The pressing climate crisis has made it clear that the focus of this generation of entrepreneurs is – and has to remain – on creating a more sustainable future. And, with the rollout of ambitious but necessary projects such as the European Green Deal and the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Renewable Technology Companies (RTC) are taking up the role of the knight in the shiny armour.

The renewable energy sector, which was a small niche in the global energy market only a few years ago, has gained so much traction and interest to lead the whole industry forward. This industry’s boom has undoubtedly opened up opportunities for entrepreneurs interested in making an impact in today’s world – but it has also made the competition much fiercer than it once was.

With giants of the renewable energy industry scattered worldwide, it has never been so important for companies to invest in strategic marketing. After all, the more people and businesses you can get involved with your company’s mission, the more of an impact you can hope to make. Here are the marketing strategies RTCs should not miss out on.

Why Invest in Marketing for Your RTC?

Global renewable energy is one of the fastest-growing markets worldwide, and its development is not only customer-driven. As governments are modifying legislations and embracing the shift towards more sustainable resources, it becomes apparent that renewable energy is not just a trend.

The renewable energy market is set to double its reach by 2024, achieving a global worth of $1 billion by 2025. This impressive growth is undoubtedly a sign that things are changing for the better across the world, but it also means that today’s RTCs are born in an ever so competitive landscape.

At the same time, digital environments from search engines to social media platforms such as LinkedIn are becoming increasingly noisier and crowded. So, the channels that have been working so far for companies and organisations might be so flooded with information to make it impossible for your audience to hear your voice.

A combination of these two factors has made it challenging for RTCs to stand out. However, with the right marketing strategy, you can tap into the undiscovered potential for this industry. Below, you can find 10 of the best marketing strategies that work – adapted to the renewable energy industry.

Define Your Offer and Brand Value

If you are an RTC, you are providing clean, sustainable, and renewable energy – or developing technologies that can make the renewable energy industry more sustainable, efficient, or appealing. That might be what your company does – but it is not your entire offer.

Defining your company’s offering is crucial when crafting a marketing strategy because, without a message to communicate, no communication channel will be effective.

When crafting your offer, don’t only focus on the products or services you are providing your audience. Instead, bring your attention to how you are providing these services – and what’s the value proposition of your company.

Your value proposition should include three elements:

How is your product or company relevant? – or, what problem is your audience experiencing? Don’t only focus on the fact that renewable energy is needed to heat up homes and the mindset shift of people looking to live a more sustainable life.

• What is the quantifiable value you are delivering? – be clear on the specific and quantifiable benefits that your product or services offer to your audience. It might be your lower price, sustainably-sourced materials, or science-led research.
• How are you different from the competition? – new RTCs are born continuously. It is important to know how your company differentiate itself from the competition. Identify your unique selling points!

Your value proposition should go hand-in-hand with your brand voice and personality. For example, if you bring to life an RTC that primarily focuses on delivering renewable technologies to startups or a young audience, make sure your tone is in line with this market. Remaining relevant to your targeted market means creating efficient products and keeping the conversation going.

Embrace a Whole Organisation Approach to Content Marketing

One of the greatest challenges of designing the right marketing strategy for the renewable technology industry is creating content. A content-rich marketing strategy is undoubtedly one of the ways to see your ROI skyrocket and your efforts become worthwhile.

As opposed to social media marketing, content marketing is the long-term strategy that will give your business authority and trust over time.

And, the more your audience and other businesses in the industry trust you, the more visibility, popularity, and respect your brand will see. At the same time, creating content for RTCs is not as easy as it might seem.

Indeed, the renewable technology industry is new, vibrant, and always in development. Aside from the highly-technical side of your business, your marketeers also have to be clued up about the most recent studies and research.

While the company’s founders, C-level employees, and managers need to know about innovations in the industry, the marketing team does not.
As a result, it is easy for your marketing strategy to be shallow or product-focused. To avoid this, there are two important techniques to employ simultaneously:

Embrace a Whole Organisation Approach – through this method, everyone in the company contributes their skills to content marketing, including your managers, founders, technicians, and engineers.

Use a specialised marketing company – if your marketing team’s lack of technical knowledge is the barrier between your company and a winning marketing campaign, outsourcing specialised services can help.

Communicate Your Story and Brand Values – Not Just Your Products

Of course, a marketing campaign’s ultimate aim is to increase sales. However, this is not a straight path – you won’t see your products or services selling out overnight just by advertising them on digital marketing channels!

Sales can come through popularity, trust, visibility and, above all, authenticity. In a historical moment where we are all overwhelmed with information, it is important to communicate what your company is really about to catch your audience’s attention.

Whether you are using SEO on your blog or social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter to communicate to your audience, make sure to make the story about you – not just what you sell.

Additionally, it is crucial to look into the buyer behaviour of a new generation of consumers. Today’s buyers are increasingly taking into consideration the values upheld by a company before committing to a purchase.

Since your RTC operates in the field of renewables, you are likely to be targeting an audience that is interested in cleaner, more sustainable energy sources. From this, find out what the entire set of values upheld by your target audience is. This will give your precious hints on the initiatives your company should take – and communicate through marketing!

Create Educational Content Around Keywords

The relationship between your RTC and your audience is not a one-way street. Keep in mind the Ben Franklin effect: offering something first might increase the chances of your audience engaging with your company. While giving away free services, demos, products, and trials might be a way to lure some in and get them to fall in love with your company, that’s not the only – or most efficient – way.

There is something else that you can give to your audience and without having to miss out on the revenue of the products that you would have given away for free. Content, in this case, is the key!

Using keywords as pinpoints, create educational content about renewable technology. As a company in the industry, you have access to insider knowledge. At the same time, industry professionals want to have that knowledge and be in the loop.

Through educational content, you can become a trusted and credible source of information in the industry, gaining the respect of your audience and competitors. More importantly, this kind of content will add value to your brand in the long-term.

Map Out A Buyer Journey

Due to the overcrowded digital environment, any potential buyer in your audience is continuously overwhelmed with information. So, not only the buyer journey is long, but it is also easy for your leads to be swayed away.
Mapping out a customer journey can help you gain better control over the sales funnel your leads go through – from the Awareness phase to the last step, Action. When creating this journey, it is important to be clear on what detail and information your leads are looking for at each stage of the journey.

For example, during the awareness stage, your leads might be looking for the information they need to know whether you can resolve their pain points. They might be looking for affordable renewable technology solutions or for a custom package that better first the need for a young startup. Make sure to understand who your buyer persona is before attempting to answer these questions.

Continue nurturing each of your leads by providing more and more about your company as they look into your values, services, and offers. Make sure each piece of information is readily available and easy to find.

For example, it might have captured the interest of a leader who was looking for renewable technology services thanks to an Instagram ad. If the swipe-up link leads to your website, make sure they can immediately find what services are you offering, the packages that are available, and what your company is about. At the next stage, make sure your core values and missions are easily discoverable – and ensure they can easily contact your company. Don’t forget to follow up with potential leads.

Host Digital Events

As we have seen, it is crucial for your company to be considered an authority and tested source of information in the industry. At the same time, tailored and more personalised interactions are always part of a winning strategy. Creating downloadable guides and eBook can be a great way for your audience to peek into the world of renewable technologies.
However, hosting webinars or live Q&A sessions is also a great way to transcend the digital channels and meet your audience.

And, of course, this gives you an opportunity to establish your company as a respectable and influential organisation in your community. Make sure you take part in as many relevant online events as possible.

Use Diverse Social Media To Create a Community

Social media channels are an incredibly powerful tool for RTCs. With an ever-increasing number of renewable technology companies filling up the market, social media gives you a significant opportunity to build a supportive community.

Of course, social media popularity is about likes, shares, follows, and retweets. However, these are not the end goals – but just an indicator of how communication with your audience is going.

Indeed, social media channels allow you to solidify the relationships between your brand and your consumers, turning their interest into sales.
Finding the right platform to tell your RTC’s story is a crucial step, which will mostly depend on your target market. Nonetheless, diversifying your channels of communication means that you can reach a wider audience while targeting a specific demographic through laser-focused ads.

Consider Influencer Marketing

Awareness – which is often the first step of the marketing funnel – starts from the information potential leads receive. And, in most cases, this happens through social media channels. Adds might cause your products and services to fall in front of the eyes of potential leads. However, influencer marketing can make it easier to reach an increased number of leads – and, more importantly, catch their attention.

To understand this, it is important to look into the consumer behaviour of this generation of buyers. Millennials, as well as Gen Z, are using the method of “crowdsourcing” throughout their decision-making process. This means that they value and trust the opinion of their peers and influential models – and use these opinions to make a purchasing decision. Using influencer marketing can help your brand become more visible, but also, you can create an association with a person or group of people already held in high esteem by your target market.

Of course, picking the right influencer is key! Specifically, RTCs could look into engaging with environmentalists, scientists, or individuals interested in making a positive impact on the environment.

The Takeaways

The landscape of renewable technologies is thriving but also becoming crowded and competitive. This is thanks to the opportunities that the general public’s interest and legislation changes have fuelled. When crafting an effective marketing strategy for your RTC, make sure you are using the consumer’s trends to your advantage. You can do so by:

• Offering tailored services
• Crafting a unique value proposition
• Remaining consistent throughout each touchpoint
• Engaging with your community
• Leveraging the knowledge of the experts in our organisation
• Thinking about your long-term and short-term marketing goals

Don’t forget to be the first one to offer something to your community – you can secure their respect and a better brand image by providing free educational content about renewable technologies.