Anatomy of a 'solar ad'

If you’ve been around me long enough you’d probably be well aware of my hatred towards the lead generation tactics used by many of the lead gen ‘companies’.

Some of them are truly misleading and some are down right lies- all aimed at just getting someone intrigued enough to input their personal data so that they lead gen can then sell as a ‘lead’.

That said, let’s break down a solar ad that is being used right now today. This one is being used by several accounts in multiple areas and has about ~1,000 ads placed on FB since Jan 1st.

The page running the ad changes as well as the picture, and the targeting is different as well (in some case the copy is slightly modified).

All of them run to a similar lead gen/capture pages that take the visitor through a series of ‘qualifying’ questions such as:

- are you a homeowner or rent
- zip code
- who is your electric utility provider
- your average monthly electric bill
- household income
- credit score
- how much sun your roof gets
- your email
- your name (first and last usually)
- address where solar will be installed
- phone number

Not all landing pages are the same, and not all ask the same questions- but they all gather the data and have a disclaimer or terms of service stating that the information you provide will be sold to other companies.

Sometimes they list the companies the data will be sold to, sometimes it is generic… but they all sell the data as ‘leads’ and you agree to be contacted by those companies by submitting the answers to their questions.

So, that’s the place you go if you click the ad. Let’s look at the ad itself…

-Some use a ‘deadline’ with a date as a headline. There are multiple dates across several of the ads with most of them appearing in the month the ad was started (so if the ad was started in June, the ‘deadline’ is some date later in June).

-All ask a question about would a homeowner allow for their roof to be used in a test or trial of a new solar technology- a question designed to generate curiosity.

-All claim no or zero cost to the home owner. (A blatant misleading statement as the landing pages seem to all state zero or no money down/up-front which is completely different than zero or no cost)

-It lists some criteria for eligibility- a tactic usually used to make the program or offer ‘exclusive’ because, after all, only a few can qualify… right?

Surprisingly, that’s most it for this ad.
Short, but misleading none-the-less…

Paraphrased:

‘Hey, home owner, we want to trial our new solar technology, if you agree to let us use your roof, we won’t charge you- there will be no cost. But, this won’t work on every home, here’s some requirements- click here to see if you qualify’

There is no free program being offered when you get to the landing pages. Only lead capture pages with plenty of personal information questions and a terms/conditions/disclaimer that you agree they will sell your information as ‘leads’.

Be careful out there guys!

Now, just because there are some really slimy operators like this one doesn’t mean all of the lead gen providers are slimy. Turns out there are plenty of legitimate local, regional, and national solar companies that have high integrity and don’t use the bait and switch tactics just to get your info to sell as a ‘lead’.

Just knowing about these ‘lead gen’ tactics arms you with all you need to prevent falling prey to them. Remember to read the terms and conditions and disclaimers before you submit anything and you’ll be aware of what is happening (usually).

If you are looking into solar for your home, click here to be notified when I release Tucson Solar Insider Desk Guide for Buying Solar.

Be Good!
Curtis