If you want to boost conversion rates, sell new products to old customers and grow your solar, heat pump, EV charger installation or other renewables business, you should invest in email marketing.

Email marketing is the simplest thing ever, and I can’t ever understand why more businesses don’t do it. Instead, they spend a ton of resources concentrating on social media and trying to stand out from all the other noise on there.

Why email marketing for renewables?

Email marketing for renewables is no different to email marketing for any other industry. One of the main advantages is that you own the real estate – Your contact list.

You can download, save it, or even print it off. 

Unlike any social media account that you could lose in a heartbeat. So if social media is your business, you’re on dangerous ground.

Now, just to be clear, when I mention email marketing, I’m not talking about sending over a quote, an invoice or responding to a question. I’m talking about building a database of customers and prospects that you regularly email.

And by regularly, I’m talking at least once per week. Any less and you’re not going to appear in prospects and customers inboxes enough to be top of mind.

Most of our clients email 2-3 times per week, and some even email every day. Frequency is not an issue if your emails are interesting.

Email Marketing Myths

Email marketing doesn’t work anymore

The reasons people say this are:

1. They are just repeating something they have heard, repeating it because it sounds cool or they have something else to sell you.
2. They do/have done it, but it didn’t work for them because they didn’t know what they were doing.
3. They have no idea what they’re talking about

What doesn’t work with email marketing?

Boring corporate-style newsletters with fancy graphics and branding (from big brands). They look great on the software you make them on, but more than likely, they don’t look like that when they are opened on the multitude of email platforms and devices that are used across the planet.

People will think I’m a spammer if we send them lots of emails

No, they won’t if you’ve created a list properly, used signup forms, and asked for consent…

…they have actually opted to hear from you. They want you to email them.

SPAM is unsolicited email, but if they’ve asked to receive them, you can’t spam them.

And the more you email them, the less likely they are to think you’re spam.

My customers are too sophisticated for personal-style emails

Nope… Our email list has CEOs, directors, business owners, people with Ph.D.s, etc.

What people want is to be entertained; they WANT emails that they enjoy reading, and personal-style text emails deliver on this promise.

My customers don’t like being sold to

Utter nonsense, what people don’t like is hard sales.

But if selling is done in the right way, then every one of us enjoys being sold, too, especially when we have a problem that needs to be solved.

If I email my list, they’ll unsubscribe

But what’s the alternative? To have a list you don’t email? In which case, what’s the point of having a list?

Yes, people will unsubscribe, but if they do, they were never going to buy.

So, how do you write emails that people want to read?

People want to receive emails from people, real human beings with personalities.

They don’t want to receive bland, boring company brochures and other flavourless dross.

This is why so many people struggle to make email marketing work.

Know your audience

A massive part of writing good emails is research.

You need to know your audience.
● What do they like?
● What do they want?
● What are their needs?
● What do they worry about?
● What problems do they need to solve?
● Why are they interested in you?

Solving the above will mean your emails are talking directly to YOUR audience. This will draw them in, they’ll hang on your every word, and they’ll connect with you. Having an audience that connects with you will drive trust and more sales.

So what are the components of an awesome marketing email?

The from name

Over time, this is much more important than your subject line because your audience wants to hear from you; they’ll be looking for your name in their inbox, NOT your business name.

I recommend that the emails be written from the business owner, CEO or another face of the company.

I repeat, to get the most out of email marketing, DO NOT email from your business name.

Use an intriguing subject line

We’re all bombarded with daily emails.

Some people receive 100s a day, so standing out from the crowd is an absolute must.

• A quick look at my inbox and I’m hit with generic subject lines like:
• Your exclusive discount codes
• Coming soon
• Tickets now on sale
• 10% off
• Book your table online

Most of these go straight to the bin without being opened.

The whole point of a subject line is to create intrigue, make them curious and show your personality. You want to draw people in to reading your email.

Over the last few years I’ve had some cracking subject lines in emails sent from other people.

These include:

• Cat Arse Flowerpot
• “Isn’t it time you got a real job”
• Man buys my course ‘in his mind’
• sdrawkcab etirw nac I (I can write backwards)
• How I set 10k on fire

See how they’re all different from the norm and even a little wacky. Don’t be afraid to get weird with subject lines, it’ll mean you stand out from the crowd and get an excellent open rate.

Do make sure the subject line gets woven into the email though!

You might be thinking how none of those subject lines relates to solar, heat pumps, EV chargers or other renewable solutions, and you’d be right. But remember, people want to be entertained, and if you entertain them, they will remember you.

If you are really stressing out about subject lines, then check out Jay Abraham’s 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written.

The first few lines

Now you have them reading your email, you need to keep them there.

I saw a report recently that identified that in the digital age modern man now has an attention span of 8 seconds.

This is a second less than a goldfish! If you start your email with some generic dross, people will switch off and probably close the email.

You need to start strong and draw them into what you’re going to tell them. Start with the biggest bang for buck.

• Pay off any weird subject line early
• Go with an open-ended lead.
• A question.
• The start of a story which requires more info and further reading.

Whatever it is create intrigue, which means the reader has to continue reading.

Make it easy to read

You are not writing a novel or completing an English exam.

Keep sentences and paragraphs short.

Use simple words and make it easy to read. The tone should be Sunday Lunch with family.

Your readers will appreciate it and so will your sales.

A quick tip is to paste what you have written into https://hemingwayapp.com/ and aim for a
grade 5 or lower.

Don’t sell in every email

This is not a hard and fast rule; some will disagree. However, many of us are fed up with being sold to in every single email.

Instead of selling all the time, aim to entertain and to provide useful information, and when you do sell, people will be more willing to buy.

Focus on the long-term.

Your email does not have to be about the ‘thing’ to sell the ‘thing’.

You’re not selling as you’d traditionally sell – one shot at the target using every trick in the book to make the sale.

They eventually buy from you because they’ve bought into you, thanks to the constant, conversational emails you’ve been sending them.

Which brings me to the next point…

Tell a story

Great copy is all about telling stories. People love to read stories.

Stories are relatable and easy to read. Much easier than a bunch of facts.

Tell them about you, your clients, the businesses you work with and your staff.

Have a quick read of the two fictional emails below:

EMAIL 1
With the new BMW S1000XR Motorbike you can:

• Go 0-60mph in 3.2 seconds.
• Feel at one with the road.
• Turn into corners quicker and harder.
• Cruise in comfort with better wind protection and electronic aids.

EMAIL 2
Let me tell you about our client James.

James is in his 30s and loves to go away on his motorbike with his mates.

Riding a sports bike on long trips was really starting to take its toll on his back, neck and wrists.

He needed to stop constantly, and the discomfort was taking his attention from the beautiful scenery he had travelled so far to see.

James came to us with the need to be able to travel long distances in comfort whilst at the same time wanting a bike that was just as quick as a sports bike on the road.

He arranged to have the new S1000XR over a weekend and took it on a 1000-mile round trip to Snowdonia.

He was sceptical of its high riding position that had him sitting more upright. He thought it would be comfortable but dull compared to his sports bike.

When James returned to us, all he could talk about was the outright performance of the bike: the sports bike turn-in, how he was comfortable the whole trip, how being more upright meant he could see the road ahead better and most of all, how he wanted one.

He part exchanged his sports bike and is now the owner of what we think is the best all round bike on the road.

Interested in booking a test ride?

Which one do you prefer?

They both tell the reader the same thing, but one of them is relatable. It stirs emotion, and the story sells the motorbike.

Tell your readers what you want them to do

In the marketing, this is called a ‘Call to Action’.

If you’re selling, trying to get people to book appointments, click a link or want a reply, you NEED to tell them what you want them to do.

It could be as simple as ‘Book a call here’ or ‘Click here to see our latest blog’.

But if you don’t put an action, don’t expect people to do it!

Obviously, not every email needs a Call to Action, but if you are expecting your readers to do
something, just make it easy on everyone and tell them.

What should you write about?

You can write about anything you want really. For example:

1. A topical news piece
2. Your day or weekend
3. A habit you have now or have had in the past.
4. A big mistake you’ve made in the past – recent mistakes work well.
5. Lists – people love lists 7 ways to improve energy efficiency, 10 ways I hurt myself etc
6. Something (good or bad) that’s happened to you or someone you know in the past – people love stories.
7. Your clients and their experiences of working with you – ask permission if you are going to name them.
8. A solar installer could talk about optimising energy savings.
9. A heat pump installer could discuss optimal temperature settings for rooms in the house.
10. An EV charger installer could talk about an energy tariff that they use or a charge card they recommend.
11. You could talk about what the team have been up to, a restaurant you recommend, a great place to visit, etc.

Why does email marketing work?

• You’re there when they’re ready to buy.
• You’re top of consciousness.
• You attract people who are like you.
• Your emails are like those they get from friends – look, sound, feel.
• You’re providing entertainment and useful information, not just selling.

Email marketing for renewables – Summary

Email marketing is a vast subject, and the best way to get good is to get stuck in and email your list. And if you’ve not created a list, you should.

Look at stats like open rates and link clicks and figure out what works for your market. Email marketing for renewables doesn’t need to be complicated; you don’t need to always discuss your product and service, and you don’t always need to sell.

The most important thing to do is to actually email the people who have told you they’re expecting marketing emails when they tick that little box on your enquiry form or your newsletter signup.

If you don’t have a list and don’t know where to start, have a list you don’t email or just want someone to regularly email your audience, get in touch and we can discuss options for growing your business with email.