseas?
• Affordability
• Marketing Strategy
simply practical consulting®
how solfusion
compares to the competition
®

30. how solfusion
compares to the competition
• Do they have a robust online social media presence that is designed to
make solar simple and easy to understand or is it complicated and
confusing?
!
• Supports philanthropic and or environmental causes.
!
• Do they overspend on advertising (Verengo) – are their margins low? –
meaning they may use lower quality, foreign made, architecturally
conflicting, non-custom panels to cut costs?
!
• Business model – Example: Solar Universe is a restrictive franchiser
with limited product selection that lacks the nimble ability to customize
aesthetically pleasing, high quality all North American Made systems.
simply practical consulting®
®

31. what solfusion can do
to become more marketing efficient
®

32. marketing efficiency
Online Lead Generation needs to become 100% in house.
Leads are currently being generated by third parties at exorbitant
acquisition costs and without the benefit of providing SolFusion
with consumer brand exposure.
!
Social Media presence needs to be drastically overhauled and enhanced
by creating relevant, attention grabbing, professionally written, designed
and sourced, consumer engaging content.
!
Brand Message should be a singular company wide statement.
Solar is So Simple, Silly – It´s as simple as 1 – 2 – 3.
!
Expert Research Reports should be created as a means to position
SolFusion as the purveyor of solar expertise.
simply practical consulting®
®
®

33. marketing goals
solfusion
®

34. marketing goals
Build a robust online lead
generation system that will:
• Generate enough inbound PRE-QUALIFIED email and phone solar LEADS to
become 100% independent of outside third party lead generation vendors.
!
• Stand out and cut through the marketing clutter of 1000+ California
solar installers.
!
• Exponentially cultivate and increase positive and trusted brand awareness –
the SolFusion brand name is strong and has the ability to become more
marketable and memorable with consumers than current larger competitors
simply practical consulting®
®

35. marketing and advertising campaigns
solfusion
®

36. marketing and
advertising campaigns
Incorporating both online
and offline campaigns allow
for customers to engage with
a brand.
!
!

37. social media strategy
solfusion
®

38. social media strategy
Social media fails to help a
business the moment
consumers smell a sales pitch
or witness a presentation that
lacks relevant, expertly created
high quality content.

39. social media strategy
In order for SolFusion to stand
out from the 1000+ other solar
companies, it must establish the
appearance of a large, well-
established, and trusted
brand that is one of the leading
experts in the field of residential
solar.
®

40. social media strategy
• Facebook
!
• YouTube
!
• Twitter
• Pinterest*
!
• Wordpress Blog*
!
• Tumblr
• LinkedIn
!
• Instagram
!
• Environmental Blog?*

41. topics / series /
campaigns
• “Did You Know?” Facts
!
• Strange and funny facts
!
• New Solar Statistics
!
• Free offer/download
!
• Testimonials (with very directed
questioning that speaks to the
brand message.)
!
• Survey questionnaire
• Trusted Grandpa Spokesperson (Jamie)
i.e.: Grandpa Solar answering feedback
on Facebook
simply practical consulting®

42. topics / series /
campaigns
• Post dire news articles documenting
skyrocketing California utility rates
!
• Energy efficiency tips
!
• Cost of solar plummets
!
• Number of installs increase exponentially
!
• New technology on the horizon/just released
• Time needed to install panels has dropped
!
• City and county solar news updates
!
• Regulatory issues
!
• Safety concerns
simply practical consulting®

43. social media samples
solfusion
®

44. social media samples
REALTOR Magazine reports
homebuyers are willing to pay 4%
premium to buy a home with solar.
Would you pay more for a
home with solar?
http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-
news/2015/01/16/study-buyers-
willing-pay-extra-for-solar
simply practical consulting®

45. social media samples
U.S. power grid infrastructure earns
“D” or poor rating. Major power
outages up 400% nationwide. What
does this mean to you as a
homeowner and what can you do
to protect yourself?
Click here to learn more.
http://www.offthegridnews.com/grid-
threats/new-power-grid-report-card-
reveal-dangerous-vulnerabilities/
simply practical consulting®

46. social media samples
Is solar coming to a window near you?
Michigan State University just
announced a major breakthrough
that could change the look and feel
of solar forever. If you could have solar
placed anywhere on your home,
where would you chose?
http://www.extremetech.com/
extreme/188667-a-fully-transparent-
solar-cell-that-could-make-every-
window-and-screen-a-power-source
simply practical consulting®

47. social media samples
Electric Car Owners Miffed as SDG&E
revokes low rates. Electricity
consumers are getting fed up with
utility monopoly rate increases and
false promises. Do you feel your
electric company has treated you fairly?
http://www.kpbs.org/news/2014/jun/
19/sdge-broke-promise-reduced-
rates-some-electric-veh/
simply practical consulting®

48. social media samples
California Public Utilities Commissioner
blasts state electric companies:
“We are fortunate to have utilities in
California that are orders of magnitude
more enlightened than their brethren
in the coal-loving states, although
I suspect that they would still dearly
like to strangle rooftop solar if they
could....” What do you think of the
commissioner’s bold statements?
http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-
news/2015/01/16/study-buyers-
willing-pay-extra-for-solar
simply practical consulting®

49. social media samples
!
Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law
a bill that streamlines the process for
installing solar rooftop systems at
homes. Homeowners can now benefit
from new process and save an
additional $4000 on their
solar installation. Learn more.
http://realtormag.realtor.org/daily-
news/2015/01/16/study-buyers-
willing-pay-extra-for-solar
simply practical consulting®

50. social media samples
Planning your retirement nest egg?
Wall Street study shows that installing
solar on your home has consistently
outperformed the stock market for
over a decade. Learn how you can
profit from this once in a generation
investment.
http://bluewave-capital.com/
2015/01/us-solar-better-investment-
stocks-study-finds/
simply practical consulting®

51. social media samples
New York Times reports that homes
with solar sell twice as fast and at
an astounding $15,000 price premium.
http://www.nytimes.com/
2015/02/22/realestate/solar-panels-
and-home-values.html?_r=0
simply practical consulting®

52. social media samples
Berkeley Livermore Labs conducts
largest residential solar study ever –
See the stunning impact solar power is
having on home values nationwide.
Would your home benefit from solar?
!
http://phys.org/news/2015-01-
largest-ever-quantifies-rooftop-
photovoltaics.html
simply practical consulting®

53. brand message
solfusion
®

54. brand message
Because SolFusion is a
startup company competing
against over 1000+ solar
installers, including a number
of deep funded and well
established companies,
such as Solar City, Verengo,
Solar Universe, etc.
®

55. brand message
It is important to hammer
home and constantly reinforce
unique brand traits anywhere
and anytime consumers come
in contact with the SolFusion
brand.
®

56. brand message
• Trusted and Honest
• Leading Solar Experts in the field
Expert employees with many years of
expertise – who always give
the straight facts
• Cutting Edge Technology
• Made in North America
• Increase Home Value
simply practical consulting®

57. brand message
simply practical consulting®
!
• Custom Designed Solar Panel Solutions
built to last while putting money back in
your pocket
Customized, long-lasting, money
saving investment
• We care
We help the world through our generous
philanthropic efforts.

58. sample advertising campaigns
solfusion
®

59. advanced technology

60. We only use the most advanced
technology on your roof.

61. Are you ready to live OFF the GRID?
It’s simple to go solar with SolFusion.

62. There’s a good chance solar tech
has come a long way since you last looked.
Give solar another look. It just might surprise you.

63. New technology can oftentimes be mind boggling.
Solar needn’t be.

64. electrical creatures

65. Powering your home with solar shouldn't be.
Some things in nature are mysterious.

66. Mother nature never charges for power.

67. The nice thing about nature is that she never sends you an electric bill.

68. Isn't it time you started generating your own electricity?
It’s simple with SolFusion.

69. Is your electric bill causing a bit of a sting?
Learn more at www.ScienceOfTheSun.com

70. Every 4 minutes another homeowner
starts generating their own electricity.*
Learn how you can be next at
ScienceOfTheSun.com
*SEIA Solar Energy Industry Association 2015 American Solar Install Report

71. Let us take the sting out of your summer electric bills.
It’s simpler than you think.

72. Electrify your home with all natural energy.
To learn more, visit www.ScienceOfTheSun.com

73. misc.

74. Doesn’t take a brainiac to know getting 100% all natural
energy from the sun at no charge is a pretty hot deal.

75. Isn’t it about time you put your roof to better use?

76. solar made simple.